Save a Nickel a Case

I know how difficult it can be to run a distributorship these days--I've done it. I also know how easy it is to become complacent with the way things are currently done--again, trust me, I love the warmth and security of the comfort zone.

But with breweries taking an ever-increasing chunk of your gross profits--by requiring more services out of you and increased infrastructure--it is more important than ever to learn how technology and new ideas can make your company more productive. That's where the BDM comes in.

I have been in this industry my entire life. My grandfather and father were in the business since prohibition, and I worked for my father's competitor after they sold out for years. I've also worked as a consultant, and I can tell you that the more I travel, the more I see wholesalers that are struggling to find ways to get beer into the market more efficiently. It's more complex now.

"My market is different…" is the sentence I hear the most at every distributorship. Why? Because it's true. All markets are unique and different. But every distributorship is faced with essentially the same questions:

• How do I route delivery most effectively?
• How do I best design my sales system: by geography or retail channel?
• How do I deal with my chain accounts' category management needs inexpensively?
• How do I motivate my sales staff and teach them sales skills?
• How many resources to I devote to each type of account?
• How do I get and keep good people?
• How do I prepare my company for a sale or merger?

And hundreds more like the ones above. You know the questions. Now it's time for answers. I have scoured the countryside, worked the phones, and strolled the beer aisles in my quest for answers. I have sought out the best practices and proven novel outside-the-box ideas from wholesalers, fellow consultants, and technology geeks, and I write them up in a jam packed 6 to 8 page letter and send it to my clients every month.

The Premise Behind This Service

Instead of paying a consultant a thousand dollars a day or more, why not subscribe to a newsletter that gives you the same information every month for less than the price of a half day consultation?

The fact remains that nobody knows your business better than you do. Outside consultants can sometimes bring a new perspective to the table, but ultimately it's up to you and your people to get the job done, and the DPL can provide the fresh new ideas for serious consideration at your management meetings.

"I enjoy receiving both of your publications. I appreciate the quick updates I get in Beer Business Daily and I also find [BDM] to be useful and relevant to my business. Keep it coming!" -Elliot Maisel, Gulf Distributing Companies

Productivity, the Magic Elixir

In beer distributorships, time is money. Wholesalers make money by leveraging their people's time. Time-per-stop is a big one. Time to load trucks, time to sell, and time to reconcile are also big money eaters. If you could save just a few minutes a day for each of these functions per person, the savings would compound exponentially. This is the power of productivity.

Saving time means finding a better way of doing things. It means re-engineering tasks; it means using and, more importantly, understanding technology; it means employee training, and it means compressing more tasks into an hour.

When I travel to a distributorship, it seems I always see something that they are doing really well, and something they are doing that's not so good. Because I don't spend my waking hours every day at that company, I have a fresh perspective and can sometimes see things that the management can't. So I point out to management what they're doing that's really stupid, and I learn what they're doing that's really smart, and then I teach others. This is what consulting is.

It makes sense to me to write about the things that wholesalers are doing really well, and warn against the things they are doing wrong. Not like the articles in trade magazines. Those are teaser ads. I mean really write about it in detail. That's what BDM is all about.

One idea, just one idea from this letter, could be the idea that saves your company thousands. One idea a year will pay for the letter and then some.

The BDM is an investment of $490/year.

You can order the newsletter securely online by clicking here >>

Or give me a call directly at 210/805-8006 ext. 1#. I look forward to hearing from you, and I am,

Yours truly,

Harry Schuhmacher
Editor & Publisher

P.S. Order today and get a 3-ring binder, a Sell Days calendar, and a calculator while supplies last, free of charge.