58 innovative plans for marketing

Chapter 15 Channel Marketing Planning (2)
After studying the content of this section, how do you think multinational companies should use the distribution channel model?
4. Physical training games
Props: some paper, some pens.

Number of participants: 8 people.

Method: 8 people were divided into two groups, 4 people in each group.Set up a specific scenario, and the two groups make a business distribution channel construction plan for a designated company.

Rules: Time is 60 minutes.Within the specified time, which group makes a perfect, reasonable and feasible plan, and which group wins.

Purpose: Through the game, exercise the game participants' ability to plan distribution strategies.

5. Improve plan
Reference answer

1. Scenario case: Ingram Micro mainly attracts and wins customers through value-added services, so as to achieve the goal of profit.

2. Role simulation: The answer is omitted.

3. Thinking Enlightenment Solution Ideas: When an enterprise enters the international market by way of export, the products not only have to go through the domestic distribution channels, but also the distribution channels of the importing country before finally reaching consumers and users in the target market country.In this case, the completion of a distribution must go through three links: the first link is the distribution channel in the country; the second link is the distribution channel from the country to the importing country; the third link is the distribution channel in the importing country channel.

When an enterprise engaged in international marketing sets up factories abroad for production and local sales, the process and links required for the distribution of products or services may be simpler than those for export. The most obvious is to produce abroad. do not need to go through domestic intermediaries in the country of the parent company.It can be seen that companies engaged in international marketing have a variety of distribution channel models to choose from, which depend on the company's established international market entry strategy.Not only that, when an enterprise chooses a specific international distribution strategy and designs an international distribution channel structure, it must also fully consider the enterprise's own resources and the characteristics of its industry, competitors' channel strategies, target market characteristics, and the laws of the target market country. environment, as well as consumer lifestyles and purchasing habits.In addition, no matter what choice is taken, international marketing companies must consider the efficiency and control of channels.

Classic look back
Just as Lenovo Group continued to deepen its Olympic marketing strategy, Gateway, the third largest PC manufacturer in the United States, quietly entered the Chinese market.It is worth noting that Gateway chose Digital China, a "brother" who is familiar with Lenovo, as its general agent in the Chinese market.

The combination of distribution giants Digital China and Gateway has provided variables for the future competition pattern of the domestic PC market, and how Lenovo will deal with the new challenges from "brothers" has become the focus of attention in the industry.

Digital China has determined for Gateway that there are two persons in charge of product and sales.Among them, the former is Luo Xin, Product Director of the Enterprise Office System Division of Digital China Technology Development Company, who has been operating Thinkpad products; the latter is Chen Shu, who is in charge of sales in the Toshiba notebook team of Digital China.

Gatendy hopes to successfully enter China and open up the PC market, but chooses Lenovo's brother as an agent. Its purpose and strategy are obviously well thought out, which has laid a deep foundation for its future road.

Skillful touch
Agents run by agents do not have ownership of the merchandise, they are not dealing in merchandise, but are simply looking for sellers on behalf of buyers, or looking for buyers on behalf of sellers.Agents are independent businesses, not employees of the business they represent, so they are paid a commission rather than a salary.Generally speaking, the business scope of agents is very narrow and highly professional, and the functions they undertake are basically limited to assisting in the transfer of commodity ownership, without involving physical marketing, financing and risk-taking responsibilities.According to the different functions undertaken by agents, they can be divided into manufacturing company agents, purchasing agents, trust agents, commission merchants, sales agents, import and export agents, etc.

thinking innovation
The fierce competition in the market economy tightly binds the production enterprises and agents in the same life-and-death chain, and their common interests urge them to unite and fight side by side.In the channel of product marketing, the position of the agent is very important.Then, as a manufacturer, it is very important to choose an excellent agent without losing market opportunities.

First of all, it should be clarified that although agents also belong to the category of dealers, not all dealers can be called agents, because the agents we refer to are the exclusive rights exercised by a certain brand within the market range designated by the manufacturer. agency.For different companies, their agency settings are different.Some manufacturers only set up provincial-level general agents, such as Sichuan general agent, Yunnan general agent, etc., and the provincial-level agents set up second- and third-level (city, county) agents; some manufacturers directly choose national provincial capital cities as Set up agents in the main market areas, such as Chengdu general agent, Wuhan general agent, etc.; some manufacturers set up general agents according to the division of large areas such as southwest and northeast.Although the agent setting methods are different, the purpose of choosing an agent is the same, that is to quickly occupy the market with the help of the agent's distribution channels and market network.Therefore, manufacturers must be cautious in choosing agents.

Practical points
The investigation work chosen by the agent is by no means just a simple exchange with a few dealers, let alone a few leaders "flying around" in a certain city, just take a look.Scientific market research should form a professional team or entrust a professional planning company to conduct detailed and in-depth investigation and analysis.The investigation should start with the following main aspects: the distribution of distribution and wholesale markets; the situation of dealers in each market, including the dealer’s company name, business items, person in charge and contact information, etc.; the comparison of dealers in the same industry, which mainly refers to Distributor's business performance, word of mouth and influence in the same industry; to understand the dealer's sales and service strategy, you can deeply analyze their consistent market strategy and after-sales service work through the dealer's previous or current products; Understand the dealer's sales network structure, dealer's funds and debts, etc.

Finally, according to the survey of dealers, we will eliminate and screen, and then determine the list of interested agents, and select the best agents through public bidding.Before that, the promotion description of enterprise products is also a very important step.In short, the choice of agents must be meticulous and rigorous in order to remain invincible and achieve success at every step.Of course, in addition to the above-mentioned factors affecting the choice of agents, the size of the company's own strength will also lead to gains and losses in the market, the size of the company and the ability to cooperate with middlemen, the product structure and marketing policies of the company will also affect channel planning.Generally speaking, if an enterprise has the advantages of "large scale, high reputation, strong financial resources, and strong management", it will have greater initiative in selecting agents and controlling sales channels, and achieve a win-win cooperation with agents.

Scene reconstruction
1. Scenarios
In 1998, a well-known company in Guangdong went to Chengdu to choose an agent. Among the six shortlisted companies, there was a self-employed company that started relatively late and was small in scale. It didn’t even have a delivery van, but it was this company The self-employed have obtained agency rights.

The manager of a well-known company who is in charge of selecting an agent explained the whole story: "At first, I thought this company was not even qualified to bid. One day, I saw that the couple had a good service attitude in the Southwest Food City. I asked the assistant to pretend to be Cheng is specialized in promoting counterfeit products. If they are willing to distribute them, we can give them a huge profit return, but they are determined not to sell them! That's why I invited them to participate in the bidding. On the day of the product launch, they half I arrived at the hotel within an hour, and some merchants were a few minutes late, so I value his personal reputation.” As he expected, the self-employed business not only established a market, but also became famous in Chengdu. The distributor is now a food economic and trading company with assets of several million.

To be a businessman is the first thing to talk about reputation, and the reputation of an agent is directly reflected in its business operations to a certain extent. As the legal representative of an agent (enterprise), its personal reputation directly affects the development of the enterprise.

It is not difficult to see from the above examples that the investigation and understanding of the business reputation of agents is the most important part. For those businesses with a certain channel network but poor reputation, we would rather not to avoid future troubles.

Question: What is the key for this self-employed to obtain agency rights?
2. Role simulation
Suppose you are the CEO of a PC manufacturer, and you are exploring the foreign PC market, hoping to choose a suitable foreign agent.At this point, how should you screen agents?

3. Thinking Enlightenment
As far as agents are concerned, in addition to the content introduced in this section, what other conditions should agents have?

4. Physical training games
Props: some paper, some pens.

Number of participants: 12 people.

Method: 12 people were divided into two groups, 6 people in each group.Set up a specific scenario, and the two groups plan product agency strategies for a specified company.

Rules: Time is 60 minutes.Which group's planning is complete, reasonable, and feasible within the specified time will win.

Purpose: Through the game, cultivate the game participants' ability to plan agency schemes.

5. Improve plan
Reference answer

1. Situational case: The key for this self-employed to obtain the agency right lies in its personal good reputation and quality.

2. Role simulation answer ideas: first look at the credibility, then look at the results.

3. Thinking enlightenment answer ideas: The comprehensive strength of the agent is the key factor that determines the success or failure of the market.Under normal circumstances, the company acting as an agent should be a legal company with a registered capital of more than 50 yuan and legal personality, and should have more than two years of experience in the distribution of similar products.In terms of hardware, there should be enough warehouses and transport vehicles, with certain terminal distribution capabilities; in terms of software, there should be certain network distribution channels; in terms of organizational structure, there should be sound functional institutions such as the marketing department and the financial department and management system.

Agents must have a high-quality marketing team. Whether there is a well-organized and well-trained marketing team is an important condition for us to distinguish agents from general wholesalers.Those who only engage in wholesale business may be able to complete it with a boss and a few small workers, but agents can do the market.The market here is not to guard the door and wait for customers, but to develop the market through professional marketing personnel according to one's own marketing strategy.Ultimately let the market accept and let consumers agree, the increase or decrease of market share is the most powerful persuasion.Therefore, when choosing an agent, don't just look at the size of its network and how much money it has. Whether it has a good "army" is the key to the product entering the market.

Classic look back
Dell broke the 23-year tradition of direct selling, and began to sell low-cost PCs from Wal-Mart in North America. In early July 2007, Dell announced that it would sell computers through retail outlets in the Asia-Pacific region. It has officially announced the establishment of retail channels in Asia, and has contacted some chain stores and specialty stores in Asia on this matter.For Dell, this move has epoch-making significance.Because for a long time, Dell has always advertised itself as the "golden boy" of the direct selling model.According to market analysts, Dell's change of sales model, especially in the Asia-Pacific region, has long been expected.Because Asian users want to be able to get in touch with the actual product before purchasing the product.

Dell will continue to improve the company's supply chain.Because Dell has proven through practice, this will be an extremely effective method.Dell's competitors don't have the same supply chain as Dell, so they have to put products on the shelves.Since there is no need to display products, Dell's product retailers will reduce their inventory spending.Since consumers choose whether to buy through the products displayed on the shelves, Dell's retail model is a typical "demand-driven model", which is completely different from other competitors who put products on the shelves and wait for consumers to buy. The "supply-driven mode".Dell's retail strategy in the Asia-Pacific region is to combine direct sales and retail models, which will be very different from Dell's past single direct sales model.

Because Dell's current retail strategy is still being formulated, no matter what kind of retail model Dell eventually adopts in Asia Pacific, the company should establish alliances with large retailers like Wal-Mart just like in North America.In the face of market accusations that Dell’s after-sales service is still flawed, Paul Henry Friend, vice president of Dell South Asia, said that Dell currently answers 3800 million technical calls a year, maintains 5500 million systems, and has more than 1.2 service personnel.But he also said that Dell can do better.Dell wants to establish a strong connection with its products and services to ensure that every Dell user can be satisfied with Dell's after-sales service.

Compared with old rivals such as Hewlett-Packard and Lenovo, Dell's current biggest flaw is its lack of experience in communicating with retailers.

In Japan, Dell's global retail strategy has also taken a step further.It announced a retail deal with Japanese retailer Bic Camera.It is reported that Bic Camera will be responsible for selling Dell's multiple notebooks and a desktop product in Japan.The two parties had a cooperative relationship as early as 2000, and this cooperation will further expand Dell's business in Japan.According to the agreement, Bic Camera will sell Dell's products in Japan through its 2007 retail stores from early August 8.

Dell's "changing face" shows that direct marketing is not an invincible weapon, and retail is not the so-called "backward" sales method.In the long run, retail will always exist with the existence of commerce, enterprises, and commodities, and its status and role are irreplaceable by any channel.

Skillful touch
The retail industry is the most important member of the marketing channel. It is not only related to the daily life of hundreds of millions of ordinary consumers, but also to the survival of countless consumer goods manufacturers. If the retail channel is not smooth, it will make hundreds of millions of manufacturers Closures would disrupt normal daily life.Therefore, the retail strategy is very important.

Retailing is the most direct source of market information, which is vital to producers.From the perspective of competition, whoever controls the terminal will control the opportunity for consumers to meet and contact with competing brands.

thinking innovation
The special status of the retail industry stems from its following characteristics: its service objects are final consumers, so the population size, population geographical distribution, and market distribution all affect the distribution of retailers; the main business activity is to sell commodities directly to final consumers. Consumers, and the purchasing time and purchasing habits of final buyers are affected by traditional customs, so the activities of the retail industry have obvious time and seasonality; the retail industry has a life cycle; the professional ethics of consumers to retailers , business reputation, and civilized business operations are expected to be relatively high.

Practical points
The pricing strategy of the retail industry is the most direct and effective way to influence sales.In general, in addition to common methods and techniques, the following pricing strategies are particularly suitable:
1. One-time discount pricing means that retail stores set a price reduction ratio for all commodities within a certain period of time.One-time discount pricing should choose the right time, such as store celebrations, festivals, season changes, commodity exhibitions, etc.For example, with the continuous enrichment of cultural life in modern society, festivals are gradually increasing, and festivals often become the climax of consumer shopping. If retail stores can make good use of this market opportunity and timely launch comprehensive one-time discount pricing, It is possible to achieve very good promotional effects.One-time discount pricing is a pricing method that periodically pushes the store's sales to a climax, how many times a year?When will it be done?All should be planned in advance.

(End of this chapter)