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Reinventing the Partnership with the Manufacturer
| Guest post by: Dr. Rick Johnson |
Article Overview: Distribution will always play a role in the supply channel. Manufacturers just can't do what distribution does effectively. But, distributors must recognize that change is upon them. They too must adjust to the evolution taking place in the supply chain. Today's distributors have the opportunity to reinvent the relationship and create a model that is mutually beneficial to both parties.
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Free Download - Sales Management --Unmask the Confusion of Territory Account Assignment By Dr. Rick Johnson |
Reinventing the Partnership with the Manufacturer
Distribution will always play a role in the supply channel. Manufacturers just can't do what distribution does effectively. But, distributors must recognize that change is upon them. They too must adjust to the evolution taking place in the supply chain. Today's distributors have the opportunity to reinvent the relationship and create a model that is mutually beneficial to both parties.
Manufacturers and distributors should follow these five principles to reinvent that partnership.
1. Communicate - Perception becomes reality. If all the cards aren't on the table, people tend to envision circumstances that are much different from reality. This creates a feeling of mistrust. Be open about topics such as coverage. Are you in a growing or mature market? Brand equity-how much really exists? Competitive reality-be honest with each other.
2. Customer Satisfaction - This is the number one priority. Unhappy customers, regardless of who is at fault, result in lost market share. Create a joint formal satisfaction review program. The longevity of your partnership depends on market share growth. You can't grow market share if you are losing existing business. This process will also support your strategic sales initiatives. Create a formal review process that is built on trust, respect and mutual goals.
3. Strategic Sales Initiatives - Jointly develop a sales strategy by territory that uses basic sales effectiveness principles, including targeting, goal setting, action planning and a performance review process.
4. Competitive Advantage -- Collectively align your resources to create competitive advantage in your market. Look for the dysfunctional low hanging fruit on both fronts. Eliminating the stupid things both parties do will automatically improve performance.
5. Sales Effectiveness ---Identify and implement a true sales effectiveness process that is relevant to your market, your customers and your sales force and that supports your strategic sales initiatives.
Neither side is perfect in managing their relationship with each other. A true partnership is one that both parties work on continuously. Base the partnership on the assumption that you have determined the right partners. Once that occurs, then you must build the partnership on trust, honesty and integrity.
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About the Author: Dr. Rick Johnson RSS for Dr. Rick's articles - Visit Dr. Rick's website www.ceostrategist.com - Sign up to receive "The Howl" a free monthly newsletter that addresses real world industry issues. - Straight talk about today's issues. Rick Johnson, expert speaker, wholesale distribution's "Leadership Strategist", founder of CEO Strategist, LLC a firm that helps clients create and maintain competitive advantage. Need a speaker for your next event, E-mail rick@ceostrategist.com. Dr. Rick Johnson has over 35 years of experience in distribution sales and operations. Rick�s career can be broken down by decades. The first ten years of his distribution career were spent with the largest steel-processing distributor in the world (Joseph T. Ryerson). The second ten years began with Rick starting his own processing distribution center from scratch. In the first year, sales reached $1 million dollars and had grown to $25 million in its tenth year when Rick sold the business to one of the major national chains. The third ten years of Rick�s career dealing with financially troubled Turn-A-Round companies. After completing ten years of TAR work, Rick decided a decade of acting like Darth Vader was enough and became a consultant to the Wholesale Distribution Industry in 1999. Rick received an MBA from Keller Graduate School in Chicago and a Bachelor's degree from Capital University, Columbus Ohio. He also served six years in the United States Air Force as a survival instructor. Rick completed his dissertation on Strategic Leadership and received his Ph.D. in 2005. Rick is frequently published in numerous magazines including a column in Supply House Times, with over 250 different articles published to date. He�s also a published author with eight books to his credit. Click here to visit Dr. Rick's website   Reinventing the Partnership with the Manufacturer Dont Let your Smile Run Away from Your Face The Piano Man Change is a Fact of Life Six Keys That Make a Difference Strategic Planning Takes GUTS Profit Covers Many Sins Cleaning Up the Mess |
Related Forum Posts
Re: Two Useful Books To Help You Focus On The CLIENT
- Hi David,
To add to your thread, I'd like to recommend Jonathan Tisch's "Chocolates On The Pillow Aren't Enough: Reinventing The Customer Experience".
Tisch's book includes content on "Welcoming Customers", "The New Art of Customization", "The Challenges of Customer Diversity" and "Offering Something Extra to Your Customers" to name a few.
Re: looking for partner
- Partnerships in business can be tricky. Most partnerships fail. Here are a few points to ponder before starting a partnership:
- Should have common goal and vision
- Level of commitment in business
- Expectations from business and each other.
- Good sense of self-worth
- Financial Position – Have a good experience in related business with strong financial standing
I suggest you to go on Google type “Partnership Assessment form” and Partnership Assessment Tool” You find some good results. Further apart from this forum look into on social media and business sites.
My reading log
- Hi OmnivoreInk,
Before starting my business, I read the following books as research:
-"The Art of the Start" by Guy Kawasaki
-"The AdSense Code" by Joel Comm
-"Don't Think Pink" and "Mind Your X's and Y's" by Lisa Johnson
And since then I've continued my "research" by reading (in this order):
-"Technical Tennis" by Rod Cross
-"For One More Day" by Mitch Albom
-"The Twits" by Roald Dahl
-"Little Black Book of Connections" by Jeffrey Gitomer
-"The Secret" by Rhonda Byrne
-"The Profitable Retailer" by Doug Fleener
-"Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
-"Little Gold Book of YES! Attitude" by Jeffrey Gitomer
-"The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" by C.S. Lewis
-"Little Green Book of Getting Your Way" by Jeffrey Gitomer
-"Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" by J.K. Rowling
And I'm currently reading and am in the process of finishing the following:
-"There's No Such Thing as Public Speaking" by Jeanette and Roy Henderson
-"The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell
-"The Book of Tells" by Peter Collett
-"Little Red Book of Sales Answers" by Jeffrey Gitomer
-"Chocolates on the Pillow Aren't Enough: Reinventing The Customer Experience" by Jonathan M. Tisch
-"The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity" by Julia Cameron
-"The Inner Game of Tennis" by Timothy Gallwey
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