CEO: Residential construction markets showing 'slowing and unpredictable characteristics.'
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Sales managers today need to be more proactive and interactive.
Too often, the principles that a business is founded upon end up being the limitations preventing it from growing.
Baby boomers are retiring, and sales managers are recognizing that their current management styles may not be quite as beneficial as they could be. Adopting a strong philosophy and vision for leading a sales team is the first important step to take when shifting a management culture.
This article looks at reasons why the change is happening and what sales managers can and in some cases, should be doing to improve their management styles.
This article includes:
- Why sales managers should consider being proactive, not reactive
- Important first steps to take when shifting a management style
- How technology tools can help (and hurt) the sales team
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- Commentary: The Trouble with Rebates
- Interview: Operations as a ‘Lever for Innovation’
- U.S. Economy: Out of ‘Surviving’ and on to ‘Thriving’
Rebate structures are still driving dysfunctional behavior, making distributors vulnerable. The article addresses how today's rebate structures make individual companies, and in most cases entire channels, more vulnerable in current market conditions.
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- Who's My Coach? The Changing Role of Sales Managers
- Interview: Operations as a 'Lever for Innovation'
- U.S. Economy: Out of 'Surviving' and on to 'Thriving'
Too many companies do not consider operations to be a source for innovation, but this area is ripe for developing innovative strategies for distributors, according to Karan Girotra, co-author of The Risk-Driven Business Model and professor of technology and operations management at the international business school INSEAD. Girotra recently spoke with Associate Editor April Nowicki about how to create a culture of questioning an existing business model, improving decision-making structure and empowering everyone to innovate.
This article includes:
- How to change the decisions made in your company
- Why to change those decisions
- Innovative operations strategies for better management and return
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Not a subscriber? Subscribe below or learn more. Subscribers also have access to the following related articles:
- Commentary: The Trouble with Rebates
- Who's My Coach? The Changing Role of Sales Managers
- U.S. Economy: Out of 'Surviving' and on to 'Thriving'
Identify business gaps and then prioritize acquisition goals.
With all the technology available to sales personnel, the nature of the sales position is changing drastically. This article examines some of the ways in which the role of the salesperson is changing, as well as ways to prepare a sales force for today’s ever-changing environment.
This article includes:
- Challenges of a more informed customer base
- Why fast turnarounds are important across the entire transaction process
- Recommendations for improved training of sales personnel
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- Cost-Effective Channel Alignment
- The Changing Role of the Distributor
- Differentiate to Combat Disintermediation
Fear of disintermediation, or manufacturers bypassing distributors to sell directly to end customers, has grown in recent years, with increased adoption of e-commerce making such a move appear more feasible than in the past. As a result, distributors are faced with an increased need to prove their value to both manufacturers and customers or risk being viewed as simply an added cost in the chain.
This article examines the role distributors play in the supply chain and how they can approach the challenge of proving value to fight the threat of disintermediation, including results from MDMs survey on disintermediation, conducted in partnership with Grant Thornton.
This article includes:
- How distributors add value to the supply chain
- Areas with potential for differentiation
- The importance of a transparent supply chain relationship
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- Cost-Effective Channel Alignment
- The Changing Role of the Distributor
- The Changing Role of Sales Personnel
Standing meetings can improve the effectiveness of meetings and combat meeting fatigue.
Power over pricing isnt just for the biggest players.
Shifting to a collaborative work culture is essential in todays Information Age.
Avnet: Transparency is critical to strong partnerships in the global economy.
Turn potential for failure into potential for knowledge and success.
Specialized markets may have different risks.
Company leverages "T" hub facility to improve efficiency.
There is often a perception in sales that the smallest accounts are not worth the time and effort to obtain the small amount of sales they provide. But a shift in how these customers are served can result in a significant improvement to the bottom line.
This article includes:
- Three approaches for increasing revenue and margin while reducing cost with smaller customers
- How to identify greater opportunity with existing customers
- How to improve pricing strategy with small customers
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- Redefining Competitive Advantage
- Strategies for Private Label Success
- Commentary: What Makes Your Company Stand Out?
Successfully measuring customer satisfaction can improve the customer-distributor relationship. This article examines some of the most popular metrics and discusses how to develop a strong customer feedback program that can help improve the customer relationship.
This article includes:
- What metrics to track to find out what your customers want
- Problems to avoid in implementing a customer feedback system
- How to maximize benefits from the feedback you receive
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- Commentary: Cutting to the Chase On Digitals Value Proposition
- College Recruiting: Go Beyond Career Fairs
- 2014 Economic Outlook: Building for the Future
Plan is expected to save $75 million annually.
