• Contact Me
  • Archives

Sound Marketing

helping music brands be heard

  • About
  • Blog
  • Consulting
  • Let’s Talk
  • Email
  • Print

Best practices for supporting your chain store partners in the Musical Instrument vertical

Share this:
TwitterFacebookLinkedIn

Despite the absence of a buyer, actions taken here can surely influence sales results

ranks of electric guitars on display in a store

Manufacturers and distributors in the musical instrument and pro-audio business rely upon the nation’s chain stores for a large portion of sales revenue. While there’s no direct contact here with corporate buyers, the physical presence and support is nonetheless quite valuable and a catalyst for sales if done well. Depending on the approach, personnel deployed may be product specialists, dedicated merchandisers or the sales reps that are also calling on the independent dealers in any given geographical territory.

Activities at these locations include:

  • Product and sales training on primary offerings
  • Merchandising and point-of-purchase display upkeep
  • Product specialist or public event coordination if applicable
  • Relationship management with key players at the store
  • Monitoring of inventory positions and floor representation
  • Field intelligence and assessment of current market tone
  • Firmware upgrades and overall product maintenance

Improving the Customer Experience

Musical instrument and pro-audio vendors allocate significant resources to drive end users into the channel, ideally to purchase products. It’s important to have a consistent approach to best serve these retail locations, ideally creating a pleasing experience for the prospective customer. The value added by your company’s presence has merit, securing your place as a desirable and supportive supplier and ultimately winning the “hearts and minds” of your retail partners at the street level.

Planning for Success

It’s best to meet beforehand with corporate leadership to develop a strategic plan, which includes establishing metrics to measure the effectiveness of in-store visits. Frequency of call for these activities will vary depending on the size and scope of the market being served, along with initiatives that may drive a campaign, such as a new product rollout or vital technical training. When confirming appointments, ask that a department sales manager participate in training sessions. These are the “champions” who can carry your brand message to other sales associates and likely are longer-term players in the organization. Your team should be maintaining a list of current salespeople, noting the evangelists in each store.

Creating a Residual Benefit

If you streamline your visit agenda, you’ll get more done in less time, leaving a lasting residual benefit for store personnel. Be accessible to retail salespeople and management alike, treating them with the same respect you expect in return for your brand. If you attend to these important accounts with vigor and a unified approach, you’ll stand a good chance of improving sell through, which in turn, will stimulate purchasing. Ultimately, you want your efforts here to leave behind an indelible, positive vibe at the retail store.

There is much more to be said on this topic, so keep an eye out for “part two” in an upcoming blog post, or contact me if you’d like some help refining your own strategic plan.

Share this:
TwitterFacebookLinkedIn

Filed Under: B2B, Marketing

About Doug Nestler

Sales Consultant | Author | Player
Doug is the author of Sound Marketing: Helping Music Brands Be Heard, and has been involved in the musical instrument and pro audio business for nearly four decades. His expertise is in sales & marketing strategy, key account management, product roll-outs and overall channel management.

Comments

  1. Paul Callicoat says

    October 16, 2018 at 4:21 pm

    Most vendors don’t even call on my shop anymore. I have maybe four reps that stop in a couple times a year. Large manufacturers such as Gibson, Fender, etc. don’t even give us a chance. The music business continues it’s journey to mostly online sales. There’s no fun in that.

    Reply
  2. Russell Reed says

    October 17, 2018 at 12:12 am

    Great article Sir. I do have a few road blocks I would like to discuss and to learn what I can do better for the industry and for the consumer

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome to the show.

Sound Marketing sits at the intersection of music, sales & marketing. We explore how insightful strategy, focused tactics, and organizational change will help manufacturers be heard over all the noise in the musical instrument marketplace.

My name is Doug Nestler, and I’ve spent 40 years—still going strong—in sales & marketing. My resume includes roles in all areas of channel management and distribution, and Sound Marketing is a way to share my expertise with you.

Subscribe to Email Updates

Join over 2,000 musical instrument and equipment manufacturers to get the latest music industry news.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Categories

Popular Posts

sales rep with many arms handling phones, computer, clock and coffee

How to distinguish yourself as a sales rep

Grateful for my time in the musical instrument trade

musical instruments and audio equipment in a shopping cart

Psst…want to know the secret of sales?

bearded music store dealer with crossed arms standing in front of music equipment and instruments

Reciprocity – the key to a successful vendor-dealer relationship

illustration of electric guitar with wings in a decorative background

Partnering with your retailers in the musical instrument and pro audio trade

© Copyright 2023 Sound Marketing · All Rights Reserved