Channel Mgr – Retail

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Channel Marketing Manager – Retail

Reports to:  Marketing Director or VP

General Description

The Channel Marketing Manager works in partnership with the Director of Channel Sales to jointly invest the market development funds (MDF) and Co-op to increase channel sell-through.  Channel Sales ensures sell-in, and Channel Marketing ensures channel sell-through.  This sell-through is accomplished through managing store, VAR, and distributor promotions (spiffs, contests, rebates, specials, training, promotions, etc.), ensuring proper merchandising, ensuring adequate stocking levels, and running reseller education, contest, motivation, and seeding programs.  This person is also part of the Acme Software marketing team and participates in Product Marketing, PR, and Advertising to ensure that the specific reseller needs are met.

Strategy, Planning & Budget

  • Prepare the annual Channel Marketing Plan.
  • The Channel Marketing Manager works with the Director of Channel Sales and is responsible for distributing, recording and tracking MDF funds for sell-in and sell-through.
  • This person has a personal budget for travel, training costs, seminars, conferences, equipment, etc.
  • Allocate the budget to the Trade Show Coordinator and propose and supervise all event marketing specific to the resellers.
  • Work with Channel Sales to help propose the annual and quarterly (if needed) MDF budget amounts.
  • Work with Channel Sales to establish store-by-store quotas and MDF budgets.

Tracking & Analysis

  • Track the sales of Acme Software channel sales. Establish a system to generate a report of sales by account with ROI by the 10th of each month.
  • Track the promotions and MDF ROI by account and identify the most effective programs for sell-in and sell-through.
  • Track and report the sales of competitive products within the channel each month.

Promotions & Programs

  • Recommend the sell-through programs by account for Channel Sales to propose to the buyers.
  • Execute and fulfill all of the committed sell-through programs submitted by Channel Sales.
  • Create Acme Software promotional programs, by chain, VAR and reseller type, designed to reward resellers for excellent performance and obtain the highest ROI.
  • Manage the annual reseller conference.
  • Manage the reseller training and certification program.
  • Ensure that all stores are properly merchandised, trained and, when appropriate, authorized.
  • Manage the reseller NFR seeding program.

Recruiting & Materials

  • Work with Product Marketing and Creative Services to ensure the production of the appropriate box, collateral, educational, and merchandising materials appropriate to the reseller’s needs.
  • Work with Product Marketing and Channel Sales to create and distribute reseller demo scripts, kits, authorization materials, and presentation materials.
  • Maintain communication between the company and the resellers via E-mail, the Web site, letters, contests, and promotions.
  • Work with Advertising to ensure monthly or quarterly reseller mailing & card deck campaigns to support sales in recruiting resellers.
  • Propose action items and supervise the reseller support section on the Web site.
  • Initiate programs to educate resellers on Acme Software products (reseller trade shows, reseller regional shows, direct or video training, managing the training groups, etc.).
  • National and International travel is required periodically.

Knowledge & Skills

This person must possess, or obtain, intimate knowledge of every reseller and distributor type and category.  He/She must know what types of promotions are available and effective for each reseller and distributor within the channel.  He/She must also know who the customer is, how to sell and demonstrate the product, and must be similarly capable of training other people to sell the product.  He/She must understand the “persuasive format” for demo scripts, the intricacies of retail merchandising, the motivation behind promotions, and the use and construction of collateral materials.  He/She must be very thorough, detail and completion-oriented, and able to manage several projects simultaneously.  This individual must be motivated to become a company expert in how the channel works and must either possess or be eager to obtain the required knowledge.

(Chanimal)