With the intention to get the best cooperation from the distribution channel members the companies are using different promotional methods. These methods directed at traders are called traders oriented promotional method. The traders provide the important link between the marketers and the customers. The traders may include dealers, wholesalers and retailers. The company cannot take chance to miss them. Traders oriented promotional methods are applied to strengthen the team work among all concerned parties of sales. Some of the methods for motivation of traders are following;
- Point of purchase display: This method is targeted at dealers or traders. It means the display facilities are provided by the manufacturers to the traders for display at their showrooms or shops. The types of products sold out at the outlet are displayed at the points. This gives the clear idea to the buyers that the particular type of products are sold at the store. Without display the ideas regarding availability for buying would not be known to the customers. It supports the traders to improve the internal and external atmosphere of the store. By this the customers are attracted and traffic of customers are also increased. This creates the visibility of the products and further it supports the promotional methods like personal selling and advertising. The only difficult in this is that the traders are not maintaining the POP facilities and they all selling these also to get money. These facilities are provided free of cost to the traders. This improves the status of the store and motivates the traders.
- Trade Fair: The trade fair is also used for the traders. A large number of manufacturers display their wares and take orders at trade shows. In fact, companies spend a huge amount on this type of show. They also provide a chance to demonstrate products share information, answer questions, and enable them to have critical comparison with the products of competitors. The participants may be the traders and customers. They are provided with all supports and orders can be taken from them. The traders get motivated to deal in those products displayed in trade shows.
- Traders meeting: Time to time the company arranges meeting of traders so that the related issues of business can be discussed and shorted out easily. The participants are traders or their salesmen. The meeting can be sponsored by the company or jointly company and traders. These can be conducted at local, regional and national levels. The objective of the meetings is to discuss the difficulties, answer the confusions, and guide the sales men for promotional campaign. The facilities are given to the traders to increase the sales and their earnings for free of cost. This helps a lot to motivate the traders and they provide adequate support to the company to meet their objectives of sale.
- Sales contests: The Company arranges the sales contests for the traders those who achieve the quota of sales within the stipulated period. Those who achieve the specified quota they participates in contests. They may win the prizes, free tours sponsored by the company and other benefits. This triggers to encourage them to put efforts for increasing the sales and providing the support.
- Training of staff: This type of method provides training to the technical staff for servicing and repairing of the durable goods like car, TV, computers, refrigerators etc. The engineers of the traders are not having much systematic knowledge of the products, to repair and replace the faulty parts of the products. They are trained by the experts of the company in their workshop at free of cost. The training facility can be arranged at workshops of traders locally. This provides a lot of supports to increase their sales.