getting Back to Basics
Supporting Dealers, Creating Pull, and a return to fundamentals
Okay, so it's not radically new knowledge, but Boomer wealth is beginning to move. The economy remains incredibly uncertain and the signal-to-noise ratio is worse than ever.
Add to that a post-Covid supply-demand imbalance. Many brands over-invested in stock and infrastructure, assuming that the demand surge would continue indefinitely. When it didn’t, the pressure shifted. Sales teams were handed targets based on outdated revenue models, not the present realities. That disconnect created a whole bunch of strain - pressure to sell without the underlying 'pull', and of course, much of the fallout landed on dealers.
Discounting, channel conflict, short-term tactics. All of it has weakened trust. And trust is vital in these times. No scratch that. Trust is fundamental. At any time.
We’re seeing the impact now: misaligned strategies forcing activity instead of creating traction. Markets destabilised by volume-chasing rather than value-building.
Folks, there’s only one way to restore balance. Go back to fundamentals. Support the right partners. Sharpen your value proposition. Build trust slowly and deliberately.
Because when market conditions really start to tighten, trust becomes your only real advantage.
Distribution Is a Reflection of Your Identity
Every product tells a story. Some carry decades of heritage, immersed in purpose, and unique storytelling opportunities. Others emerge from cultural changes or genuine technical innovation. Either way, those unique stories lose power when trust is placed in the wrong hands.
IMO Distribution has never only been not only about reach, although servicing the customer where they are (geographically), or want to be (online) is pure commonsense. At a fundamental level, great distribution is pure stewardship. A well-chosen partner gives so much more than 'just moving' product. They carry belief, represent standards, and bring deep meaning to the relationship.
Bt that requires structure, presence, and consistency. But it also demands ethics. Fairness. Integrity.
When you lead with virtue, you attract others who do the same. When you compromise, you invite more compromise.
You really do attract what you deserve.
Less Is More—And It Always Has Been
More dealers often means less impact. A diluted message. Weaker engagement. A race to the bottom on price.
The long tail of underperforming partners isn’t a badge of scale, it’s a clear indicator that the signal got lost somewhere along the way. A long tail is expensive, not only in servicing, but most importantly, in the end-user experience. It's likely that the standard isn't being kept, and circle back to correct it. Pareto's law dictates that 80% of revenues will come from 20% of dealers. Work out why and how, then service the geography and relationships at a fundamental level, Great energy transmits, entropy is the consequence of the lack of it.
The smarter move is selective depth. Build fewer partnerships and build them properly. Train them. Invest in them. Share the vision and protect the story. A strong foundation builds strong towers.
The fundamentals are key.
Fewer, better-aligned partners give you reach without the noise.
And GOD-DAMN, focus is everything!
Selection Is Just the Start—Training Builds Belief
Strong partnerships don’t come pre-built, packaged an ready to go. They’re shaped through investment—time, education, clarity, careful nurturing and ongoing support.
Training turns a good dealer into an advocate. Into someone who isn't only focused on selling the product and brands, but understands the intention and reasoning behind it. The preferred outcome is mind-share and 'front of the mind' recall. Muscle memory is a thing..
Your vision is your northern star. Your history is the story. And the way you do things becomes the repeatable message that dealers and partners carry into the world.
These are your mimetics—the signals and language people mirror, repeat, and adopt as their own. Not just slogans, but living signals. The language and cues that people mirror, repeat, and adopt as their own.
They carry your intent. They express your values. And when crafted with a lot of care, they become shorthand for trust, integrity, and belief.
Make them count.
Because once your message leaves your mouth and enters the hands of others, it either multiplies with intent, or it unravels or miss-fires.
You already know this, but it's really not just what you sell. It’s how you help others represent it that truly creates long-term value.
This is your brand. Protect it. Make it count.
Criteria Protect Value
Establishing sound partner criteria isn’t a strategy for shutting people out. It’s a way to elevate the experience—ensuring that the customer feels your intent in every interaction across the network.
When done properly, the system carries your values with conviction. Every touchpoint becomes an extension of your thinking. The result is clarity, consistency, and long-term value—for the customer, the dealer, and the brand.
Focus on building value by setting high standards:
Can this partner articulate the brand’s story in a way that resonates?
Do they reflect the standard, tone, and temperament of the product?
Are they committed to building something that endures?
Strong distribution protects margin. But more importantly, it protects message. It builds trust and momentum in equal measure.
In markets like this, refinement and focus will always outperform reach.
AIDA Still Holds, Because Structure Builds Gravity
The classic flow still applies: awareness, interest, desire, action.
What’s changed isn’t the model - it’s the pressure to skip steps. In a hyper-connected, overly digital world obsessed with dashboards and KPIs, the temptation is to measure everything... except what matters.
As John Doerr put it, we should be, 'measuring what matters'.
Each stage of the funnel carries weight. Miss one, and the entire journey weakens. Not connecting opportunity back to the dealer network to convert misses the point entirely.
It’s the well-supported dealer who guides customers through the process. Never by pushing, but by understanding and working with you to create pull. By knowing what the product represents, what the customer is seeking, and how it fits into their life with long term meaning.
Get this right and you build storytelling with structure and longevity.
This is how brand gravity is built around you.
Virtue Is Strategy - Know Who You Are & Select Your Partner Carefully
In a commoditised world, values differentiate. Ethics become vital infrastructure. Reputation becomes magnetism...a currency essential to navigating the modern world.
We’ve all been there. That one opportunity your gut warned you against. The one you took anyway. And it came back to hit you straight in the face.
This is the role of ethics. This is why values matter.
They act like a pre-installed qualification system. When values align, partnerships click together like Lego bricks—clean, simple, solid. When they don’t, it’s oil and water. Misalignment is felt instantly, and the consequences spread quickly, often times painfully.
Virtue really shouldn't be considered as idealism. It’s pure direction. It’s what people feel when you’re not in the room. It’s what they speak about when recalling how you handled yourself.
Know your values. Because they show up in every interaction. Whether you’ve defined them or not, your network sees them.
In the end, virtue shapes who partners with you, who stays with you, and who believes in what you’re building.
We Escape Competition Through Authenticity
There is always another product. Another spec. Another feature set.
But no one can copy authenticity. And conviction is very hard to replicate.
When a brand is consistent in its values, serious in its intent, and selective in its partnerships, it becomes magnetic. People want to be part of something they can believe in. Especially in a world of abstraction.
The work for our industry is now is to protect that belief.
Support the right people. Sharpen the message. Refine the structure. Move with clarity and laser focus.
Get back to basics—and build something that lasts.
Standards are our superpower.