Ideal combines marketing trio into one team

Distributor Ideal Hardware has merged three marketing teams into one as part of an attempt to improve internal and external communications.

The product marketing, marketing communications and internet production teams now form a unified, 30-strong production marketing team.

Alex Tatham, head of the Ideal Institute, said: ?This is very much the gross profit creation and generating centre of the company. We have improved communications and introduced a co-ordinated selling and marketing approach, both internally and externally.?

A recently created supply cycle management team will handle purchasing, stocking and administration, leaving product managers free to concentrate on higher level sales opportunities.

?Product managers have always taken risks from a stocking point of view,? said Tatham. ?But they are a prime information source, and they need to take their skills out into the customer base.?

He claimed vendors have welcomed the reorganisation, as they now have to talk to fewer people. Previously vendors had to talk to lots of people at different levels, but now there are dedicated account managers.

Ideal is also looking for more vendor-funded heads. ?Vendor co-operative marketing will work better for us, and for them,? said Tatham.

Last month, Ideal moved its enterprise sales team, handling major accounts, from the main selling floor into a separate office. ?We want to generate a more professional environment, which will encourage the team to grow the business in the way approached by barristers or accountants. They are expected to sell in a range of services on the basis of their knowledge and expertise, as well as price,? Tatham said.