Q.

Personal selling is a crucial component of the marketing mix and involves direct
communication between a sales representative and potential customers. The
primary objectives and significance of personal selling can be summarized as
follows:
Objectives of Personal Selling:
1. Building Relationships: Personal selling allows sales representatives to build
and nurture relationships with customers. By understanding the customers'
needs and preferences, salespeople can provide personalized solutions,
increasing the chances of repeat business and customer loyalty.
2. Creating Awareness: Sales representatives play a vital role in creating
awareness about a product or service. Through face-to-face interactions, they
can effectively explain the features and benefits of the offering, addressing
any queries or concerns in real-time.
3. Generating Sales: The ultimate goal of personal selling is to close deals and
generate revenue. By understanding customer needs and offering tailored
solutions, sales representatives can increase the likelihood of conversions.
4. Providing Information: Salespeople serve as a valuable source of information
for potential customers. They can offer detailed explanations, demonstrate
product functionality, and clarify doubts, which helps customers make
informed purchase decisions.
5. Overcoming Objections: Customers may have objections or reservations
about a product or service. Skilled sales representatives can address these
objections and provide persuasive arguments to overcome barriers to
purchase.
6. Upselling and Cross-selling: Through personalized interactions, salespeople
can identify opportunities for upselling (encouraging customers to buy higher-
priced items with more features) and cross-selling (suggesting complementary
products).
Significance of Personal Selling:
1. Personalization: Personal selling allows for one-on-one interactions, enabling
sales representatives to understand the unique needs and preferences of
each customer. This personalized approach increases the likelihood of
successful sales.
2. Flexibility: Sales representatives can adapt their selling approach based on
the customer's behavior, preferences, and buying signals. This flexibility
allows for real-time adjustments and personalized pitches.
3. Trust and Credibility: Face-to-face interactions build trust and credibility
between the salesperson and the customer. Trust is a critical factor in
establishing long-term customer relationships.
4. Immediate Feedback: Personal selling provides immediate feedback from
customers. Sales representatives can gauge customer reactions and adjust
their sales pitch accordingly.
5. Relationship Building: Personal selling facilitates relationship building, which
is vital for customer retention and generating referrals. Positive customer
experiences can lead to word-of-mouth marketing.
6. Complex Sales: In situations where products or services are complex or
require in-depth explanations, personal selling is particularly effective. The
salesperson can tailor the presentation to suit the customer's level of
understanding.
 7. Persuasion and Conviction: Sales representatives are skilled at persuading
potential customers to make a purchase. Their ability to build rapport and
communicate the value of the offering can significantly impact buying
decisions.
While personal selling is essential for many businesses, it's worth noting that the
effectiveness of personal selling can vary depending on the nature of the product or
service, the target audience, and the market conditions. As technology advances,
companies often combine personal selling with digital marketing strategies to
enhance their overall sales and customer engagement efforts.

OR

Q. Salesmanship is the power or ability to influence people to buy at a mutual profit,

that which we have to sell, but which they may not have thought of buying until call
their attention to it. Salesmanship is the ability to persuade people to want they
already need.”
Effective salesmanship employs various features and techniques to achieve this
goal. Here are some key features of salesmanship in marketing:
1. Product knowledge: A successful salesperson must have a deep
understanding of the product or service they are selling. This includes
knowing its features, benefits, and how it addresses the needs and desires of
the target audience.
2. Customer understanding: Good salesmanship involves understanding the
needs, preferences, and pain points of customers. This helps the salesperson
tailor their approach and pitch to match the customer's specific requirements.
3. Effective communication: Strong communication skills are essential for a
salesperson. They should be able to convey information clearly and
compellingly, actively listen to the customer's concerns, and respond
appropriately to objections.
4. Building rapport: Building a positive relationship with potential customers is
vital. Salespeople often create rapport by being friendly, approachable, and
demonstrating genuine interest in the customer's well-being.
5. Problem-solving: A skilled salesperson identifies and addresses customer
problems or challenges that the product or service can solve. Presenting the
product as a solution rather than just a commodity is key to successful
salesmanship.
6. Confidence and enthusiasm: Confidence and enthusiasm are contagious and
can positively influence customers. A passionate salesperson can generate
excitement about the product, making it more appealing to potential buyers.
7. Handling objections: Prospective customers may have concerns or objections
before making a purchase. Effective salesmanship involves handling
objections calmly and addressing them with persuasive arguments and
evidence.
8. Closing techniques: The ability to guide a potential customer towards making
a purchase is essential. Salespeople use various closing techniques to
encourage the final decision, such as limited-time offers, discounts, or
emphasizing the product's scarcity.
9. Adaptability: Markets and customer preferences can change rapidly, so a
successful salesperson must be adaptable and responsive to new trends and
customer demands.
 10. Follow-up and after-sales service: Salesmanship extends beyond the initial
sale. A good salesperson follows up with customers to ensure their
satisfaction and provide any necessary after-sales support. This approach can
lead to repeat business and positive word-of-mouth referrals.
11. Emotional intelligence: Understanding and managing one's emotions and
empathizing with customers' emotions can lead to a more successful sales
process. Emotional intelligence helps salespeople connect with customers on
a deeper level.
12. Integrity and honesty: Trust is the foundation of any successful sales
relationship. Ethical salesmanship involves being honest about the product's
capabilities and limitations, avoiding deceptive tactics, and ensuring that the
customer's best interests are prioritized.

By incorporating these features of salesmanship into their marketing efforts,

businesses can improve their sales performance and build lasting relationships with
customers.
Q. Sale cycle
The steps involved in process of sale cycle can be pointed as,
 Prospecting
 Pre-Approach
 Approach
 Sales Presentation
 Handling Objectives
 Closing the Sale
 Follow Up
Prospecting
The first step to making the personal selling process effective is
prospecting. Prospecting means the seller’s attempt to identify, know, and locate
potential customers.
In prospecting, generally, the salesperson tries to find the future customers to whom
he is going to meet, share information about his offerings, and make them real
customers.
For this, the seller can use many means to find the likelihood of customers such as
by the objective of selling, the quality of product, people need, people income level,
etc. If the seller wants to sell expensive products he may prospect for rich, high-
income level, high spending habit customers, and so on.
However, to effectively prospect potential customers the seller may go for cold
calling, newspapers, webinars, quality leads, tradeshows, referrals from traders,
suppliers, etc.
Pre-Approach
In the pre-approach step, the seller analyzes the likelihood situations when he is
going to meet or make calls to the prospective customers the first time. It is the
before visiting the customer activity the salesperson does.
In this step, the seller prepares himself as best he can. For this, he may go take
consultant service on how to make the first impression best with potential customers,
how to handle & respond to customers requests, etc.
The seller has to decide the best approach to visit his potential customers. In
addition, the sellers imagine the likelihood of events and questions that will be asked
by customers and rehearse in the room.
Approach
After the preparation in the pre-approach stage, the seller physically visits the
potential customer in the approach stage. Here, the seller gives and starts first hand
to build a relationship with the customer.
The seller and buyer make face to face interaction. The seller makes small talk with
the customers and seeks to know about them. The seller tries to understand the
need, want, desire, pain, or problems of the customer.
The main objective of the seller in this step is to understand the need and desires of
the customers, make customers feel free to share their needs, and finally, the seller
goes for to make his sales pitch most attractive.
Sales Presentation
In the sales presentation step of the personal selling process, the seller gives a
presentation on his products and services. It is the step where buyers get to know
about the seller’s offers for them.
While presenting and demonstrating his offers the seller tells about the products’
features, benefits, uses, quality, how that product meets their needs and wants, how
such products differ from those of competitors, etc. For a good demonstration, the
seller may also use attractive slides, videos, also some samples of that product.
The main objective of the seller in a sales presentation is to make customers know
why they should use that product, what potential benefits they will get, what offers
the seller has for them ultimately creating a desire for the product.
Handling Objections
It is believed that, if all the above steps of the personal selling process go well, the
customers will have the curiosity to know more about the seller’s offer.
As such, in this step, the customers come up with lots of curiosity, questions, and
doubts. They have a great desire to seek information about products they will buy.
In simple words, in personal selling, handling objections means handling the
objections of customers. Here, the seller’s objective is to win the trust of customers
by answering their queries in the right way so that customers are free from tensions
on the selection of products.
Closing The Sale
In closing the sale step, the customers come up to buy a product. It is the step where
the seller makes a real sale (s) and the buyer makes a real purchase (s).
Here, the seller finalizes the sales deals with the customers and the potential
customers here become the real ones. While finalizing the sales deals, there may be
product’s price and payment process will be negotiated.
Follow Up
The last step of the personal selling process is follow-up. Personal selling is not a
one-time process rather it is a long-term, everlasting relationship-building process.
In follow-up, when a sale is made, the seller tries to make a contact again with the
buyer to know the sold product meets the buyer’s expectations or not, to ensure the
long-term bond, and make re-purchases.
To make the follow-up step more effective, the seller may also try to give after-sales
services to the customers and effective follow-up also is an important step and has a
bright potentiality to know and increase performance and business of the
salesperson.
Personal selling hence is a very effective way of promoting all types of products
individually to the customers. It tries to convert the potential customers into real
customers. And, the steps personal selling consists of are a very effective way to
know potential customers, make their real ones, make sales, and increase the profit
of the firm.
OR

Q. A sales organisation is an organization of individuals either working together

for the marketing of products and services manufactured by an enterprise or for
products that are procured by the firm for the purpose of reselling. A successful
sales organization is one where the functions of each department are carefully
planned and coordinated and the efforts of the individuals supervised.
Merits of a Sales Organization:
1. Improved Focus: A well-structured sales organization allows for better focus
on specific markets, products, or customer segments. This specialization can
lead to increased expertise and efficiency within the sales team.
2. Clear Accountability: With defined roles and responsibilities, it becomes easier
to hold individuals and teams accountable for their sales performance, which
fosters a culture of responsibility and motivation.
3. Better Sales Planning: A structured sales organization facilitates strategic
sales planning, enabling the company to set realistic sales targets, allocate
resources effectively, and identify growth opportunities.
4. Enhanced Customer Engagement: Sales teams that are organized and well-
trained can build stronger relationships with customers, leading to improved
customer satisfaction and loyalty.
5. Efficient Training and Development: A sales organization can provide a
framework for training and development programs, ensuring that sales
representatives receive the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed.
6. Sales Performance Measurement: With clear organizational structures, it
becomes easier to track and measure sales performance, enabling the
identification of areas that need improvement and the implementation of
necessary changes.
Demerits of a Sales Organization:
1. Rigidity: Overly rigid sales organization structures can hinder agility and
responsiveness, making it difficult to adapt to market changes and emerging
opportunities.
2. Silos and Communication Issues: Dividing sales teams into specialized units
can lead to communication barriers and reduced collaboration among different
departments, causing inefficiencies and missed opportunities.
3. High Costs: Maintaining a complex sales organization with multiple layers of
management can lead to higher operational costs, potentially impacting the
company's profitability.
4. Employee Turnover: If sales territories are not balanced or quotas are
unrealistic, it can lead to burnout and high employee turnover within the sales
force.
5. Customer Perception: A poorly organized sales team may result in
inconsistent customer experiences, leading to a negative perception of the
company and its products or services.
6. Potential for Conflicts: A hierarchical sales organization may create internal
conflicts over territory assignments, commission structures, or resource
allocation.
 7. Internal Competition: If not managed properly, sales teams within a sales
organization may compete with each other rather than collaborating. Internal
competition can lead to conflicts and suboptimal outcomes.
Q. Physical distribution is all about moving and storing the products and finally
making them available to the consumers. Distribution is the process of making
the products/services available to the consumer. It involves movement of the
products/services from the manufacturers to the end user.
The process of physical distribution involves co-ordination and integration
of five components:
1. Order processing,
2. Inventory Control,
3. Warehousing,
4. Material Handling and
5. Transport.
Most important components are warehousing, inventory and transport.
1. Order Processing:
We should have standard procedure for handling and execution of orders. Order
processing time must be reasonable. Any delay in order execution creates ill-will
and may lead to loss of business. Customer demands assured delivery within a
fixed period always. The speed in order execution reflects the degree of
customer service. Even a slight increase in customer service can increase your
business to the extent of 20 per cent. Order serving time can act as a selling
point in our marketing programme.
2. Inventory Control:
In fact the entire physical distribution management, size, location, handling and
transporting of inventories assume unique role in physical distribution.
Inventories are reservoirs of goods held in anticipation of sales. The inventory
inter-connects production activity (purchase activity) and the customers’ orders
(sales activity). Inventory cost increases at an accelerated rate as the customer
service level approaches 100 per cent. We must reconcile and balance the
inventory cost and the customer service level.
We must have a balanced assortment of merchandise for sale to meet the
expected customer demand. Too small inventory will mean stock outs and lost
sales. Too large inventory means huge capital investment, lower turnover and
higher inventory operating cost. The main objective of inventory control is to
secure minimum capital investment and fluctuations in inventories as well as
prompt order execution as per customer demand.
3. Warehousing:
Storage is the process of holding and preserving goods. It can equalise supply
time-wise. The selection and proper location of warehouses is of special
importance in the process of marketing. The distribution centres are now located
around the markets rather than around transport facilities.
Distribution centre (a special kind of warehouse facility, strongly market related)
enables order processing and delivery of goods directly to customers under one
roof. We can have better and quicker customer service at lower cost of
distribution under distribution centres.
We can also have a few warehouses and normal inventory stock. The new
system of distribution reduces delivery time and also storage time. Emphasis is
given on selling and not on storing. Many companies are shifting from storage
warehouses to distribution centres. One distribution centre is set up in one region
around the market and not around transport facilities merely.
Distribution centres use the latest equipment for data processing, material handl-
ing and inventory control. The range of services a distribution centre offers can
be matched with those offered by a wholesaler. However, a wholesaler is the
merchant middleman, whereas a distribution centre is an agent middleman.
4. Material Handling System:
Instead of manhandling, we have automated material handling equipment in
modern warehouses. New concepts of packaging, containerisation, and palletiza-
tion have brought about remarkable reduction in the cost of physical distribution.
We have now conveyor system and forklift trucks. Material handling is now
almost mechanised in the Western countries.
Standard size containers to pack and transport goods can be stored on pallets or
small platforms which can then be moved by mechanical transport. Modern
mechanised handling of goods and protective packaging have improved
customer service, lowered distribution cost, and have also speeded up order
execution.
5. Transport:
Physical distribution is nothing but a network of activities consisting of storage at
many locations interconnected by a series of transport links in the process of
distribution. Transport is called the Gordian Knot, if not the snake pit, of physical
distribution management. The costs of transport are ever — rising since 1970.
Q. Elements of Logistics Management
Marketing logistics is the process of planning, implementing, and
controlling the movement of materials and components from the
suppliers to the customers. It also includes transferring all relevant
information throughout the supply chain from manufacturing and
origin up to final consumption.
Some of the major elements of logistics management are:
1. Customer Order Processing
2. Inventory Management in Logistics
3. Material Handling
4. Packaging
5. Transportation
6. Warehousing
7. Customer Service
Customer Order Processing
The trigger for logistics is customer order processing. Forecasts of orders and placed
orders necessitate the process to facilitate the delivery of finished goods at the
customers’ end. The instant of receiving the order initiates order processing at the
producers’ end.
The process begins with orders and necessitates activities for the delivery of the
products to customers. The functions of order processing are precisely four viz.,
order receiving, order handling, order picking, and order fulfillment.
Inventory Management in Logistics
The instant at which an order is received initiates the management of inventory at
different stages. The flow of inventory in the form of raw materials from vendors to
manufacturers to distributors and finally at the customer’s end is a continuous
process. The variation is the type and form of inventory at different stages.
The difficulty in accurate matching of demand and supply necessitates inventory
holding in the different stages. Reasons for the gap in are plenty; unavailability of
accurate demands, production halts, sudden changes in tastes and preferences, etc.
Inventories exist in different forms including raw materials, sub-assemblies, work-in-
progress or finished goods.
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Previously inventory used to be accumulated at all stages to compensate for
uncertainties in orders received and to prevent stockouts. However, owing to the
influence of information technology and advanced managerial practices like Just-in-
time (JIT), Total Quality Management, and lean manufacturing, firms now operate
with absolute zero levels of inventory.
Material Handling
Material handling encompasses the set of activities wherein all activities pertaining to
the movement of movement, packaging, and storing of inventory of different forms at
different stages. It ensures an uninterrupted flow of raw materials from sources for
processing and of finished goods to the customers’ end.
Objectives of Material Handling:
1. An uninterrupted flow of goods.
2. Reduction of time of delivery of goods.
3. Checking damage and wastage of items in packaging and transit.
4. Reduced cost of handling
Packaging
Packaging is the entire process through which a product is enclosed for delivery to
the customers. It is inclusive of the physical cover of the product to safeguard the
contents within till it reaches the end customer.
Packaging goes ahead to draw the attention of prospective customers and to enable
ease of handling during transit. The purpose is not merely to provide a protective
capsule but to present it in a form that adds to customer delight through visual
appeal. Functions of Packaging in logistics parlance are:
 To protect the materials from damages of transit and storage.
 To provide adequate protection from shocks and vibrations that happen
during travel.
 To facilitate the ease of stackability of inventory using minimal space.
 To facilitate equal distribution of weight within the packages for automated
handling equipment.
 To provide ease of handling to items requiring special care as those which
are fragile or susceptible to damage in case of improper handling.
For fulfilling the functions stated, the various types of packaging used are tetra
packs, corrugated boxes, wooden pallets, metal and alloy cans, plastic films, etc.
Transportation
Transportation in logistics is the movement of goods all along from the source (of
raw materials) to the end user. It is not merely the carrier of goods in different forms,
but the process that makes raw materials available at the source of production, the
flow of semi-finished goods, and the availability of finished goods at the right place,
time, and quantities.
The objective of transportation is to make availability of goods efficiently satisfying
the customer demand by virtue of economies of scale in the flow process.
Transportation uses different modes like roadways, railways, seaways, and airways.
Sometimes more than one mode is used when it is called multi-modal transportation.
Warehousing
The flow of inventory of different forms from the source to the customers’ end is a
continuous process but with stoppages at the storehouse. Raw materials waiting to
be processed or assembled or finished goods waiting to be received by customers
all need temporary storage arrangements.
This process of providing temporary waiting arrangements is called warehousing.
The purpose of warehousing is to ensure storage of the inventory preserving its
characteristics and protecting it from physical damages. Warehouses are also used
for aggregation of products from different production sites before dispatching to
markets, and sorting of products for different geographical locations.
Customer Service
A customer in operations management is one who buys an end product or avails a
service for his/her own consumption or for the consumption of someone else. The
product (or the service) is an outcome of a sequence of value-added activities.
Customer service is a process by which value-added services, which may be
products or services, are made available to the customers by virtue of a demand
created in the market by the customer or through a strategy of the firm to push its
products (or services) to the market for sale. The process begins with an order or a
demand forecast data and completes with a trade-off between cost and the service
of the same.
OR
Q. Vertical vs horizontal
Horizontal Marketing
Characteristics Vertical Marketing System
System
In a horizontal marketing
A vertical marketing system is an
system, businesses
approach to advertising that is
competing on the same level
Definition focused on reaching and
as one another form an
communicating with businesses in
alliance to take advantage of
the same industry.
economies of scale.
There are three sorts of
companies involved in a vertical
Distributors, retailers, and/or
marketing system: manufacturers,
manufacturers might all play
Players wholesalers, and retailers. The
a role in a horizontal
system's goal is to optimize
marketing structure.
earnings for the three distinct
business kinds.
Companies that employ vertical Companies that employ
marketing strategies do so horizontal marketing to their
Demographic
because they want to focus on a advantage seek a big,
certain subset of the population. general audience.

More opportunities for

An environment receptive to
Partnership collaboration are made
collaborations is not provided by
opportunities available through horizontal
vertical marketing systems.
marketing platforms.
 Do not compete with each
Competition Compete among each other.
other.

One example of the

Examples banking, real estate, hospitals, etc. horizontal system is Johnson
& Johnson and Google.

A HMS is where the partnering organizations are at the same stage of production. A
vertical marketing system includes organizations at various stages of production.
With the former, therefore, every member is involved in the manufacturing of the end
product. Under VMS, a member specializes and hence optimizes its scope in a
single branch of production. Members of a VMS get used to routines, and are often
answer to a controlling body. On the other hand, HMS is where members are free to
conduct their internal affairs as they choose, and this is because they are left
independent and autonomous. It is upon the organization to select the most
appropriate model based on its nature, available sources, and the target audience.
Q.
Wholesalers Retailers
1. Wholesalers buy from the manufactures Retailers buy from the wholesalers and
and sell goods to the retailers. sell goods to the consumers.
2. Wholesalers usually sell on credit to the
Retailers usually sell for cash.
retailers.
3. They specialise in a particular product. They deal in different kinds of goods.
4. They buy in bulk quantities from the They buy in small quantities from the
manufacturers and sell in small quantities to wholesalers and sell in smaller quantities
the retailers. to the ultimate consumers.
Retailers usually sell at their shops. They
5. Wholesalers always deliver goods at the
provide door delivery only at the request
doorstep of the retailers.
of the consumers.
6. A wholesaler needs mainly a godown to A retailer needs a shop or a showroom to
stock the goods he handles. sell.
A retailer usually sells at a particular
7. A wholesaler goes to different places to
place. Sometime he may have branches
supply.
in other places.
8. A wholesaler need not provide shopping
A retailer usually provides shopping
comforts like luxurious, interiors, provision of
comforts mainly to attract customers.
air-condition, trolleys, etc.
 Wholesalers Retailers
9. As the wholesaler specialises in a
As the retailer deals in a variety of goods,
particular pmduct, he has to necessarily
he need not influence buyers. He can let
convince the retailers about the product
the buyer choose any brand of product the
quality. Only then the latter will place an
he likes.
order.
The retailers normally do not allow any
10. As per the custom of their trade, discount to their customers. Some of them
wholesalers allow the retailers trade may offer cash discount to bulk buyers.
discount each time the retailers buy. Sometimes, they may offer seasonal
discounts.
What is a marketing intermediary?
What is a marketing intermediary?
Marketing intermediaries (also known as Distribution intermediaries) are one or
many organizations and individuals, acting as a bridge between manufacturers and
consumers in product distribution. Marketing intermediaries are business
establishments that support businesses in promoting, selling, and delivering
business to consumers. They include Product distribution intermediaries, distribution
support establishments, marketing service establishments, financial intermediaries.
In fact, a distributor can be a retailer, wholesaler, agents, and brokers.

Advantages of using marketing intermediaries

 Unlike before, it is conceived that intermediaries are only costly and time-
consuming. In fact, the intermediaries in the marketing channel play an
important role in helping both sellers and buyers. Thanks to the contact
relationships, experience, specialization, etc, the intermediaries bring the
producer many benefits. Those are:

 Reduce distribution costs for manufacturers: If manufacturers organize their

own distribution network, they incur large costs due to lack of specialization,
due to the small scale. By using marketing intermediaries, manufacturers
focus resources on the main stages of the value chain of products.

 Increase the reach of customers for manufacturers while reducing the contact
for manufacturers and customers: Thanks to the distribution network,
manufacturers can reach many customers everywhere. Customers also only
need to contact a distributor to buy a variety of products from different
manufacturers. In contrast, manufacturers only need to contact one distributor
to sell products to many customers.

 Share the risk with the manufacturer: In the case of off-sale purchase with a
distributor, the trading middlemen share the risk of price fluctuations with the
manufacturer. Therefore, manufacturers can quickly recover capital to re-
invest in the next production cycle.

 Helping supply and demand meet: Sometimes, the seller does not know
where the buyer is and vice versa. At that time, the intermediary distributor
was the bridge to help supply and demand meet.
  Increasing competitiveness for manufacturers: When using intermediaries in
the distribution channel, by saving costs, increasing the accessibility of
customers, and reducing risks, manufacturers improve their competitiveness.

 Rapid reinvestment: When buying and selling off, the distribution

intermediaries will indirectly share the risks of goods with manufacturers. At
that time, manufacturing enterprises do not have to worry too much about
output products and have the capital to turn around production and re-invest
in the next cycle.
2. Disadvantages of using marketing intermediaries
 Fear of losing the deciding role
 Fear of losing contact with customers
 Fear of losing customer ownership
 Fear of opportunistic behavior
 Fear of inadequate communication
 Fear that the goals of the intermediary will conflict with the manufacturer’s
goals
 Fear that an intermediary will extract instead of adding value
 Fear of poor market management
Types of marketing intermediaries
 Wholesaler: Is the intermediary to buy products, goods of the manufacturer
and then sell to other go-betweens or industrial customers. This type of
intermediary is not sold to consumers but will mainly focus on selling to
retailers and other businesses.

 Retailers: They are the units that buy products from the manufacturer or
wholesaler then sell it to the end-user. These are the people who best
understand the needs and wants of their customers. They have a rich and
diversified store system, ensuring goods’ availability to create the best
conditions for buyers.

 Distributor: Distributors work like wholesalers in the sense that they act as
an intermediary between the producer and the retailer. However, distributors
are very actively involved in the promotion of the manufacturer’s products,
and selling products to retailers and wholesalers. Their job is not merely to
bring the product from the manufacturer to the retailer, but also to find new
market opportunities and ways to extend its brand.

 Agents and Brokers: Those who are in charge of finding and attracting
distribution units. They can be found anywhere in the flow of distribution (in
partnership with manufacturers or wholesalers).