It depends on what you are waiting for.

A partner who knows the right customers, asks serious questions and is working towards a first order may be worth the time. Another “let’s speak next month” with nothing agreed is a different situation.

The useful question is not whether three months is too long. It is whether those three months have moved you closer to doing business.

When waiting makes sense

A good distributor can be worth getting right. They bring customer relationships, local knowledge and a team that can give your brand a place in the market. Choosing badly just to get started can cost more than a slower negotiation.

Look for effort you can see. Have they tasted the range with the people who will sell it? Are you discussing a workable price, the first customers or an opening order? Is there a next step that both sides have agreed to take?

You may still have difficult points to settle. Margin, territory and how much attention the brand will get deserve a proper conversation. If the fit is good and both sides are doing the work, taking longer is not necessarily a problem.

But a pleasant reply is not the same as progress. If you cannot say what changed since the last conversation, ask what needs to happen before they can make a decision.

You do not have to wait to start selling

A distributor agreement does not have to be the starting line for everything else.

With Lexir, you can get stock available in a chosen European market, send samples and fulfil orders from business customers and private consumers. A shop can try the range. A bar can order a case. Customers who have been asking where to buy can get a bottle.

That gives you a way to start building the market while you find the distributor you actually want to work with. Choose a starting quantity and customer plan you can support; the point is to get going sensibly, not ship a pallet on the strength of a few positive replies.

Importing and distribution are also different jobs. A partner with the right customer network is not necessarily the partner who will import your products. Agreeing the import, stock and delivery arrangements separately can give you more choice about who handles sales. Lexir can help organise that setup for the markets you choose.

A stronger position for the next conversation

Once you have started selling, you can talk about more than potential. Which shops bought? At what price? Did anyone reorder? What did customers ask for?

Those answers can make a distributor discussion more useful. So can having a way to continue selling if a proposed deal is not right for you. You are less dependent on accepting the first offer simply to get into the market.

That does not guarantee better terms. It gives both sides something more concrete to discuss, and gives you more room to choose. A good distributor may value a brand that already has customers and stock ready to supply.

Be open about the customers you already serve and the arrangements you want to keep. The aim is to build a partnership that works, not leave awkward surprises until after an agreement.

So, how long should you wait?

Give a good partner time when the fit is right and the conversation is moving. Agree the next step and when you will review it together.

But you do not need to wait for a distributor before you give your brand a start. Lexir can help you start selling sooner, learn from actual customers and come back to the negotiating table with more than a pitch.