A huge amount of work is coming up in the major retail chains!
Indeed, since the start of the health crisis, it has been necessary to deal with the most urgent matters, so brands and suppliers have focused on supplying the 20/80.
The result ? Today, there’s a huge mess on the shelves, and new products have been put on hold or postponed.
The end of lockdown marks the beginning of reconstruction! But this return to “normal” could prove long and tedious.
Solution : The supplementary sales force via a specialized partner!
What exactly is a supplementary sales force?
Also known as a “commando” sales force in jargon, the supplementary sales force consists of occasionally strengthening your internal sales force, particularly during peaks in activity or when human resources are lacking (salespeople, brand representatives, etc.).
Conversely, for permanent assignments, your service provider can offer you a “permanent” sales force (you can take a look here to find out more).
The advantages of the supplementary sales force post-confinement
Save time and be more responsive ! These are the two main advantages of outsourcing your sales force during this upcoming period of deconfinement and reconstruction.
But to do this optimally and efficiently, it would be wise to use a specialized service provider who understands the codes and practices of mass distribution (e.g., the partnership between CD PUB and the Luxembourg brand “Cactus” since 2002). Your service provider then acts as a true customer-store interface to ensure efficiency and better monitoring of your actions.
If you still have doubts, here are some convincing arguments:
WIN FOR BRANDS
⭐ TIME SAVER : Ensure coverage of unvisited points of sale
⭐ TAILOR-MADE: Choose the sales representative you prefer, and your service provider will take care of everything ! (customized hourly contracts, vehicle leasing, phone/tablet, meal vouchers, commissions on turnover, etc.)
⭐ ADAPTABILITY: Compensate for staff shortages (sick leave, childcare) with support in the new health and preventive measures linked to the current crisis.
⭐ FIELD PRESENCE: Strengthen relationships with store/department managers by optimizing your field presence. Stores expect support from brands when rebuilding their product lines. This will build loyalty for the store/brand and strengthen your brand image!
⭐ REPORTING/MONITORING: Make sure your service provider has tools to track and measure your in-store actions. At CD PUB, we provide you with an application that gives you access to the complete report of your operation (detailed report, questionnaire with suggestions for improvement, photo report, etc.)
GAIN FOR STORES/BRANDS
⭐ TIME SAVING : It will be appreciated by department managers to have a “little helping hand” from their suppliers to speed up the reconstruction of in-store shelves: placing orders, stock management, rearrangement of shelves, etc.
⭐ RESPONSIVENESS : Updating the assortment of product ranges by brand: listing new products, delistings, updating planograms, etc.
⭐ PROFITABILITY : What could be more frustrating for a consumer than finding themselves in front of a cluttered aisle, with no new products and numerous stock shortages? This results in a loss of revenue for the store and the brand! Having salespeople on the ground will help offset this loss of profitability.
Possible missions:
- 💪 Linear surveys: inventory (presence, DN/DV)
- 💪 Listings of new features
- 💪 Management of restocking and product stocks (placing orders)
- 💪 Implementation of marketing operations
- 💪 Maintaining and/or expanding the linear share
Some figures: (from our in-store actions)
- Customer satisfaction
- Average breakage rate
- Brand presence rate
The ultimate goal is to accelerate the reconstruction of your ranges while optimizing the visibility of your offers .
At the same time, it will also be wise to contact your service provider for merchandising actions in order to update your planograms.
Note : The supplementary sales force concerns all sectors of activity and all types of companies (SMEs, VSEs, artisans, major accounts, etc.) wishing to develop their turnover.