Product Distribution
When it comes to accurately addressing the needs of long-term customers and responding to their requirements, most companies perform very well. They are often strong in the areas of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) and Supply Chain Management (SCM).
When it comes to developing new products in-house, they need - perhaps for the first time - to find answers to the question "Who will buy the products that I have developed?"
If your company is in this situation you should seek out strategic partners that it can introduce to the development of products and process at a very early stage, thus increasing the prospects for the launch of real "market innovations". Employees that currently work in Purchasing and Distribution often have direct contact with customers and suppliers respectively. There is an opportunity for the business to support these staff members in finding and developing partnerships, taking into consideration the following points:
- Create a new approach or framework for identifying new strategic partners
- Establish new collaborations in order to bring more knowledge into the company
- Manage collaborative projects in order to extract and collect new experiences
One of the sections of your marketing plan should describe how your company intends to distribute the products to the final customers. The various distribution channels differ in costs, customer relationships, complexity and the resources required to operate the channel.
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication [communication] reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.