Synopsis

In each case, a leading corporation made or attempted to make distribution channel decisions to better serve its end-customers and strengthen its long-term competitive position. Yet, as the market would prove, reliance on weak channel knowledge and market insight can derail even the most ambitious plans. The Manager's Guide to Distribution Channels is your bottom-line guide to ensuring that your firm successfully tailors its channel strategy and management to the realities of the channel and needs of the marketplace. A step-by-step handbook to formulating your channel structure, strategy, and relationship management so that it is both market-driven and results-oriented, this easy-to-implement manual is divided into three equally valuable sections. Channel management is much more than simply the shipping and receiving of goods. It is the lifeblood of your business, and the key to its short- and long-term success. The Manager's Guide to Distribution Channels tells you everything you need to know to maximize the operational effectiveness and profitability of your marketing channels and distribution programs. It helps you manage your distribution relationships both individually and as a whole, and transforms your channel management program from an operational chore into a strategic competitive advantage.

Biography

Linda Gorchels, Chuck West, and Edward Marien are on the School of Business faculty and program directors at the University of Wisconsin (Madison, WI). Gorchels is the author of The Product Manager's Handbook.