Glee 2026 - Why We're There, What to Say
We're here to find out whether retail partnerships make sense for us, and if they do, to find the right partners.
This sheet is a guide, not a script — use your own words.
1. Start with who we are
"Hi, I'm [name]. The Bike Shed Company makes the high end garden stores and bike storage on this stand. We sell direct at the moment, and we're here looking at whether retail partnerships make sense for us and to find the right partners."
2. Then qualify
Find out three things, for everyone we talk to:
- Who they are
- Whether they buy in products like ours
- Whether they have customers like ours
A possible line to qualify:
"Our products sell really well to affluent homeowners and extremely well to garden designers — does that sound like your customers?"
Other ways to phrase the same thing:
"...is that close to who you're selling to?"
"...how does that match up with your customer base?"
If they're not a fit, feel free to keep chatting, but remember they're probably not right for this. GIVE THEM A LEAFLET JUST IN CASE.
If they are a fit, move into getting more information and explaining how it could work.
3. Get more information and explain how it could work
Ask how this would need to be structured to appeal to them, and how they evaluate commercial partnerships generally. Answer whatever comes up.
Explaining the model:
"We're keen to understand how to make this work for the right retailers. We'd been thinking we'd place one or more sheds as a display, not stock, along with point of sale showing the full range and QR codes through to video and case studies. How does that sound?"
4. If asked "who else stocks you"
Say something like:
"We tried this with London Timber Buildings in a pretty unstructured way — as an add-on to their garden rooms. We don't think it was the right match, and it's not what we're trying to set up here."
5. If they want to know the numbers
Only get into this if they ask, or once they seem ready for numbers — don't lead with it. When you do:
"We think we can offer 20% on every sale — on our price points, that's roughly £360 to £530 a sale. No stock to hold, no capital tied up, no risk if it doesn't sell. We're hoping that's attractive. Might a structure like that work for you?"
6. Log every conversation on the HubSpot form, on your phone, immediately after
Fields: name, role, number, notes, their own words on customer fit, site location/postcode.
7. What a good day looks like
Every conversation qualified. Genuine matches got a proper conversation. Everything logged. Ten solid leads by the end of the show would be great — that's a bonus, not the target.