Specifying Management Information
Specifying Management Information
Introduction
Startle Distribution was originally part of the Telstar Record Label. In 1999, following a management buy out, Startle became independent of the Telstar Group. Startle is a music and video distributor of physical and digital products. Physical product is defined as CD, DVD and VHS, whilst digital distribution is Liquid Audio and MP3 file streaming. Startle Distribution services the middle of the supply chain from record label companies and film studio to independent retailers. Startle has very diverse clients with differing needs e.g. Independent Retail Chains requiring only good discounts and reliable service to small specialist record stores needing marketing and product management support.
Startle employs 160 staff over 3 locations: Chelsea, Enfield and Telford. Some of the staff, notably sales, work from home and “on the road”. They will call in to one of the offices monthly.
The Business Issue
Information sharing is required amongst key departments: marketing, sales, finance and procurement (buying) to maximise sales and improve management of clients.
The current situation
Clients are not receiving marketing offers and sales information relevant to their business from Startle. Startle’s competitors are presenting lower quality sales offers but winning the business from the Client.
Sales representatives, remote from the office, are visiting the clients regularly. When they arrive at the client’s office they have very little prior knowledge of communication between other Startle departments and the client. In some cases they have even visited clients only to discover, from the client, that the client is on credit stop, making it impossible to achieve a sale and set the correct environment for potential negotiations. Sales representatives are constantly being made aware, again by the clients, of the campaigns and support that Startle’s competitors are able to offer such as point of sale and returns allowances. The sales representatives are frustrated by not being able to support the clients desires to grow their market share e.g. into new formats such as DVD.
The marketing department has excellent relationships with, and understanding of, the record labels and film studios. Marketing is trying to grow client business with offers based around the record labels and film studios needs that are not necessarily the same as the client’s. Startle has produced some of the most innovative trade and consumer campaigns and these have been recognised with industry awards e.g. the Sisqoo, Thong Song E-Flier. The marketing...