AboutEric Hofer Expertise Over 27 years experience, with 17 in international FMCG in back office operations and in field sales and data collection, including design, development and deployment of Handhelds, Marketing Equipment (Service, Tracking and Return on Investment), reporting and Vending management. Have participated on the launch of operations in new markets, and re-engineered the back office in several countries.
Experience Designed and led the development and deployment internal ERP system for Pepsi used in On-Premise/Vending in 13 markets.
Designed 2 handheld systems, the latest is now deployed in 4 markets internationally.
Re-engineered the back office functions (settlements, despatch, invoicing, credit control, etc) for over 20 snack, confectionary and beverage operators.
Developing software: Progress, VB, Access, C, Sybase, SA
Organizations Innovative-Selling Solutions
Publications BudapestSun
Education/Credentials State University of New York - BA Economics
NYU - Courant - Graduate work - Computing
Past/Present clients PepsiAmericas
PepsiCola International
PepsiCola Company
British Steel
British Telecom
Britvic (Pepsi's bottler in the UK)
AT&T
BellSouth
Mars Overseas Bottling
Pepsi France
Matutano (Frito-Lay Spain)
Frito-Lay
Pepsi Foods International
Chase Manhattan Bank
Kidder Peabody
National Power
SmithKline Beecham
Mars Overseas Bottling (Pepsi Azerbaijan)
A&P Bottling (Pepsi Serbia & Montenegro)
Iberia Bottlers (Pepsi Georgia)
Question Eric,
We all appreciate your expertise and willingness to help out. I'm planning to start a manufacturer's agency distributing non-alcoholic or alcoholic beverages. The goal would be to evolve into a distribution firm after success is realized and a network of contacts formed. My background is sales in finance. Any recommendations for first steps to incorporate into the business plan? The first challenge is which product line/suppliers to work with, ideas?
Thank you,
Luke
Answer Hello Luke,
I'm unsure what you mean by a "manufacturer's agency".
If you are talking about setting up a distributor, then this is something about which I can write.
First steps:-
- determine the scope of the business (market, competition, resources & costs)
- identify the market opportunities that present themselves to you for your target geography
- determine funding available, requirements for that funding
- identify knowledgeable resources on whom you could leverage their talent to get things going
- consider alternative ways to get into the business & gain knowledge
.. work with an established company
.. poach disgruntled / ready to jump key employees (who cannot get to the next rung for example)
- plan out your first X months of operating (cash flow)
.. what will be your outgoings,
.. forecast your sales incoming
.. determine turnover, etc.
- plan out your basic "operating" flow - eg. order comes in, we deliver
Questions you'll have:-
- who is going to develop the relationships with the suppliers
- how are you going to drive order taking -
.. are you going to support the mfg to get orders
.. are you supplying your own sales force
Give me your thoughts and we can go further - this is the sort of stuff that my company consults upon and for which it supplies back office systems.
