Managing the entire environment in which products are conceived, manufactured, transported, stored, marketed, sold, and consumed is the marketing channel orientation to marketing management. Marketing managers will not perform product development and manufacturing functions, but they must be a part of the planning that controls these functions in order to reflect the needs of the marketing channel. How to accomplish this important management task is structured step by step in this comprehensive, instructive and practical book devoted to the development and management of the marketing channel. The book starts with a pragmatic approach to the development of a marketing channel structure, the selection and motivation of channel participants and the adoption of management programs and methods to insure the marketing company can reach its objectives with the greatest efficiency. Section One presents the physical distribution and channel structure section. The second section is dedicated to the presentation of creative management methods, skills and systems of analysis. These methods are presented as a way to plan and implement a successful marketing channel management. The primary, full channel, management focus is directed to product and market management. It includes marketing program development, advertising, promotion, marketing planning, pricing strategies and product positioning. People management and methods of motivation embraces all marketing channel members from manufacturers, wholesalers, agents, and retailers to users or consumers.
Special attention is given to key topics such as the management tasks involving the collection and analysis of marketing and sales statistics, forecasting and profit planning methods. Product pricing methods and positioning are also emphasized. Effective alternatives for management action to competitive promotions are directed to all levels of the marketing channel. The special needs of product and market managers, who have accepted broad responsibilities without the authority of position power to accomplish them, are accommodated with the Manager's Authority Profile. This is a method designed to provide these managers with the power to perform without the risk of conflict. The book concludes with what Paul Harvey would call the rest of the story. It is about the rest of the marketing channel participants we identify as competitors. The competitive analysis system presented incorporates an outline for the development of a unique competitive profile. It also offers a new competitive market share analysis process. This book is intended to be a complete marketing management reference for the development of physical distribution with the creation and management of marketing programs for the entire marketing channel.
