When I look back at what is the final difference in successful sales development projects where we have achieved what we set out to do vs those where we have not, the answer is often very simple : Execution !
Nothing exemplifies this more than in the FMCG General Trade in India where basically one is dealing with outsourced distribution arms that very often have to deliver to a brief from the brand owner and are ill equipped to do so – No mindset, no training, no ‘fire in the belly’…… result ? : the brand gets EXECUTED and decimated by a rejuvenated competition in the market place.
While there is no dearth of strategy and planning, there are very few answers as to how does one continuously make sales teams and distributors execute flawlessly in an environment where there are hundreds of retailers each demanding their share of the pie. This also explains why some high profile brand launches fail to deliver to potential.
And in the past 30 years, while many things have changed in the FMCG General Trade, what has NOT, is the demand for professional who can execute, execute AND execute …