Customer

Market Strategy

You Gotta Serve Somebody

Andrew Penny, February 7 2023

You may be a business-man or some high-degree thief, They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief. But you’re going to have to serve somebody! Bob Dylan Dylan’s highly insightful words came to mind recently when I was discussing channel strategy with a client (give him a listen). They asked about who would be the best channel partner to...

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Market Strategy

Being “Best in World”

Andrew Penny, January 17 2023

It is difficult to understand how much the world of business has changed in the last 4 or 5 years. We have seen an earth-shaking amount of technological change, the adoption of which has been accelerated by fundamental changes in the way we work and communicate with each other. We now live in a world where distance is irrelevant, knowledge is...

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Market Strategy

Third Prize

Andrew Penny, September 13 2022

To my dismay it happened again. I drove to a car show in Vermont and won a prize…  I joined over 500 cars at the British Invasion in Stowe, Vermont. It’s about 5 hours from Ottawa with lots of pretty and really twisty roads. I go to these shows because I like cars, especially British cars. My car is really only an excuse to hang out with a bunch o...

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Market Strategy

Will my channel revolt if I introduce a D2C model

Andrew Penny, September 9 2021

“I have an established sales and distribution network. How would I ever be able to set up a direct to Customer sales approach?   Great question. Many industries are locked into old ways of working and will find it hard to transition; the automotive industry is a great example. Manufacturers depend on a huge network of franchised dealers who promote...

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Market Strategy

Is there a D2C Distribution Model in your Future?

Andrew Penny, July 6 2021

As we continue to work with more and more manufacturers coming into North America, we are seeing a sharp increase in the number of companies that are exploring a Direct-to-Customer (D2C) model. The advantages of this are many, including: In the manufacturing segment, markups are typically 100% on the wholesale cost before it goes to retail. Innova...

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Communication

Connection Decay

Andrew Penny, June 15 2021

A few weeks ago, I tried to connect with the national sales manager of a North American appliance manufacturer. I went through a fairly torturous auto-attendant reception tree to try and find the individual. I eventually spoke to a live person who offered to transfer me – and I was put on hold, indefinitely.  I dialed back in and then went throug...

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