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Stop guessing. Start building with intention.
Most beverage brands build their product lineups reactively, one SKU at a time, in response to pressure, opportunity, or gut instinct. The result? Products that compete with each other, confuse distributors, and dilute focus.
This playbook shows you how to design a product lineup where every SKU has a clear role, sales teams know what to lead with, and your roster works together instead of against itself.
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Inside this playbook:
✅ The 4 Core Product Roles — How to assign every SKU a specific role (Volume Builder, Flagship, Seasonal, Profit Engine) so your lineup functions as a system
✅ The Basketball Roster Framework — Why great lineups work like great teams, and how to stop putting three scorers on the floor at once
✅ Product Attribute Checklist — Pressure-test every product before launch to ensure it fits its role and supports your economics
✅ Sales Priority Mapping — Translate product roles into clear selling strategies so reps lead with the right SKU in the right account
✅ Distributor Value Alignment — Design your lineup to make distributors' jobs easier, so they prioritize your brand
✅ Current Roster Audit Worksheet — Step-by-step framework to identify gaps, overlap, and internal competition
✅ 12-24 Month Lineup Plan — Build a strategic roadmap for strengthening, adding, or sunsetting products with intention
30 pages. Fully actionable. Built from real brands that win.
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This playbook is for beverage brand owners and operators who:
Are building their first product lineup and want to design it with intention from day one
Have multiple SKUs but lack clarity on which products should lead in which accounts
Feel like their lineup is competing with itself instead of working together
Want to design products that distributors actually prioritize and retailers actually support
Are ready to build a portfolio with structure, not guesswork
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After working through this playbook, you'll:
Assign a clear role to every product in your lineup
Identify which SKUs are creating friction, overlap, or internal competition
Know exactly which product to lead with in which type of account
Build a 12-24 month product roadmap grounded in strategy, not guesswork
Design future products with distributor value and sales clarity built in from day one