The importance of marketing for building new brands, products, services and expanding the consumer market is something that companies deeply recognize.
The design of communication and sales strategies is a fundamental part of creating new demands and marketing plays its role very well in provoking new interests and behaviors in the consumer market, strengthening companies' performance and reinforcing their financial results.
However, despite excellent retail performances, many companies still struggle to develop adequate strategies when it comes to negotiating and selling their production to wholesalers, distributors and large retailers responsible for presenting these products and services to end consumers. Furthermore, to stand out at the point of sale you need to innovate, do things differently, with greater agility and intelligence.
The importance of a strategy focused on distribution channels
The focus on retail is a thought that permeates the entire production and administration structure of a company, from the creation and planning of new launches to the structuring of its sales processes.
But we always need to remember that cutting-edge results begin long before a sale is made: choosing how, when and where to sell your products are the foundations of a successful commercial distribution strategy, but the construction of these plans needs to be prepared for the long-term, considering not only the company's brand and profile, but its portfolio structure and brand and price positioning, its global retail management, its warranty policy, quality and also its after-sales strategies.
Companies that ignore the importance of trade marketing often face significant difficulties in any sales strategy. The first, most obvious challenge, refers to the search for space: If your product is not on retail shelves, it will hardly reach your consumers. As a direct result of this first challenge, the company will fight more fiercely to remain in the fight for competitiveness: If your product does not find its consumers, your brand will lose more and more space to the competition, giving up its relevance in the market day after day.
But what is trade marketing?
In general, trade marketing is a marketing strategy. The main objective of a trade marketing action should be to create opportunities to sell products and services from the manufacturer and/or retailer to customers. Trade marketing can also be seen as a strategic alliance between the company and retailers, so that both parties are able to develop joint advertising, promotion and merchandising activities at the point of sale, with the ultimate objective of increasing consumer market interest and demand for their products.
05 benefits of a marketing strategy
- Ensures the supply of its products to meet market demands;
- Strengthens relationships with key players in the supply chain, which can result in a competitive advantage in the long term;
- By better understanding the end consumer of your products and services, you can more quickly recognize opportunities for new projects and increase the profitability of your operations;
- In-depth knowledge of the point of sale practically eliminates “guesswork” in marketing, resulting in more assertive and effective strategies;
- Expands the bases of relationships with the consumer market, essential for loyalty and after-sales actions.
The central role of field collaborators
Trade marketing management involves several aspects of the operation: as one of the main objectives of a team dedicated to this type of project is to develop commercial strategies in line with brand strategies, the qualification and constant development of professionals dedicated to this department It is a crucial element for the company to achieve the expected results: They must be trained to evaluate and understand trends and market data, adapting marketing actions and logistical strategies to the different sales channels, in addition to acting in deep harmony with the objectives and corporate culture of the company they represent.
These professionals will be responsible for creating and developing campaigns especially to increase demand for their products and services throughout the industry's entire supply chain, working from defining positioning and launching new products, through remuneration and employee profitability actions. its strategic partners, until reaching the structuring of loyalty programs, always looking for more effective methods to reach the target audience, improve their shopping experience and strengthen the brand's perception in the market.
But to guarantee better results, companies should not only focus on corporate training actions: the collection, analysis and management of data generated by the work of their field employees at the point of sale is a key aspect for the correct administration of trade marketing projects. .
Do you need to develop professionals as field collaborators? Speak to an expert
Therefore, it is essential to establish a single system that centralizes aspects of field operations: current technology, heavily based on mobile devices, allows the development of applications specially designed for your business, standardizing information and ensuring that real-time data collection adds agility to the operation, in addition to offering excellent opportunities for Business intelligence that can reverse negative trends and signal improvement actions quickly, ensuring that your team is always ahead of the daily challenges of trade marketing.
The sales process, whether B2B or B2C, is the heart of any organization: it is through the commercialization of new products and services that a company can grow and expand its business. Trade marketing addresses an aspect of the operation that is often relegated to the background, but the choice of distribution channels and the strategic definition of sales processes aimed at wholesalers, distributors and retailers must be one of the bases of your company's commercial work. Remember if: If your product is not seen in stores, its existence will hardly become known to your consumers.
