Strategic Sales and Channel Development

Achieving outstanding sales results in an increasingly competitive world is a difficult task. Only by establishing a modern sales force management system and by training sales management personnel effectively, can today’s firm compete. The Strategic Selling and Channel Development course provides frontline sales managers with the knowledge, skills, and tools they need to drive bottom line performance. It focuses on improving organization and forecasting skills, as well as other technical competencies aimed at guiding salespeople towards higher performance.

Course Methodology

The course relies on the use of a variety of case studies and exercises to develop a consistent approach to sales team management. Group presentations and self-assessment tools will also be used to create a shared language around key sales management competencies.

Course Outlines

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 environment 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