National brands and the local businesses that bring products to market need each other. But it’s not always a happy marriage. Each side speaks its own language, works in different worlds and has different challenges to face. Mutual ground can be hard to find.
True collaboration and easy, reliable sharing of information is critical to a profitable partnership. Important data such as total sales volume, gross profit margin, customer segmentation, inventory level and marketing campaign performance should be shared, and both sides should work together to agree on the KPIs (key performance indicators) that are most important to monitor and track.