There’s a recession going on out there…..

Your customers are in a different state of mind when it comes to making purchases. The way you are used to expressing your value proposition may not lead to sales in this market as customers become more risk-averse. In this seminar, Frank Hurtte teaches how customers are buying today, the best way to present your value proposition to make buying from you easier, and how to better target your proposals. You will learn how to understand and communicate your value in dollars and cents, reduce discounting, and make sales grow.

Selling in a recession is different.   Layoffs, extended shutdowns and plant closings dominate the headlines.  Lower capitol spending affects the number of opportunities a distributor has to sell.  Competitors do crazy things. Customers respond erratically.  It’s a whole different environment - an environment many of us have never experienced.  We need to adapt.

In this session Frank Hurtte shares his common sense approach to the problems and pushes out three critical points for maximizing your success in these times.  

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It’s here……

Distributor Specialist Training

The Distributor Specialist fills a unique role in the distributor organization - not 100% sales – not engineer- just what?  In many cases, the Specialist just happened.  Sometimes, it was the result of a customer need, sometimes the position was driven by a key manufacturer/partner, either way most distributors agree the job description grew from its humble beginnings to today - based on immediate tactical needs rather than a long term plan. This course pulls it all together……  

River Heights Consulting has made Specialist development a priority!  This is first program of its kind designed exclusively to better engage the Distributor Specialist.

The Distributor Specialist Playbook

Enter the Specialist – equal parts salesperson, marketer and resident domain expert – they provide the extra oomph to drive the business forward.  Like all resources, they must be used properly and judiciously to get the right bang for the buck – The ROI.  The Specialist Playbook is designed to put the right resources in place – without piling costs on top of cost. Understand how to deploy Specialists….

Designed for the Business Leader with a Product Specialists, this session is designed to explore the level of detail required to gather traction and move forward in even the most difficult of situations.  There are lots of case studies from Manufacturers and Distributors in every line of trade.

A recent survey says – 80% of sales organizations have Specialists or plan to deploy Specialists in the next 12 months.  Use this workshop to be best of class.

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Save time, increase sales opportunities, and drive results….
                                                       And, make your distributors love you…

In a recent conversation with the Vice President of a top US distributor, Frank Hurtte of River Heights Consulting was told "manufacturer’s field training sessions for sales people on average are less than 50% effective." 

As we push to make the manufacturer/distributor channel more efficient, few topics promise more payback in a shorter time than tweaking this age-old process.  In this special presentation, Frank will lay out a plan for driving the right behavior and producing a payoff in added sales and increased market share.  Those attending this seminar will receive a copy of RHC's own "Distributor Training Expectations" worksheet. 

Armed with this tool you can build training modules for your field sales force that are easy to present and easy to administer.

To be successful in the post recession world, distributors and their manufacturing partners simply must work together to create a seamless supply chain.  The link from manufacture to distributor to customer needs to be analyzed and optimized.

Unfortunately, business practices of the past have created walls – barriers that are found in even the best channel strategies.  Computer systems, rep issues and even trust issues keep the distributor community from providing the data important to their very survival.  Explore deeper and you find breaks in the information flow in the same company – be they distributor or manufacture.

Frank Hurtte believes the far-reaching implications of Supply Chain Integration builds better business and a stronger future.  In this workshop Frank explores the "state of the state" for Supply Chain Integration in our industry.  He contrasts wholesale supply chains from various lines of trade and projects forward into the future.  The attendee leaves with action items intended to give their organization a strategic advantage in the future. 

Major topics covered:  Definition of Supply Chain Integration, historical perspective and common terms with what they mean to different people.  Frank reviews Lean/Six Sigma's place in Supply Chain Integration, Discusses which industries are ahead of the curve, and looks at the potential affect of new technology. 

Customers want one stop shopping.  Sales experts tell us it’s more efficient to sell more and different products to the same customers.  Distributors in a variety of industries are discovering that it’s good business to expand into new product segments and new technologies. 
Frank Hurtte has been on the front lines of building line cards, recruiting manufacturer partners, determining which product mixes would be the most interesting to his customers, and driving a distinct “Package of Value” forward. 

Frank applies his unique North Star approach to the process…

In this workshop Frank explores the art and science of building a line card and growing strong relations with the manufacturers your customers need.  Whether you are firming up an existing line card or planning to launch a brand new product offering, this process will give you much to think about.

Save time, increase sales opportunities, and drive results….  And, make your distributors love you…

In a recent conversation with the Vice President of a top US distributor, Frank Hurtte of River Heights Consulting was told "manufacturer’s field training sessions for sales people on average are less than 50% effective." 

As we push to make the manufacturer/distributor channel more efficient, few topics promise more payback in a shorter time than tweaking this age-old process.  In this special presentation, Frank lays out a plan for driving the right behavior and producing a payoff in added sales and increased market share. 

Those attending this seminar will receive a copy of RHC's own "Distributor Training Expectations" worksheet.  Armed with this tool you can build training modules for your field sales force that are easy to present and easy to administer.

Today, distributor business system technology allows us to glean the data required to compare the true profit picture of our customer base.  Viewed for the first time, the results may be surreal.  Experienced sales managers will argue the results in total disbelief.  The best of salespeople will question their very existence when their star account falls below the suitable profit line (or maybe into the loss category).  Customer Contribution Rankings allow us to evaluate whether a customer is an income generator or just an exercise. 

All customers are not created equal…

Thomas Jefferson wrote, “All men are created equal”, but all customers are not created equal.  Frank Hurtte talks about how to measure customer contribution – and, more importantly, what to do with the data once you have it.

Don’t fire those less than profitable customers….

Frank goes point by point on strategies to move non-contributing customers into the Profit Zone.  On attendee said, “Frank’s Baker’s Dozen is worth the price of admission.”

Conducted with Dr. Philip D. Hall

This special program is designed to give the technically oriented manufacturing professional a foundation in the six core areas of study typically found in a Business Administration Program.  Operational Management, Finance, Human Resources, Customer Focusing, Supply Chain, and Barriers to Communications will be explored in a series of lectures and workshops.  This course is unique in its focus and approach because it was developed with the manufacturing professional in mind.  Those with Engineering, Maintenance, Quality, and Production backgrounds will find this course full of examples from their every day life.