How a dealer network is organised
Most dealer networks are organised by geography. Each dealer covers a region, sometimes exclusively and sometimes shared with others. Above the dealers there are often regional or zonal managers employed by the manufacturer, who look after several dealers and report to head office.
Dealer networks are common in categories where the customer needs a local partner: building materials, where the dealer is near the site; equipment for restaurants and hotels, where the dealer installs and services; and many other technical products.
Why it matters
The network decides how far and how fast a manufacturer can grow. It also decides how much of the demand created by marketing is converted. A strong network responds quickly to new leads, reports results and keeps customers. A weak one lets leads go cold and gives the manufacturer little visibility.
What to watch
- Coverage. Every region should have at least one active dealer, and the list used for routing leads should match reality.
- Response. How quickly dealers contact the customers you send them.
- Overlap. Clear rules for what happens when two dealers could serve the same customer.
- Data access. Each dealer should see their own leads and customers, not the whole network.
How Kumulator relates
In Kumulator each dealer is a user with the dealer role, with their regions, company name and WhatsApp number. They see only the leads assigned to them, and regional managers get read-only views of their regions. See the distributor network overview and the pages for building materials and HoReCa equipment.