Effective relationships with our business partners has always been important, but never more so than now. We seem to have less people carrying more responsibility as companies try to maximise their return on investments. This means that every interaction we have with our partners has to be targeted and precise with a clear goal that is pursued to completion.
The laboratory market in particular has become a demanding arena with very specific challenges. The one stop shop ethos means that your distributors are adding more and more suppliers to their offering, maybe even competitors to your range. Only through effective management of your relationship will you ensure that your product is not overlooked, that you gain valuable training time with their sales force and a good working relationship with the product managers.
It is not always possible to have people on the ground in every location, in most cases with careful management this is not always necessary. Two or three activities or visit's a year can be enough to keep your profile raised and maximise your efforts with your distributor.