The Small Brand's Guide to Retail Deal Terms — Slotting Fees, SBT, Co-op Ads & More

Walk into your next buyer meeting knowing exactly what you're agreeing to.

Most emerging CPG brands learn retail deal terms the hard way — after they've already signed. Slotting fees that weren't fully disclosed. Scan-based trading agreements that strangled cash flow. Co-op commitments that quietly ate their margin. Deductions they didn't know they could dispute.

This guide exists so that doesn't happen to you.

The Small Brand's Guide to Retail Deal Terms is a 33-page, ice cream and frozen dessert-specific field manual covering every major cost and commitment you'll encounter when selling into retail — from your first regional grocery chain to a national natural account.

What's inside:

• Slotting Fees — fee range tables by channel type, what slotting doesn't cover, and 5 tested negotiation levers including the pilot proposal and performance-guarantee trade
• Scan-Based Trading — how SBT differs from a traditional PO, cash flow risks for small brands, key contract terms (shrink caps, audit rights, exit clauses), and when to walk away
• Co-op Advertising — structure types with cost ranges, mandatory vs. optional programs, a seasonal promotional calendar, and how to negotiate annual caps and proof-of-performance clauses
• Velocity Guarantees — UPSSW benchmarks by channel, the 90-day launch window playbook, and negotiation levers including seasonality carve-outs and cure periods
• Deductions — the 8 most common deduction types, how to dispute them, and what to budget by channel
• Reading a Deal — full deal anatomy, a break-even formula, and deal structure benchmarks across 6 retail channels
• Negotiation Strategy — your walk-away number, the buyer's perspective, and four proven tactics (pilot proposals, silence, proof milestones, logrolling)
• Distributors — how they complicate retail deals and the key agreement terms to negotiate before signing
• Negotiation Worksheet — 5 fillable sections including a built-in break-even calculator you can complete before any buyer meeting
• Glossary — 24 defined terms, from ACV and SBT to deductions and planograms

Written for artisan ice cream brands, scoop shop operators, and specialty frozen food companies navigating retail for the first time — or renegotiating terms they accepted too quickly the first time around.

Instant download. No fluff. No consultant required.