Sepahan Battery Trade Marketing Function

Establish a Trade Marketing Function for Sustained Business Success

Year

2017

Key Deliverables

Identification of International Best Practices
Trade Marketing Capability System
Internal Recruitment Support

The Challenge

Ensure Sustained Business Success

Sepahan Battery is the Iranian market leader in high-quality car batteries. Its business strategy is aimed at strong volume growth, price premium, and market leadership. Previously, the company did not have any dedicated trade marketing capabilities, and so was lacking a key element needed for sustained business success. With a track record of helping businesses build trade marketing teams, Sepahan turned to Certius for help.

The Challenge

Ensure Sustained Business Success

Year

2017

Key Deliverables

Identification of International Best Practices
Trade Marketing Capability System
Internal Recruitment Support

The Work

A Tailormade Trade Marketing Capability System

Sepahan Battery’s objective was to build a skilled and effective trade marketing team. They would need to be capable of creating and implementing winning sales and trade marketing plans, winning over customers and shoppers, to help grow the business.

Certius began by analysing the key business and sales drivers, specific to the retail and wholesale channels, of the car battery market. To do this, we conducted extensive interviews with customers, Sepahan Battery sales managers and sales visitors, as well as other key stakeholders. In addition to this, we identified international best practice in the car battery market, using this information to determine processes that would increase demand and loyalty with dealers.

Next, we designed a trade marketing capability system, specific to the needs and context of Sepahan Battery and the car battery market. This included defining the right organisational structure and how it should evolve over a five-year planning horizon; the definition of processes for the key trade marketing tasks; and relevant KPIs. We also described the core skills Sepahan would need to succeed, such as category, channel and customer understanding; category strategy and segmentation; SKU analysis and classification; market coverage planning; point of purchase vision and effective merchandising; promotion planning and execution; development of customer value proposition and concept selling; and activity implementation.

Certius then conducted interviews with a significant number of internal and external candidates for the trade marketing function, and helped Sepahan Battery select the team and onboard them. We then designed and held training & coaching workshops and supported the team’s daily work with specifically designed coaching modules.

The Impact

A Custom-Made Marketing Department

By implementing Certius’ trade marketing capability system, and sourcing highly-skilled candidates for the new trade marketing department, Sepahan Battery were able to create a function which continues to add significant value to the business.

Next Case Study

Increasing Marketing Capabilities in a Rapidly Changing Market

Saman Bank is a privately owned Iranian bank, whose pioneering initiatives have allowed it create real added value for its customers. By delivering services characterised by convenience, speed, and confidence, they aim to become customers’ first choice in domestic corporate & international banking. In a fast changing sector, Saman Bank recognised the need to dramatically enhance the quality and impactfulness of its marketing, to better challenge the positions of established market incumbents.