Channels of marketing the name itself already formulates the essencesuch a term. As a matter of fact it means mechanisms, or even more precisely the ways of marketing (selling) the enterprise of its products. And it is from the effectiveness of such channels that the profitability of an enterprise depends to a large extent.

How to determine which of the available channelssales can bring the maximum sales volumes, and provide the buyer with quality service while doing so. One of the main characteristics of the distribution channels is their throughput.

Often sales channels arise absolutelyrandomly. In this situation, the spontaneous distribution channels are characterized by a lack of producer control over prices. This is due to the emergence of a large number of intermediaries in such sales channels. In addition, in this scenario, the distribution channels can not be analyzed by the manufacturer, for the quantity and quality of the customer base, tracking the customer service support when intermediaries work. This situation often leads to the emergence of uncontrolled sales processes and the impossibility in the subsequent implementation of sales plans through such channels.

In order to change the situation and do sothat the distribution channels would meet all the requirements of the manufacturer, many enterprises follow a certain scheme of integrated estimates of sales channels. The main purpose of this method is the development of sales planning of the main not on intuition and inspiration, but based on the information received on the prospects of certain directions.

The first thing that is done with this technique -make up a full list of possible feeds. For example, it can be: wholesalers, businesses carrying out the delivery and delivery of goods to the outlets, companies that combine the first, second, and retail stores. At this stage, it is necessary to fully analyze all possible options, often overboard there are 2-3 more channels, which can bring quite a significant profit.

Next, let's talk about the evaluation criteria. The most commonly used criteria that the marketing channels evaluate are their profitability, customer satisfaction, the channel's control on the part of the producer (it's about controlling the price and movement of goods), the level of competition of this channel when working with it, and the prospect of such a channel in the long term.

Each of the above criteria has a ballroomsystem. And using this, you can determine how successful this channel will be in this or that situation. How much he is loyal to your product, and how profitable and long-lasting will be such cooperation of your enterprise and partners participating in such a sales channel.

However, in addition to points, experts recommendcome up with a special weighting factor for each criterion. This ratio is determined by the company's orientation in strategic planning, and its location in the market. That is, in other words, the coefficient expresses the degree of importance of some criterion for this particular company or for this particular group of products. After each criterion is evaluated and all scores are summed, one can judge the quality and effectiveness of such a channel. And based on the results, it is possible to say which sales channels are priority and which are not. This approach works with both direct and indirect sales channels. By the way, it should be understood what is the difference between them. Indirect channel of sales is when in the producer chain - the consumer is also the intermediary one or several is not important. And vice versa, when the chain is a short producer - the consumer and everything, then such a channel is called direct. Both have their own merits and demerits.