Julian Dent Distribution Channels

Annotation

Consultant Dent uses his decades of experience to provide a wealth of real-life examples in this accessible guide to building and maintaining effective distribution channels, starting with an interesting essay on why business models matter. He goes on to describe the role of the distributor and how the distributor business model works, how distribution adds to(or subtracts from) margins and profitability, and how working capital, productivity, sustainability, and careful management of growth co-relate. He then applies these basic concepts to final-tier channel players, including roles, business models, sales and utilization, gross margin, recoverability, value creation and growth, and then moves to retailers, showing the measures that matter and how to manage to them. His sections on how to sell these ideas to each group are particularly interesting.