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The Dube Group: The New Breed of Staffing |
| An interview with Scot J. Dube, President of The Dube Group, a team of sales and marketing consultants |
03.08.2013
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NH: What is your background?
SD: While attending graduate school, after graduating from Boston College with a degree in biology, I rose through the ranks with pharmaceutical giant Beckton Dickenson. Later I parlayed my education and training to the position of President with a small chapter 7 OEM company, taking it to a mid-sized branded CPG company with 20 percent market share in just 18 months.
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NH: What changes in the retail channel do you see in the last one to two years?
SD: Retail channels are quickly evolving. Bricks and mortar chains continue to consolidate and have greater demands on suppliers. Web strategies are in the forefront of retailers' marketing strategies and top line results. Chains are redefining themselves to remain competitive and carve out niches among their competitors.
NH: How have these changes impacted your business?
SD: Our business continues to grow. Many companies outsource their sales and marketing services because they either don't want to carry the fixed cost of permanent staff, or they need to supplement the changing landscape with new, fresh ideas. Retail buyers do not want to train new suppliers about their requirements and promotional expectations. Many retailers will refer suppliers with unique and interesting products to us. This way the retailers get new products without having to endure the often painful inexperience and risks with new suppliers.
NH: How do you deal with suppliers that are new to mainstream retailers?
SD: We always start by educating them about the requirements and expectations of retailers. Many suppliers think it is easy and we should just "sell it and then they will pay us later." These suppliers are not serious about gaining distribution with sustained success, because they have no skin in the game.
A lot can go wrong and we cannot assume all the risk.
The most successful suppliers contract with us to maintain a tight rein over head count costs and benefit from our professional marketing and sales expertise. They integrate us into their company, keeping us involved in decision making, planning, and execution. This approach allows us to better represent the client and navigate around potential problems, while assuring success with retailers.
Flexibility and a significant degree of discipline is crucial to smaller companies. Survival of the fittest does not always mean the biggest. It means the smartest and most focused. It also means the most organized. Without an organized focus on customers and customer needs, failure is almost guaranteed. In today's market, it takes a whole lot more than just a great product.
NH: What do you expect from the retail industry over the next one to three years?
SD: I've seen a lot more collaboration among across functional areas within retail chains. With the rise of agile marketing technologies, rapid changes in mobile and digital capabilities, the growing volume of customer data, and the short shelf life of social media technologies, the success of the marketing, merchandising has become much more intertwined with online and information technology department strategies.
The basics will continue to apply. Consumers and retailers will straddle multiple providers in a constant search for the best value, and to play one against the other. Retailers cannot be left flatfooted in today's hyper-competitive market. As such suppliers must keep in mind their replacement is always waiting in the wings. Gaining distribution is only the first step. After celebrating the initial pipeline order, suppliers have to avoid the usual pitfalls such as backorders, consumer returns, poor shelf movement and competitive threats. The bar keeps rising and we all have to do more with less!
Contact the Dube Group at 727-559-1785, email information@dubegroup.com or visit www.dubegroup.com.
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