CASE: BE TRUE TO THYSELF, CHANNELMASTER As a true channelmaster, you firmly believe in being truthful to your distributors even when the news is not favorable. But recently, your companyan old-line, prestigious manufacturer of office equipmenthas experienced a number of internal problems that are beginning to raise some serious questions about your corporations overall management capability. For starters, product quality has declined, as a result of improperly administered manufacturing cost-cutting measures. Late product deliveries have caused your distributors to miss customer shipment deadlines and, as a result, to lose profit. Because of the high turnover of sales and marketing managers, inaccurate and not entirely truthful information has flowed to your channel of distribution. Its no wonder distributors are beginning to suspect that your companys management just doesnt care about its distributor sales organization. Worst of all, just last week, two of your top twenty distributors signed with your death wish category of competitiona first in your channel. Death wish category refers to those of your field opponents who pose the most serious threat to your business future. Under what circumstances could you trust a distributor who also carries a death wish competitor? Its just too compromising. Its your job to change this negative course. Explain how you will do so, using all of your formal and informal channel communications and management abilities.

Questions:

1. What communication strategies should be created and implemented ?

2. Whats the real problem?

Instrcution: Answer should be specific and elaborated.