Strategic Sales & Channel Development

DAY ONE

Analyzing Your Customer Needs

• Choosing your Target Customers
• What the Targeted Customers truly want through the channels
• Possibility/practicality of the customer wants
• How competitors meet customer needs.

Setting Channel Objectives and Constraints

• Market segment to serve
• Level of service that can be made available
• Choice of channel members
• Legal and environmental constraints.

Defining Major Channel Alternatives

• Wholesalers
• Distributors
• Retail/Stores
• Direct channel
• Online

Evaluating those Alternatives

• Economical distribution considerations
• Number of marketing intermediaries
• Defined responsibilities.

DAY TWO

Selecting Channel Partners

• Nature and length of experiences
• Other stocked lines
• Location
• Financial viability
• Character
• Sales force

Intermediation

• Exclusive distribution
• Selective distribution
• Intensive distribution
• Optimal number for control purposes
• Minimizing conflicts

Policy Agreements with Channels

• Sales policy
• Pricing and Profitability policy
• Territory policy
• Service policy
• Promotions policy
• Controls policy
• Flexibility policy

Channel Reputation & Performance

• Sales target attainment
• Inventory levels
• Delivery response levels
• Damaged and lost goods
• Cooperation with pricing and promotions
• Responsiveness to changes in market conditions