How to talk to your Sales Executive? Creating a better business relationship with your customer and within your company

About Me L. Tadd Schwab Sales training at Ameritex - United Merchants and Manufacturers Vice President of Sales - Little Me Childrenswear Vice President of Quality and Compliance - Ralph Lauren Childrenswear and Little Me Childrenswear. LTS Solutions..Consult on Quality and Compliance

You can't solve today's problems using the same thinking that created them. Einstein

Today we will cover The Strategy of Doing Business Today Understanding your Sales Team - Sales Strategies Today Working together with your Senior Company Management and Sales Executive to Build the Business Partnership Your Role

Understanding doing business today The economy today is unpredictable. Many new factors effect profitability. Although the size of the market is smaller, in todays market you can buy anything anywhere. Channel Blurring. This adds additional requirements to your products. The concept that the sale is not complete until the consumer buys the goods. In the past, selling the customer (the retailer) was the sale. Relationships extend beyond the Retailer/Supplier Bond, they now include analysts, media, and community leaders. Government scrutiny - FTC, CPSC, even FCC - add time and cost to the supply chain. The global energy crisis effects utility costs along with transportation costs. Your customer is also your competitor as private label grows in size and retailers try to differentiate themselves. Off shore manufacturers may also become your competitor as they try to "end run" you and go directly to the retailer.

Sales Strategies Today The retailers have more clout -- less customers more demands. This has always been the case but even more so today. Selling requires much more data analysis and "retail analysis". One spends much more time developing a plan for profitability and product flow than "romancing the product." Sellers work on narrower margins and must manage their costs. Today, the manufacturer/importer takes on responsibility and costs of the retailer -- shops, warehouse expenses, markdowns, advertising, in-store personnel and perhaps customizing. Even being the private label "consultant."

Sales Strategies Continued Retailers carry less inventory - harder to get placement and often you have to do more to get it e.g terms, vendor managed inventory, consignment or slotting fees. A key aspect is on-line - is it another store, it is different from older "catalogue sales". Are you servicing the online component effectively. Generally manufacturers offer "tighter lines." They do not want to carry the inventory or take the inventory risk and the customers buy narrower and deeper. Rapid replenishment is key -- hence sourcing is really a function of sales these days. All departments must work together to "make the sale." Cycle time, vendor managed inventory and ticketing and distribution (drop shipment, packing for cross docking) are all critical aspects.

Your Company - Does the left hand know what the right hand is doing? Do you communicate internally? Sales Account is asking for excessive markdown money and sales wants to pay. Account demanding March 31 delivery. Account demanding XYZ Trucking Co. Sales says no problem. Distribution Account has excessive chargebacks and distribution cannot collect. Ordered styles not leaving Asia till March 30 Your DC is in Nitro, West Virginia and XYZ Trucking refuses to travel into the hills of West Virginia.

Building the Business Partnership in your company Create an account management team with a Quarterback responsible for the finaldecision. Determine from the team Captains for the Sales side and Captains for the Distribution side of the business. You may even need a Captain from the Accounting side. Review the Account Vendor Compliance Manual, the Sales Goals, other requirements, and create a mutual plan with goals to manage the account. Prevent non-compliance charges by being proactive. Create better product flow based on the actual delivery plan.

Your Role Develop an understanding of your role in doing business with an account. Be proactive not reactive in your role. Perhaps you have a high level of chargebacks. How can sales help you resolve this problem? Perhaps the customer requirements are not being followed when the product is being developed and you have costs to ship the product correctly. How can you prevent these costs until your supply chain is fixed? Can sales help here? Perhaps sales is paying huge dollars of markdown money and is not aware of your issues. Can you help them? Understand the complete account plan and do your part to make the business successful.

Your To Do List Set up a meeting with your management and sales team and work with them to develop a better overall strategy to manage your individual customers business.