rio-nn
no nz
u i-l_l
in-nn
izi-nn
lij- nn
I i-uu
IJUIJU Strategic
lU'UU DraughtKeg
li_ 'UU Two-day Special
IJ-IJ Creative Solutions
Ib'Ziij Global Market Trends
M'ZiU Can-do Attitude
World ofHeineken 43 - winter 2010
This morning I'm meeting up with one of my sales executives in a
medium sized hypermarket of around 4,000m2 on the outskirts of
Paris. It's the first of three meetings we've set up this morning in
the same district, but we often schedule in four appointments. This
meeting is to review performance data and assess opportunities
to grow the business. Every year, we have three major meetings
with each of our hypermarket and supermarket customers. The
first visit of the year is about building on the ongoing business plan.
The second meeting is dedicated to an overview of the first and
second quarter results and planning our next steps. This is normally
organised around September.
The last meeting is to plan the following year's actions. Outside of
these three strategic meetings, of course, we have regular business
meetings when we might also run through ideas for promotions or
deal with any issues that might come up.
En route to our second appointment I take a call from a customer.
My customers pick up the phone regularly to ask about ideas or to
ask if we can support an opportunity in-store. In this case they want
to run a promotion with a brand that will appeal to a young fashion-
conscious consumer, such as Desperados, which has a 96% market
awareness among 18-34-year-olds in France. I make a note to follow
up on this when I get back to my office after lunch.
Our second appointment is at a larger hypermarket of around
15,000m2, and today we're working on maximising opportunities
with the DraughtKeg system. We're setting up a 'DraughtKeg
boutique' together with special POS fridges. We've also planned to
place promotional staff in-store and the customer is very positive.
There are also opportunities for local promotion throughout the
year with this hypermarket.
Today, I'm visiting one of our smaller convenience-store chains
with another member of my team, a 'promteur' who specialises
in this market. In January this year, we hired additional staff to
support convenience stores, and help grow their businesses. In our
experience they are keen and open to growing the beer segment.
We're very aware of the additional business potential these smaller
chains offer. We're making a financial investment in these stores,
which, combined with our consumer and shopper expertise, will
create value.
Although we have a mix of very different customers, in every case
we discuss the business plan, sales performance, market share,
the 3Ps (product, promotion and positioning). We take a proactive
approach. For example, we're always on the lookout for rival stores
planning promotions that could impact our customers' sales. In my
meeting earlier today, we came up with a counter-action for exactly
this: a 'two-day special' to generate impulse purchases.
Lunch provides a good opportunity to debrief with my sales executive
from the last meeting. This informal chat allows us to have a quick
brainstorm for further opportunities as a result of the meeting. It can
sometimes be the most valuable hour of the day and sparks creative
ideas.
After lunch I return to my office. Logistically it's a lot easier to work
from home, which is right in the middle of the area I cover. The
calls I make around this time tend to be reviewing performance and
answering any ad-hoc questions that come up.
Motivating my team is also important. Heineken provides very
effective employee training and development, so in between our
visits we informally chat about career development, share ideas and
feedback.
I sit down to check the weekly global market trends summary from
head office. On a monthly basis I also check a detailed report
showing volume/sales/market share for each region. We get a weekly
update from our headquarter departments (key accounts, category
managers, trade marketing, merchandising), so I have a fair bit of
reading and analysis to absorb, along with my own work tool or
'performance pack' which gives me my business priorities for the two
months ahead.
This kind of analysis and planning is one of the things that make
Heineken stand out with our customers. We have a detailed
understanding of consumer and shopper behaviour, savoir-faire and a
powerful brands portfolio. We also do what we promise.
Quite often I also have evening events to attend, but not tonight.
These events - going to see a football or rugby match with our
customers, for example - help build strong partnerships and keep us
ahead of the competition.
Customers trust us, not because we are 'sympathique' or nice, but
because we provide real solutions. I derive great satisfaction when
my customers pick up the phone or tell me face to face: 'I have this
issue and I want you to help me to solve it.' At Heineken we always
work to find the answer! When there's additional business to gain,
we'll find a way.
I don't know that I ever really switch off from work. In the evening, I
find myself thinking about my personal target for next year. I would
like my region to be the top performer among the 12 French regions.
Unfortunately I'm a long way off that goal right now! Paris is a big
region, we are bigger in sales and volume than many others, but our
colleagues in southern France are also growing business fast!
38
