Advertisement
 
 

Cover Story : Marketing Overdrive

Michelin North America’s dealer program gains traction with an eStatement

May 2010 By Hallie Mummert
Get the Flash Player to see this rotator.
 
Assembling the Moving Parts

A few key challenges exist in managing this sweeping type of data project. Here, DATACORE Marketing President and CEO Jeff Yowell outlines the basic steps involved:

1. Identify every stakeholder, implementer and other influencer of the program.

2. Clearly define the roles and responsibilities of each party.

3. Develop an internal communication plan for the project development.

4. Develop a transition plan for migrating each current process to the new process.

5. Create a communication plan for external stakeholders (e.g., Michelin N.A.’s dealers and distributors).


In the early days of 2008, when financial experts were just starting to argue about whether the U.S. was in a recession, Michelin North America rolled out a sales program that would provide exactly the kind of support its network of dealers and distributors would desperately need by year's end.

A designer, manufacturer and seller of tires for a variety of markets—including consumer, agriculture, aircraft and heavy truck—Greenville, S.C.-based Michelin N.A. sells tires directly and via a partnership with distributors and independent dealers. The main source of support for this three-party business union is the company's Alliance Associate Dealer (AAD) program, a sales incentive program that offers premiums to participants who hit sales goals.

"We sell tires to lots of different companies and lots of different kinds of companies. Our independent dealers are the most important to us in many ways," says Bob Schaffner, Michelin N.A.'s manager of distribution development-wholesale. "First of all, they're the ones who've helped us build our business for the last 50 years. They still represent 60 percent of the market in terms of consumer choice. … If we're going to be successful, we have to be successful with our independent tire dealer organizations."

According to trade publication Modern Tire Dealer, more than two-thirds of the 29,000 independent tire dealers in the U.S. are single stores, and a little fewer than half of them are family-run. These retail operations are the most vulnerable to economic and competitive influences, says Schaffner, and require unique approaches that fit their particular businesses. Through the AAD program, "we have to give them the tools in order to be successful. And we can spend the money. But if the money is not translated into a program that they can participate in, it's going to be wasted," he emphasizes.

Looking for Wear and Tear
Rolling back several years to the start of this dealer program overhaul finds Michelin N.A. facing a couple challenges. One, as the distributors administered the AAD program, it gradually lost its Michelin identity. Two, the process largely was paper-based, which made it difficult to manage uniformly and efficiently. Finally, all parties to the program couldn't see the same information at the same time, creating knowledge gaps that left sales opportunities on the table.

"We wanted a Michelin-branded Alliance Associate Dealer program. We also wanted to administer this in a unified fashion across the country, where every dealer would be treated essentially the same—that is, per the terms of the contract. We also wanted to relieve the burden of administration from our distributors so that they could focus on their core competency, which is stocking and delivering tires and providing their own services," says Schaffner.

 

SPONSORED CONTENT

MORE ON B-TO-B >>

FROM THE BOOKSTORE

Find countless tips and insights from B-toB marketing experts in this collection of articles on how to manage a successful lead generation program. Order more than 6 how-to guides in any combination to receive discounted pricing. The more you order, the bigger the discount. Discounts will be reflected at check-out. 6 - 9 guides - $19.95 each 10 - 39 guides - $14.95 each 40+ guides -- Please call 800-777-8074 (Outside the U.S. 215-238-5482) for custom pricing Business-to-Business Lead Generation Strategies (2nd Edition)

Find countless tips and insights from B-toB marketing experts in this collection of articles on how to manage a successful lead generation program. Order more than 6 how-to guides in any combination to receive discounted pricing. The more you order, the bigger the discount. Discounts will be reflected at check-out....

ORDER NOW

Good, reliable market information, based on good, reliable marketing research, is more important than ever to businesses of every size and description. But nowhere is it more critical than in the business-to-business marketplace. Business to Business Marketing Research

Good, reliable market information, based on good, reliable marketing research, is more important than ever to businesses of every size and description. But nowhere is it more critical than in the business-to-business marketplace....

ORDER NOW

 

SPONSORED CONTENT

MORE ON DATABASE & CRM >>

FROM THE BOOKSTORE

<i>The Business of Database Marketing</i> covers all the bases for the typical business reader. It even includes a catalog of the 37 “Best Practices” and a roundup of some of the major “Dos and Don’ts” in making business sense of the world of database marketing. It will be the one easy-to-read and easy-to-understand guide for putting database marketing and customer relationship management to productive use for every business. The Business of Database Marketing

The Business of Database Marketing covers all the bases for the typical business reader. It even includes a catalog of the 37 “Best Practices” and a roundup of some of the major “Dos and Don’ts” in making business sense of the world of database marketing. It will be the one...

ORDER NOW

 

SPONSORED CONTENT

MORE ON ONLINE MARKETING >>

FROM THE BOOKSTORE

Hitting the Email Inbox: Protect your sender rep, clean up your e-list and improve design to add dollars to your email marketing ROI <i>Hitting the Email Inbox</i> covers all the bases of email deliverability, including everything from the very basics, to reputation management, as well as coding and design, and the connections between email deliverability and ROI. As any good email marketer today knows, there are a number of obstacles standing between you and your prospect’s inbox. With anti-spam technology becoming more and more powerful and prospects being blitzed by rapidly increasing email volume, an email marketer’s concern isn’t just open rate anymore; it’s getting the email successfully delivered in the first place. <i>Hitting the Email Inbox: Protect your sender rep, clean up your e-list and improve design to add dollars to your email marketing ROI </i> features five chapters full of industry-proven best practices to achieve maximum inbox delivery. You’ll also get dozens of surefire tips and methods for improving your deliverability, including: • Developing a trigger email program • Segmenting and reviewing your results by service • Understanding the whitelist/blacklist process • Using different addresses for different segments of your file • Not falling into the whole openers/non-openers/clickers trap • Test mailing at different times of the day • Being smart about timing • Use an ECOA service • Looking into certification, and much more! <b><u>The report also includes four detailed case studies</b></u>, providing practical examples of what email deliverability tactics did and didn’t work for four real-life companies. <b><u>100% Money-Back Guarantee</b></u> Your order is risk-free. If you are not completely delighted with <i>Hitting the Email Inbox</i>, notify us within 30 days for a complete credit or refund, no questions asked. <b><u>About DirectMarketingIQ</u></b> The Research Division of the Target Marketing Group, DirectMarketingIQ (www.directmarketingiq.com) is the go-to resource for direct marketers. Publishing books, special reports, case study stockpiles and how-to guides, it opens up a new world for those who seek more information, more ideas and more success stories in order to boost their own marketing efforts. DirectMarketingIQ has unparalleled access to direct marketing data - including the world's most complete library of direct mail as well as a growing library of promotional emails across hundreds of categories - and proudly produces content from the most experienced editors and practitioners in the industry. <b>Note: You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to read <i>Hitting the Email Inbox</i>, which is in PDF format. </b> Hitting the Email Inbox

Hitting the Email Inbox: Protect your sender rep, clean up your e-list and improve design to add dollars to your email marketing ROI Hitting the Email Inbox covers all the bases of email deliverability, including everything from the very basics, to reputation management, as well as coding and design, and...

ORDER NOW

PDF FORMAT <i>"Despite news to the contrary — especially from the social media space — reports of the death of email are greatly exaggerated. In fact, as your inboxes most likely show, email is growing and becoming even more sophisticated."</i> -- from <i>The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing</i> It's true. Email marketing is still going strong, and continues to be one of the most important factors in any marketing campaign. From the first six months of 2010 to the first six months of 2011 alone, there was a nearly 21 percent increase in email volume! The average number of emails received per day in the first six months of 2010 was 472, and during the first six months of 2011, the daily average increased to 571. Marketers are having success with their email campaigns and using it more and more. That being the case, your email marketing campaign needs all the attention it can get, and knowing what works and what doesn't is the best way to start. That's where "The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing" comes in. The Guide is brought to you by the email marketing experts at DMIQ and their extensive research into one of the largest email campaign archives in the industry. On top of latest trends, it features 19 best practice chapters from today's email marketing thought leaders. You will learn how to create a relevant email program to nurture leads and drive sales, how to best use call-to-action visuals in your emails, and how to use social email to improve marketing effectiveness. You’ll also learn: • Email Marketing Trends in 2011 • Best Practices in Writing Subject Lines • The Strategy (and Tricks) for Improving Open Rate and Response • 6 Tests to Improve Email Program Results • 5 Best Practices for the Gangbusting Email Campaign • Best Practices for Improving Email Performance • 6 Ways to Make Your Emails Mobile-Ready • Email Branding — The 16 Most Effective Strategies • 11 Best Creative Practices for B-to-B Email Marketing • The Keys to Developing a Successful E-newsletter • How to Determine Your Customers’ Email Content Tolerance • How Email Marketers Can Optimize the Social Media Opportunity • …Just to name a few! This comprehensive report also offers three in-depth case studies, so you can see practical examples of how these methods worked for real-life businesses. "The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing" is an essential tool for any business that ever sends an email. <b><u>100% Money-Back Guarantee</b></u> Your order is risk-free. If you are not completely delighted with “The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing,” notify us within 30 days for a complete credit or refund, no questions asked. <u>About DirectMarketingIQ</u> The Research Division of the Target Marketing Group, DirectMarketingIQ (www.directmarketingiq.com) is the go-to resource for direct marketers. Publishing books, special reports, case study stockpiles and how-to guides, it opens up a new world for those who seek more information, more ideas and more success stories in order to boost their own marketing efforts. DirectMarketingIQ has unparalleled access to direct marketing data - including the world's most complete library of direct mail as well as a growing library of promotional emails across hundreds of categories - and proudly produces content from the most experienced editors and practitioners in the industry. Note: You must have Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to read The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing, which is in PDF format. The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing

PDF FORMAT "Despite news to the contrary — especially from the social media space — reports of the death of email are greatly exaggerated. In fact, as your inboxes most likely show, email is growing and becoming even more sophisticated." -- from The Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing It's true....

ORDER NOW

 

COMMENTS

Click here to leave a comment...
Comment *
Most Recent Comments: