RETAIL CHAIN MANAGEMENT and ANNUAL SALES NEGOTIATIONS

Day 1
09:00 – 09:30 - Introduction and course objectives

09:30 – 10:00 - Presenting participants’ expectations and concerns

10:00 – 10:15 - Key customers’ manager role to achieve steady profitable growth in the chain of stores

10:15 – 10:30 Coffee break

10:30 – 11:00 Retail chains knowledge
- Major players in the Bulgarian market
- Market shares, number of stores, coverage
- Strategy, mission and target groups
- File creation – content, contract, and correspondence

11:00 – 12:30 - Planning business processes with retail chains
1. Algorithm
- Customer’s file
- Market share
- Strategy for each specific chain
- Range planning
- Display planning
- Investments and allocation planning
- Promotion planning and advertising media planning
- Managing sales prices

2. Information use
- Points of departure
- Chain’s strategy
- Sale pricing
- Mark-up
- Buyer’s performance appraisal
- Competition and category products

12:30 - 12:45 - Retail chains business negotiations
1. Preparation
- Appointment confirmation
- Information sources
- Stores review
- Chain negotiations history
- Presentation analysis of displays, distribution and turnover
- Setting goals
- Sales history
- Anticipating objections
- Preparing materials such as slides, photographs, etc.
- Agenda and reminders

2. Structure
- Market behaviour
- Statistics
- Boom and slump product cycle
- Chain’s presentation
- МАТ and periodical graphs
- Trademarks and packaging – presentation
- New products, listings and distribution
- Promotions
- Development zones
- Operating tasks

12:45 - 1:30 - Role-plays
- Practicing in 3 groups
- Fifteen-minute contradiction identification
- Thirty minutes preparation

1:30 – 2:30 Lunch break

2:30 – 4:00 - Role-plays – continuation
- Negotiations with buyers
- Analyses
- Equipment
- Introduction
- Agenda
- Sales history
- Proposal-package
- Confirming actions
- Summary of agreements

4:00 – 4:30 – Good practices
- What can be observed in the negotiation process?
- What can be avoided in the negotiation process?

4:30 – 4:45 - Conducting negotiations
- Stages
- Conclusions
- Summary

4:45 – 5:00 - Preparation
- Big discounts
- Low prices
- Frequent deliveries
- Numerous promotions
- High entry fees
- Registered trademarks
- High advertising investments
- Turnover discounts

5:00 – 5:30 - Arguing, signalling, offering
- Avoiding arguments
- Signalling and understanding buyers’ signals
- Making successful offers

5:30 – 6:00 - Negotiation, closing, agreement
- Negotiating conditions and discounts packages
- Ending discussions
- Reaching and confirming agreement

Day 2
09:00 – 10:30 Practical advice on terms–of-trade and investments
- Assessing supply chain investments
- Turnover expenses
- Investment allotment
- Ensuring permanent and just chain relationships
- Negotiating investments

10:30 – 10:45 Coffee break

10:45 - 11:30 Initial and annual trade negotiations
- Frequently committed errors
- Chains and proliferation
- Percentages
- Annual increases
- New conditions
- Reformulation
- Persistency
- Right and wrong question forms
- Asking questions
- Active listening skills

11:30 – 1:30 Practical exercise on terms–of-trade negotiation meetings
Ten minutes preliminary information enquires
One-hour preparation

1:30 – 2:30 Lunch break

2:30 - 4:00 Role-plays – continuation
- Negotiations with buyers
- Analyses
- Equipment
- Introduction
- Agenda
- Sales history
- Proposal-package
- Confirming actions
- Summary of agreements

4:00 – 4:30 Category management - maximising profits and satisfying consumers’ needs
- Understanding global markets
- Understanding global consumers
- Understanding global categories

4:30 - 5:45 Evaluating promotions
- Methodology
- Encouraging new product trials
- Generating repeat purchases
- Rewarding loyal customers
- Launching new products and renewing outdated ones
- Reinforcing global sponsorship
- Distribution
- Opening in-store theatre
- System demonstrations
- Return on investment
- Price reduction frequency and duration
- System analysis

5:45 -6:15 Course goals overview and main conclusions
- Summarising the two day training retail chain management knowledge
- Distinguishing customers from consumers
- Market strategy
- Clear chain management goals
- Chain sales management system
- Organisational resources
- Tools and information
- Becoming PREFERRED SUPPLIER