The "Helping Hand"

As part of internal training, a manufacturer or broker sales manager, is expected to educate his sales staff to the needs of each of his customers. To increase their understanding of their customer's business, they must understand how the distributor works, and how to speak his language. Some sample topics from the award winning "Helping Hand" sales and sales management training program for manufacturers, brokers, and sales agents include:

• The challenges of the distributor being a classic "middleman".
• Why there is an over reliance on sheltered income.
• Problems with profitability for the non-manufacturer.
• The distributor P&L statement, and how the four ways that the distributor can make money relate to each other.
• Market analysis and the wholesale distributor strategic planning process.
• Cash flow management.
• Account and location profitability parameters.
• Budgeting and business planning.
• Product and promotional planning.

To maximize movement and profitability of their product lines, and to put this customer knowledge to work, we then examine a menu of topics designed to strengthen the manufacturer, broker or sales agent's working relationships with their distributor customers. Some sample topics from the workshop:

• Selling alternatives to price.
• Effective product knowledge training.
• Distributor sales rep training programs.
• Understanding the business of, and selling to the end user.
• Designing effective sales promotions.
• Laying out effective, street driven point-of-sale material.
• Enhancing the effectiveness of the work-with process.
• Documenting their company's performance.
• Strengthening, and making the general business review process more meaningful and results oriented.

History of the program

This workshop started way back at the beginning of my consulting career. I originally came to market with a two day distributor sales training program. It was generally presented on Fridays and Saturdays.

Quite often, the distributor would have a sales meeting Friday night, since he had the entire sales force and management team already there.

Friday afternoon, as the manufacturer's reps and brokers were setting up for the sales meeting, they would overhear material from the workshop, and ask if I had anything for them? One thing led to another, and the "Helping Hand" program was born.

It has been presented to many companies over the years, from small boutique manufacturers, to multinationals.

Typically, attendees will include the direct sales reps, brokers (if they use them), the marketing staff and key sales executives.

It's interesting, it's enlightening, there's no hidden agenda, and many companies have valued it as part of their training portfolio for new reps working with distributors.

Associations are always looking for something new and different. This could be a great program for a breakout session at a national convention.

TOP

Management consulting, time and territory management training, territory sales training, sales management training, purchasing and marketing training, and broker and sales agent training, in the wholesale distribution, foodservice distribution, and manufacturing communities