BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
How the engagement runs
Our business development work starts with research in three phases, each measured in weeks, and you approve at four points along the way. When we work together over time, the monthly work follows straight on. This page sets out the steps, what we need from you, what is not included, and how we charge.
We publish this so you can judge the fit before a call, not after a proposal.
The sequence
What happens, in what order?
Phases run in order, and one approval sits inside the first phase. Once you approve the chain map, the shelf analysis and the private label read start together against the chains you approved, and neither waits on the other.
| Stage | What happens | When | Who |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proposal approval | How we work together, the scope, markets and channels, and whether this is the right work at all | Before start | You and EFC |
| Kick-off | Base materials received, market priority order agreed, points of contact named | Week one | You and EFC |
| Phase A, the market | Chain map with fit ratings, approved by you, then category and shelf analysis and private label read against the approved chains | Three to four weeks, estimated | EFC, you approve the map |
| Phase B, the contacts | Named buyers and category managers, distributor candidates per market, buying calendar and trade fair map | Three to four weeks, estimated | EFC |
| Phase C, entry | Entry route per market and channel, approach kit with scripts and objection answers, meeting coordination begins | Two to three weeks, estimated | EFC |
| Ongoing | Approaches, follow-up, pipeline, meeting coordination, monthly report | For the term of the engagement | EFC, with you on the call every two weeks |
Within a phase, work runs side by side where it can. The phases run in order, each starting from what you approved in the last. The week ranges are estimates, not dates, because the buyers set the calendar: in many chains shelf decisions are taken in fixed category review windows, so some approaches wait for the next window.
From your side
What we need from you
Your materials, your approvals, and one person we can reach. If something is missing, we flag it early so it can be ready before we approach anyone.
Materials
- Existing distributor agreements, or a description of them where nothing is written, and any territory you already hold or are negotiating.
- The product line list with the priority lines marked.
- Packing data: carton dimensions, shipped weight, units per carton and pallet configuration.
- Trade price list and terms, the order minimum, and the lead time you offer European buyers today.
- Product evidence you hold: certificates, durability, service life or warranty terms.
- English marketing assets: product catalogue, product pages with packaging images, high resolution images, and a presentation aimed at a chain buyer.
- Any account already in conversation, so an open discussion is not cut across.
Approvals
- The scope, markets and channels, before work begins.
- The first research results, which decide where the contact work goes next, since we research contacts only at the accounts you prioritise.
- The market and account priority order, before any approach material is drafted.
- The approach material before use, as it carries your name.
One person
You name one person on your side we can reach for short updates and approvals. When we work together over time, they also join the call every two weeks. It is not a full-time role.
Everything here depends on your materials. If a product page does not exist in English, we flag it in week one, because a chain buyer will not wait while it is written.
Out of scope
What is not included?
We find and work buyers with you. Some things sit outside that work.
Quoted separately if you want them:
- paid media
- production of new marketing materials beyond what you supply
- physical attendance at trade fairs including travel and accommodation
- logistics, storage and shipping, which belongs to the operation and is quoted there
Not part of this engagement:
- acting as your commercial agent or under a representation mandate
- third-party fees such as rulings, registrations and licence costs, which are payable by you
- legal advice
- tax advice
- any regulatory representative role for medical devices
Where EFC does hold a named regulatory role, Responsible Person under the General Product Safety Regulation, Regulation (EU) 2023/988, for in-scope consumer products, it is described on Compliance and it is a separate arrangement.
The terms
How we charge for this work
The terms below apply when we work together over time. The research alone is priced on its own.
- How we work
- Monthly, over time. The research alone is also available, on its own terms
- Term
- Twelve months
- Commission
- A commission on the sales the work brings in
- Why a commission as well
- The monthly fee covers the work. The commission ties part of what we earn to the sales it brings in, so we care about which chains are worth approaching, not how many
- Research phase
- When we work together over time, all of the research is included, with no separate charge. The research alone is also available
- Coordination call
- One every two weeks, for the whole term
- Written report
- One per month, for the whole term
- Invoicing
- Invoiced and paid mid-month, within the same month
- Indicative figures
- We give them after a first call, once we know how many markets and channels are in scope
What you get is a steady flow of real conversations. No one can promise a meeting or a sale.
After the yes
What happens when a chain says yes?
The listing becomes a delivery schedule. The chain has its own order profile, its own labelling requirements, and its own delivery windows, and missing them costs the listing faster than a price disagreement does.
That is where the operation takes over, so it does not become your problem. Stock is held in Portugal, inside the EU customs union. It is usually released for free circulation on arrival; higher-value goods that move in smaller volumes can wait under bond, with duty and import VAT paid as each unit is released. Orders are then picked and shipped within the EU rather than as fresh imports.
- EFC operating base
- Portugal, inside the European Union (source: EFC LDA, NIPC 519154606, Amadora, Portugal)
Questions
Questions manufacturers ask before starting
What does it cost?
We give indicative figures after a first call, because they depend on how many markets and channels are in scope. The outline is above: a monthly fee over twelve months, a commission on the sales the work brings in, invoicing mid-month, and the research included. The research alone is also available, priced on its own.
How quickly can we start?
Work starts once you approve the scope. The first call and your base materials come in week one, and the chain map with fit ratings is estimated three to four weeks after that. The research runs in three phases, each measured in weeks, and when we work together over time the monthly work follows straight on.
Which markets can you work?
Europe and the United States each have their own page. In Europe, goods are held at our base in Portugal, inside the EU customs union, and one base can serve several markets. In the United States we run the commercial side and plan supply with you. The markets in scope are agreed with you at the start.
What if we do not have English materials?
We flag every missing asset in week one so there is time to prepare it before we approach anyone. We do not produce new marketing materials, but we will tell you which ones a chain buyer expects to see.
Who signs, and what do they sign?
A service agreement covering the terms above, with notice, termination, liability and governing law set out in the agreement itself rather than in a commercial summary. Invoices are issued and paid mid-month, within the same month. There is no agency mandate and no representation mandate.
Do you work with our existing distributor?
Yes, where one exists and is working. In that case the value is usually in the markets they do not cover, or in the operation behind them, and we will tell you honestly if bringing us in adds nothing.
What if we only want the research?
The research is also available on its own, and working the contacts afterwards is agreed separately. The difference is whether we keep working the contacts with you after delivery.
How the engagement runs
We find your buyers in Europe and the US, work those contacts with you, and in Europe run import, storage and delivery from Portugal.
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