Distribution Channel Partnership

Helping Retailers In Down Markets

Keeping Distribution Channels Healthy - Overview

Manufacturers survive by actively selling and marketing their products and services, but they prosper and prevail when they can provide their retailers with a way to remain healthy, active, and profitable in times of economic downturn.

Let’s look at the average situation from a retailer’s perspective. Traffic is at an all time low, sales are down to the point where they will turn a product just to get the buyer off the street, and hopefully cover salaries and expenses (profit is an afterthought). In many cases, they are down to a skeleton crew, and often the owner has taken on the roles of payroll, service and sales. The spouse is probably working full time at the office, trying to assist anyway they can as well. This is nothing more than the simple reality most business owners are facing today. Many are in survival mode. Now, the question is, how do we make something out of nothing.

With that being said, many manufacturer's believe they have limited options. Most manufacturers are inwardly focused. They want to provide an excellent product, at an excellent price. They want service, quality and pride at the forefront of what they do. They want to ensure that what gets purchased from their facility is unparalleled in almost every way, and that is all commendable. But everybody is attempting that same thing. It is common. It is expected, and it certainly won't "excite" a retailer to hear that you are doing what they would expect already.

Most manufacturers are caught in a sticky position. They need to run the production lines and get orders, but their retailer base isn't getting the business to warrant enough retail "turns" (or sales). The factory sales rep needs to survive, but his/her prospects aren't signing because they don't have the financing to buy product (or they are just very slow to make a decision considering the current state of affairs), the end-buyers aren't buying from his current retailer base because sales are down, and the only solution is to sell more inventory pieces, but that comes at a cost, because often the inventory isn't truly needed at that time, and it can overload a retailer very quickly. Not to mention, the loss of focus on being a true partner.

It's a difficult place to be, and one that most of us have been at one point or another.

So, how do we pull out of this?

Partnership...Not the typical, "We will build you a good product, and throw money at you" kind of partnership that is so prevailent in so many industry's. But the kind of partnership where you can prove to your retailer's that you will help them sell more product, from start-to-finish and most importantly, can prove it.

Here is why we are putting together this training, and it will start you thinking in a direction that you may not have considered before...

1. Are you getting calls about service, quality, and general "complaining" about your product?
Ask yourself this...What have you done to either perpetuate, or limit that. When was the last time you received a call from an excited retailer who said the last idea you gave them worked great, and they wanted to discuss a new one. Who's fault is it if they didn't? This isn't to get you thinking negatively about yourself, but understand that the only limit to your success is your imagination (and more importantly, what you share with your retailers), so I will begin challenging you right-away to understand that you hold the tools to your own success.

2. Have you received calls from retailers who try to pigeon-hole you into a situation where they will buy from you if you give them a certain discount, or match a competitors price?
This should be expected with new prospects (although we will even change your results here later), but with current retailers, this shouldn't come up often. This is very strictly related to the fact that they do not see a difference in value between you or your competitor. I can't tell you how many times I have heard rep's and GM's say that there is no real difference between them and their competitors in terms of actual product. That is a quick way to drive yourself right out of business. With the right tools, training, and marketing you will minimize these calls. Begin thinking of ways that you can add enough value to your product to make those calls virtually go away...We will cover this as well.

3. Do you have a presentation that your next prospect has never seen or heard before, or are you telling them a different variation of the same thing everyone else has been saying?
Many people think their pitch is unique and effective. Most salespeople just wing-it, which results in several different mediocre presentations. Most salespeople are competitive, so they think (as they should), that they are very good at what they do. What most don't think about is how precisely similar their pitch is to everyone else's, just with a different product or service. We will discuss what every prospect has heard, so you will learn to maneuver your pitch effectively around that.

4. We will be going into detail about several different items that will help you partner with your retailer's in a way that they have never seen before. That will help you be more succesful as you move forward in the world of partnership-marketing. Remember, the only constant in business is change. If you get comfortable where you are, you probably need to try something new.

This is just a taste of the exciting things to come...We believe you will find many of the answers you are seeking as you move forward in our sales and marketing training!

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