Distribution software lets manufacturer sell direct to end users—without cutting distributors out of the loop

Selling snowmobile components and service parts is a tricky business for TeamFAST, an Eveleth, Minn.-based parts manufacturer. Says President David Karpik, “Our aftermarket products can improve anybody's ride, but in the end, seasonal market conditions have had an impact.”

To recharge slumping sales, TeamFAST wanted to start offering its products online, but it didn't want to alienate its channel partners.

The solution? A distribution relationship management (DRM) application from Reshare.

The DRM solution—an online Software-as-a-Service and database system that works in conjunction with TeamFAST's online product catalog and e-commerce systems—assigns a preferred channel partner's information to the customer order during the purchase process. When a purchase is made, the information is fed into the DRM system, which ultimately distributes net profits to channel partners in the same manner as if the customer had conducted business with the channel partner in the first place.

“The Reshare solution has been a great sales tool for us because it opens up sales to end customers 24/7 and 365,” Karpik says. “At the same time, if someone makes a purchase online, a dealer always gets attached to the sale—whether the customer picks a dealer, or the system assigns one. In turn, we improve dealer margins and keep dealers onboard.”