What do superheroes have to do with improving distributor profitability? Read on and you’ll see! First and foremost, this doesn’t really require a spoiler alert, but if you’re concerned, stop reading.
Seriously.
Go see the awesome new Marvel movie Avengers: Age of Ultron!
Distributors tend to be experts in products and the market niches they serve. We often see distributors being very good at several aspects of the business. If there is a weakness (from another superhero, think kryptonite), it’s that marketing may not be a priority. Is marketing the kryptonite of your business? Sure, there are exceptions to that. More distributors are expecting that marketing be a profit center, not a cost center.
Okay, if you’re with me so far, keep reading to see what the Avengers can teach distributors about improving profitability.
Teamwork is the first thing the Avengers taught me about improving distributor profitability. Your organization probably has some strong contributors, aka, superheroes. It may be a star salesperson or a product expert that seems to be able to solve any challenge, kind of like Tony Stark, aka Iron Man. Maybe you have an amazing distribution center professional that always seems to be able to get product out to customers on time and save the day.
The point is, your organization probably has some superheroes. Working independently, they may not be able to rise up to, let alone crush, the competition. Working together is the foundation for a team that can save the day by closing more profitable deals and driving up company profits.
The second thing I learned about improving distributor profitability from the Avengers is that it’s paramount to have a solid strategy and plan. No matter how awesome your superheroes are, without a clear objective and strategic plan, they aren’t going to hit their potential. When it comes to improving distributor profitability, having a solid marketing strategy and plan is the foundation required to move forward to a common goal. When you know what your customers’ needs are, coupled with the company direction, you can begin to develop strategies and tactics leading to a winning marketing plan.
Having some individual superheroes in your organization is a fantastic start. Strategy and plan development help us understand the common goals, gets us to where the battle is, and defines how to win the war.
Execution is the next lesson I learned from the Avengers on how to improve distributor profitability. Both Nick Fury, the former S.H.I.E.L.D. director, and Captain America help keep the Avengers together and on task. As leaders, they have the ability to rally the team to the common goal of defeating Ultron. Constant communication is a key tool they use to achieve winning execution — which leads to the final lesson.
Measurement is the final lesson I learned from the Avengers on how to improve distributor profitability. During the final battle, the Avengers clearly knew the objective. Measurement and feedback was provided from many battles. They knew what was working and what needed to be modified to win the war. These are your marketing metrics on activities. Distributor marketing needs measurement to continuously make modifications to optimize performance. “Continuous” is the operative word – the Avengers needed the constant communication and feedback. So do your marketing superheroes.
The Avengers developed a strategy and plan on how to crush the competition. Your Ultron competitor may be strong, smart, and persistent. Saving the day requires each superhero use their unique strengths and talents and work together. Only by working together did the Avengers prevail. So it is with your marketing mortals; together they can be superheroes!
The professionals I get to work with at Distribution Strategy Group, while not technically superheroes, each have awesome strengths and experiences. Our ultimate goal is simple: we help distributors turn marketing into a profit center and, ultimately, improve distributor profitability. None of us can do that alone. Each of our distributor clients have unique goals and objectives that may need different types of assistance and expertise (or shall I say superpowers?) during our engagement.
Can your organization benefit from some of the lessons learned from the Avengers?
Dean Mueller is Independent Consultant at Distribution Strategy Group. He has more than 30 years of experience in sales and marketing and helps distributors build holistic digital strategies that drive a significant shift to online sales, improve profitability and grow customer satisfaction. Take your digital strategy to the next level. Contact Dean at dmueller@distributionstrategy.com.