Four tips to become your distributor’s brand of choice
Your brand and products have strong and compelling positioning, points of differentiation and benefits. How can you be sure local customers are getting that message? When you work through third party channels, such as local sales agents and distributors, it can be a challenge to ensure your end customers are receiving your message. Establishing strong relationships with your local partners can go a long way in making you their brand of choice.
Here are four simple tips that can boost relationships, and boost sales in local markets.
- Share best practices. Put the data you have from co-op fund management systems to good use. Let local partners know what’s working in other markets and what other distributors and dealers are sharing with their customers. Ask them for their input, too, and discover what’s resonating with their customers.
Asking for input and sharing the best practices you see through co-op management gives you the opportunity to build a strong brand presence, and a strong relationship, in local markets.
- Offer the tools and resources they want, and need, to represent your brand.
Provide local sales agents with easy access to effective marketing materials – sales kits, banners, signs, collateral, social media tools and more. Empower them to become your best brand ambassador by giving them consistent and impactful marketing materials.
Go a step beyond just making those materials available. Offer training, tools and tips on what your brand stands for and how to use the supplied materials.
- Collaborate on local marketing initiatives.
Work with local agents and distributors to create and implement local marketing campaigns, above and beyond the materials you’ve already provided. Identify target customers and messaging that will best appeal to them. Develop turnkey campaigns to reach them – from continuity (drip) campaigns to seminars, direct mail or email marketing campaigns.
Consider incentive programs through your co-op management system to motivate third party channels to get involved and reach more customers.
- Make it simple to work with you.
Ordering, proofing and printing materials should be as simple as a click of a few buttons for your local sales agents. Review your ordering, training and marketing systems and make sure it’s as easy as possible for distributors to do business with you. Local sales agents should be able to customize and push out sales messages quickly and easily. Your market resource management system should ensure your turnkey marketing campaigns are working as they should – easy to use, with consistent message that deliver powerful results.
These four steps make it easy for distributors to work with you, and share your messages with customers. After all, your distributors are your most powerful asset in amplifying your brand and boosting your sales.
