Benchmarking - the confidence of an in-depth, objective analysis  

Consulting- our expertise, focus and speed, applied to your change needs  

Training - specialised program for Trade Marketing & Channel Development    

At last, an on-line Strategic Customer Management tool that clearly identifies the big customer opportunities 

AdSentio's Commercial Imperatives...

Our extensive experience in Sales has lead us to what we call the;

AdSentio has developed industry-leading expertise in each of these areas. Starting with the fundamentals of process and moving through into tools, roles & responsibilities and organisational design. We provide our clients with a complete approach to increasing their Sales group's competency in any or all of the 5 Commercial Imperatives.

1. Integrate Marketing & Sales

Across the globe, the more sophisticated retailers are voicing an expectation for 'seamless' commercial plans from their suppliers. Plans that go beyond just 'my brand' or 'my product' and instead provide a much broader, commercially sound 'way forward' for the category as a whole. Plans that incorporate consumer, shopper and retailer insight. Plans that enhance the Retailer's overall category offering.

This changing expectation can leave some suppliers out in the cold. The task of aligning Marketing & Sales across category, brand, channel and customer is not an easy one. Despite this challenge, there's no denying the benefits of an aligned Marketing & Sales group in efficiency and effectiveness improvements for the Supplier. It's clear that aligning Marketing & Sales has now become a point of necessity.

Our approach emphasises two key concepts;

1. Alignment on category strategy

   • Creation of a consumer-based category development strategy

   • Allowing the alignment of brand development and category management based selling activities

   • Producing product development that reinforces category credentials with the retailer

   • Ensuring maximum commitment from customers for New Product and category initiatives

    

2. Integration of Marketing & Sales planning processes

   • Clear process for Sales input into category/brand planning

   • Ensuring the customer's business strategy is considered at key points in the planning process

   • Delivering high-value outputs at the right time in the overall business planning cycle

   • Effective collaborative planning between Marketing & Sales

   • Producing strong commercial plans that deliver consistent business results

2. Manage Customers Strategically

Across the globe, retailing is becoming more sophisticated with some customers now exerting even greater influence. At the same time, the more 'traditional' trade channels remain lucrative business options in most markets. So the challenge lies in prioritising sales effort and resource across a range of customer and trade types. Determining Trade Investment levels, customer 'engagement' styles, defining Sales policy, pricing, and resource allocation, all come under the microscope.

Strategic Customer Management system

AdSentio offers the truly unique 'Strategic Customer Management' (SCM) system. This web-based product allows Sales leaders to efficiently gather data, analyse the customer landscape and then make decisions that will dramatically improve the return on existing investment. The SCM Tool becomes your customer strategy 'advisor' providing you with an unprecedented level of visibility of your business across customers. It enables you to clearly identify which customers are of best strategic 'fit' to your business according to your company's top-line objectives and values. The SCM Tool then assists you to create the best possible management strategy for each customer. Strategy that addresses quick wins by category, the types of sales roles needed, and the positioning or stance that should be adopted in managing each customer.

Customer Management Consulting

In addition to the SCM tool, AdSentio offers a complete approach to managing all forms of customers. From small volume wholesalers through to CarreFour, we provide a framework for incorporating all forms of customer management into the total Marketing & Sales functions that ensures external focus and consistent performance.

For further detail on how we work with our clients see our Consulting page

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3. Develop Channels & Channel Thinking

Made consciously or derived over time, manufacturers place different levels of emphasis across different channels. More often than not however, a good portion of this varying emphasis is a product of history rather than insight and strategy;

"We do it that way because we've always done it that way"

Developing Channels is about first viewing the trade landscape as the consumer views it. From this perspective we focus less on intermediaries and more on the point of purchase. We understand that customers and routes-to-market are means to an end. We begin to focus more on the 'pull' and less on the 'push' for our demand needs. With this stronger channel focus to our selling activities, we also begin to alter our channel 'mix' for better commercial returns, maximising growth and profit potential across the trade landscape.

The AdSentio approach to developing channels emphasises focus and provides a complete solution for adding the channel dimension to the Sales function;

1. Prioritise - Channel Prioritisation & Strategy

   • Where is it most important to have your products available?

   • What mix across channels will give the best return? - considering Profit, Growth, Consumer influence

   • Which channels will you actively grow, maintain or allow to decline?

   • How will you alter the dimensions of investment, products, people, customers and route-to-market to achieve these?

    

2. Resource - Channel & Category Development Team

   • Getting the most out of channel & shopper requires focused resource;

   • The challenge: Turn "Trade Marketing" into a credible, value-adding,  Sales strategy development resource.

   • Identifying the desired end-state for the group & a clear development path to get there

   • Providing detailed definitions of key activities for all roles within the group

   • With focused competency development to reduce 'time-to-value'               (see Training page)

    

3. Activate - Point Of Purchase Planning

   • Bringing the shopper to the centre of selling

   • Straight-forward identification of what influences purchase

   • Prioritised Point Of Purchase drivers

   • Shopper and category-based selling rationale

   • Equipping Key Account Managers with the ammunition  to win

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4. Optimise Field Selling

Almost all Category, Channel & Customer plans require implementation by Field Sales teams to some extent. In almost all cases, it's the Field Sales teams that effect the final engagement of the commercial strategy at the Point Of Purchase.

In our experience, organisations often question the value of their Field Sales teams which is not surprising considering their cost. This questioning, however, underlies a deeper more significant issue...

Many organisations have not determined the role of their Field Selling teams!

With an investment as large as a Field Sales team, any amount of uncertainty translates to a loss of both efficiency and effectiveness. AdSentio assist organisations harness the power of Field Sales through…

• Clarifying objectives across Categories, Channels & Customers

• Providing a structured framework for making decisions

• Creating visibility & generating servicing options

• Unifying the planning of implementation across Categories & Channels

We have created a comprehensive Field Sales solution that will lead to a guaranteed reduction in the total Field Selling costs - without loss of business! We make this claim based on having repeatedly seen efficiency improvement when our 4 part solution is enacted.

AdSentio's '4' simple steps that activate a Field Sales model as a tool for growth;

1. Coverage Strategy - a strategic view in deploying Field Sales

   • Determining vision, objectives & investment levels

   • Identifying the role of Field Sales across Channels & Customers

   • In-sourcing vs. Out-sourcing - what model fits best

   • Developing an investment plan for priority channels

    

2. Field Sales Planning - aligning demand with capacity

   • Understanding capacity modelling & assessment

   • Resolving gaps within resourcing capacity

   • Prioritising between core & tactical ‘in-outlet’ activities

   • Converting annual plans into period/cycle priorities

    

3. Territory Coverage - greatest efficiency at the lowest cost

   • Optimising Territories - healthy 'prospecting'

   • Consistent outlet ‘influencing’ assessment model

   • Efficient route planning – Where do we go first on Monday?

   • Manage field sales resources effectively

    

4. Performing In-Outlets - activation at the Point of Purchase

   • Consistent ‘in-outlet’ procedures & protocols – making a good sale

   • Having the right tools at the right time for each call

   • Ensuring effectiveness of what is done in the outlet

   • Developing the competencies of the Field Sales team

5. Control Trade Investment

Globally, suppliers are investing a greater amount in the Trade each year, often at the expense of consumer communication. There are many reasons for this; from the reduced effectiveness of traditional forms of media, through to the simple fact that customers are growing in size and power. Whatever the reasons, the amounts are staggering and the required response is clear;

Trade Investment must be made to work harder!

The AdSentio approach to Trade Investment emphasises the introduction of new practises designed to increase visibility of Trade Investment, reduce risk through defensible pricing policy and enable the Sales organisation to take a position of pro-activity with customers.

1. Transparency

   • A common system for breaking down all forms of Trade Investment

   • Applied consistently across all forms of trade/customer

   • Removal of any 'grey areas' between brand & trade spends

    

2. Control

   • Process framework for managing Trade Investment

   • Specialised Tools that make control and monitoring less of a burden

   • Clarity across Sales & Marketing Roles as to responsibility for Trade Investment

   • Provision of 'decision support' through insightful Trade Investment reportage

    

3. Profitability

   • A model for calculating customer and channel total profit

   • Promotional Return Analysis

   • Addition of profit-focused KPIs for Key Sales roles

    

4. Defensibility

   • Analysis across customer Conditions & Pricing

   • Identifying areas of 'indefensible disparity'

   • "What if"/scenario building for possible market/trade changes

These four elements working in conjunction allow Suppliers to adopt a far more pro-active stance on all matters of Trade Investment. The confidence to accept or reject customer proposals, the freedom to negotiate with full visibility of comparable conditions across customers, the confidence of a defensible Trade policy across all forms of trade.

For further detail on how we work with our clients see our Consulting page

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