Tuesday, August 8, 2017

Tips For Ensuring Distribution Network Optimization

By Christopher Brown


When you start a company, you most likely have a plan to expand and open other branches in a few years. However, the possibility of this happening will depend on how well you work on your distribution network optimization. Every few months, you should evaluate how the supply chain is working to see if you can make it even more effective and efficient. Here are some pointers on how to do this.

Things will occasionally go wrong, and it is your job to know what has happened at what time. This way, you can start working on how to fix it. To stay ahead of the problem, you need to know what is happening on the ground. This will mean regularly liaising with your distributors, and also occasionally talking directly to your clients.

Essentially, when you have poor sales, it is either because you are targeting the wrong people, or you are stocking the wrong products. Therefore, to correct a situation like this, you will either need to change the target market, choose a different geographical region or change your products.

Sometimes, you will notice that a particular sales person is not meeting the company set goals. By looking at how they work you will be able to tell what the problem is. However, before you immediately terminate their contract try moving them to a different department. Ideally, you should rotate your sales representatives at least yearly.

While looking at this whole process, you should include the input of other stakeholders. This way, nobody feels left out. You will also find that when you brainstorm with other people, it is easier to look at many scenarios and come up with different solutions. Avoid calling other people in during the last minute because this will just bring confusion. Instead, aim for their inclusion from the beginning.

The planning process will be bound to take some time, depending on the severity of the situation. However, you could start by implementing some short term solutions, while you work on some practical long term ones. Avoid taking shortcuts or making rash decisions, because this could further worsen the situation.

There are specific tools and software options you should consider when doing this work. These will help you analyze data quickly, and can also come up with various projections for you to compare. Even while using these tools you should also get experienced consultants to look at the situation.

To properly implement the changes you are envisioning you may need to put in some money. If you properly organize your plan, it will be easy to convince the investors to put up the required amount. You just need to ensure that you can show them how it will save the company, and allow you to increase the profits. However, ensure that you use actual figure and not faked projections because this could blow up in your face.




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