How to Make Your Dealer Your Partner
Most of the companies we work with here at The Service Method, are manufacturers that rely on distributors and dealers to get their products in front of customers. This creates multiple layers between the manufacturer and consumer, leaving manufacturers with little direct access to their end users. To see what the market was doing, Gallup, a global analytics firm that does polls and surveys, did a research article on several industries aimed to find the answer to strong supplier-distributor relationships, noting that the most effective ones were generally those in which manufacturers treated dealers, as partners. There is no big secret about how to foster great partnerships with your distributors and dealers. There has to be a system of distribution and product support and a close relationship that is nurtured and fostered. We are convinced that your single greatest advantage over your competition is your system of distribution, partner relationship and product support. The backbone of your distributors and dealers play a pivotal role in helping to build and maintain close relationships with your customers and gain the insights on how you can improve our products and services to better fit the customers’ needs. Whether you want to believe it or not, maintaining strong dealer relationships is vital to the manufacturer’s success. If the dealer isn’t happily engaged, then the customer is less likely to hear about your products, be excited about or will even show an interest in your products. So, how should manufacturers partner with their distributors – dealers in order to make sure that they feel engaged in the brand and in turn, ensure that the customer is excited about your products and services? Here are some suggestions on how manufacturers can make those partnerships work and optimize dealer performance:
