Customer/Distributor Management

It's critical to find out appropriate & efficient primary customers to redistribute goods to secondary customers in an effective manner.

• The selection process & mechanism play a key role in the appointment of a suitable distributor.

• The manager should assign the task to the sales team to hunt all over distributors/stores networks, business/social networks, as well as references for prospective parties. 

• The appropriate party should be shortlisted considering the following characteristics.

1. Entrepreneurial drive
2. Management capacity
3. Investment capacity
4. Warehouse & office space
5. Infrastructure arrangements.
6. Manpower arrangements

• There must be thorough interaction between the sales team and the prospective customer's team. Each & every relevant point must be discussed regarding current business, future Business, growth trend, minimum investment, area assigned, warehouse, office,  manpower, delivery units, computers, and other required arrangements.

• Necessarily, the sales team should commit a genuine and possible investment return range to the party. They should also brief them regarding company policies, product portfolio, and other relevant information.

• Finally, the manager should go thru all across before finalizing the party and there should be proper documentation process as required.

• It's sales team core role to establish required efficient sales systems to implement sales processes effectively which is essential to execute and achieve planned & committed business results.

• Business outputs are directly proportionate to trade services inputs which are only possible through sufficient infrastructural arrangements and effective stock inventory management. Therefore It is necessary to educate and guide the distributor to ensure the system in place.

• Effective & efficient trade services significantly depend on outlet segmentation, beat mapping, and salesman visit planning as per business & channel requirements.

• Essentially, the sales team has to monitor, intervene, & get corrected trade service levels...

1. Timely order supply.
2. Full order supply.
3. Required credit facility to stores.
4. Schemes and budget settlement timely.
5. Damages settlement timely.

• As a regular practice, a territory in charge has to educate & update his sales force to follow and implement sales processes and plans in the market in an effective & efficient way. They should work in the beat as per the schedule and use all the tools and techniques provided by the company. He should ensure that the sales force must-have product portfolio knowledge all across and they should be familiar with the name, attitude, profile, and demands of stores to handle them effectively.

• Effective stock inventory management is possible through a continuous replenishment system supported by a permanent dispatch plan. The distributor should adhere plan with 100% compliance. This is the sales team's responsibility to have regular coordination with the distributor and his back end team to run the process smoothly.

• Essentially, this is the core responsibility of territory In charge to run the EDGE process at the distributor point. Moreover, the progress of the process should also be monitored & intervened by the line manager.                              

Suggested action points and parameters as per feasibility.....

1. Sales force should start beat working at schedule time.
2. They should carry product catalogs, samples, outlet lists & updated reports of channel programs and other activities.
3. They should follow all provided tools & techniques during the call procedure.
4. Each & every call must be done effectively and efficiently to cater to store requirements and manage time well. Essentially they have to cover all stores of the beat with the same rigor.
5. Sales force must avoid overselling at all outlets to ensure timely bill clearance & continuous order booking.
6. Sales force should have a day value target.
7. They should have a day bill productivity target.
8. They should have a day target of no of lines/packs/assortments.
9. They should have a day target of focus packs.
10. They should have a list of non billed stores. Necessarily all outlets of the particular beat must be billed by 3rd week of the monthly cycle.
11. They should have channel plan targets.

• EDGE, every day great execution process should be implemented & monitored rigorously, and get achieved every day at the salesman level to execute desired business objectives.

• Eventually, effective stock inventory management, efficient trade service levels management, and edge process management lead capital/investment optimization which contributes better investment return, business sustainability, & customer satisfaction too.

        Managing customer is all about managing his business, and its front line as well as top-line growth through effective and efficient sales system & process implementation.

Kindly publish your valuable comments.

Courtesy

PKGoel

 Sales Trainer

9319155888

Pkgoel_22@yahoo.co.in