by Larry Eder
The first time I saw New Balance shoes was on a team mate in high school cross country, on the Crystal Springs course, in Belmont, CA in the fall of 1975. I raced in a pair of NB 305 at the Christmas Relays in 1975, which was a 50 mile relay from Santa Cruz to Half Moon Bay (I did the 10.5 mile final leg). At the time, there were about five recognizable running shoe brands, today, there are over 35! The level of competition at the performance level is fierce. Recognizing your challenges is the first step in changing what may or may not be working. NB “re-orging” their specialty sales, and providing a specialty team is a step in the right direction. It is all about perception. As the Rolling Stones ads from a decade ago noted, Perception=Reality. If the store owners believe your brand cares about their needs, and your reps actually show up, with the right shoes, you have won half the battle.
The brands in top performance running positions, ASICS, Brooks, Saucony, Mizuno, Nike, New Balance, all know that great product, plus great support, plus consistent and resonating marketing are key to survival in this industry.
Fleet Feet announced that they were up in sales 11 percent for the first half. Jeff Phillips, Fleet Feet’s President, also noted in an interview with SportsSource One, that Brooks has overtaken ASICS as their top footwear brand and noted increases from Saucony and Nike.
“Brooks and Saucony are dialed in,” Phillips is quoted. He also noted that Moving Comfort and Nike are in a “dead heat” in sports bra sales and that Nike apparel is doing quite well.
The battle continues…..
NEW BALANCE REORGANIZES SPECIALTY
SALES
ORGANIZATION FOR 2011
BOSTON,
October 4, 2010
— New Balance announced today that effective January 3, New Balance will
reorganize the company’s Specialty Sales Organization in an effort to
accelerate business results in the distribution channels of New Balance stores,
family shoe, and running specialty.
“We
are confident these changes will enable us to better serve our accounts as well
as provide career growth opportunities for our most important asset, our
people,” says Chris Quinn, executive vice president of North American
sales and retail for New Balance. “These changes are directly
linked to our long-term business growth strategies, but most importantly, to
enabling our sales organization to better execute in-store and to continue to
be the very best sales team in the industry.”
Highlights
of these changes include the launch of a New Balance Store and Family Shoe
Specialist organization as well as a stand-alone Running Specialty Team.
“These
structural adjustments are completely linked to the spirit of what has made our
sales organization successful within New Balance North America; A relentless
commitment to better serving our accounts and sales representatives,”
says Quinn. “Importantly, these changes also support the New
Balance culture and values that make our company special.”
“These
moves are all about getting closer to the customer, growing some of our best
people, and delivering better in-store execution. We value the history we
have established with our retail partners and believe these moves will only
enhance our ability to better leverage the exciting new pipeline of products we
are producing. ”
The company
recently completed an extensive project that included benchmarking of
best-in-class sales organizations in the footwear and apparel industry,
extensive interviews of New Balance representatives, customers, and associates,
as well as a detailed review of territories.
New
Balance, headquartered in Boston, Mass., has the following mission:
Demonstrating responsible leadership, we build global brands that athletes are
proud to wear, associates are proud to create and communities are proud to
host. New Balance employs more than 4000 people around the globe, and in 2009
reported worldwide sales of $1.65 billion. For more information please visit http://www.newbalance.com.
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