A leading industrial products company speculated that some of its channel partners may be under-performing. The company believed it had a well-respected brand based on product breadth and technology leadership. However, the company’s sales and growth in several geographic areas appeared to be deficient.
As such, the client decided to undertake an audit of its channels to identify areas for improvement. As part of the audit, the Client asked RSR Marketing Solutions (“RSR”) to help it measure market performance by geographic area and identify key gaps.
Overview of RSR Engagement – Channel Performance Analysis
Project Objective
Develop a fact-based assessment enabling the client to understand and compare channel partner performance across a variety of key metrics.
Approach
Market Assessment
- Quantify and segment the global market to determine overall size and growth rates.
- Determine the product-available and served-available markets for the client’s products.
Channel Customer Analysis
- Gather customer ratings to compare client’s channel against leading competitors relative to products, pre-sales support, lead times, post-sale service, and other critical attributes.
- Assess customer perceptions of current channels to market, as well as the brand position of the client relative to leading competitors.
Results
Highlights of Study Findings
- Learned that in the lowest-performing geographic markets, the deficiency was driven by low share in the same vertical market.
- Determined that the client’s market message was overly focused on technology, though customers did not value the client’s technology as much as they valued shorter lead times.
- Discovered a leading competitor was changing its go-to-market strategy in selected markets
RSR Recommendations
- Suggested improvements in the client’s marketing and training to help target an underserved, high-growth vertical market.
- Recommended changes in sales resource levels and territory boundaries based on buying patterns and unexpected differences in local market sizes and/or opportunities.
- Identified specific opportunities to penetrate key accounts to include stocking hard-to-get components, improving response times, and complying with unique local designs.
About RSR
RSR is a business research/ consulting firm that provides primary source market intelligence, competitive benchmarking, and strategic analysis for leading industrial clients.
We help our clients make better strategic decisions by giving them an in-depth understanding of the market and competitive landscape.
Our firm assists clients in situations where critical gaps in knowledge, experience, or information inhibit confident, effective decision-making.
We bring unmatched primary research interviewing skills & techniques, exceptional analytical precision, and industry expertise in niche markets to fill in the missing pieces.
We help our clients grow their business by providing them:
- Market entry studies
- Customer analysis
- Acquisition analysis
- Competitive analysis
- Business case analysis
- Territory market studies
To learn more about RSR Marketing Solutions, visit www.RSRMarketing.com or contact either of our principals directly.