Egypt's Construction Chemicals team has successfully launched a major sales initiative complete with a new shop concept for distributor outlets.

For the last one and a half years, the EB team in Egypt has put strenuous effort into realizing the MasterShop concept together with its distribution partners. "The plan is to make our Master Builders Solutions brand visible very clearly – every single letter of it", says Emad Essam, Country Manager in Egypt. The ultimate goal, he asserts, is to become market leader in Indirect Distribution Channels. To achieve this, the team has developed a concept based on consistent branding, professionalism and connectedness. So far, 14 shops across Egypt have been redesigned in line with the concept; a number that is set to rise to 25 until the end of the year, and to become 50 shops by 2018.

The Egyptian team's MasterShop concept rests on four pillars, the first of which addresses the overall visual appearance of the shops: The exterior facade sports a highly visible Master Builders Solutions sign, and – using backdrops, posters, displays and branded counters – the shop interior too, is laid out in a clear Master Builders Solutions design. The second component consists of a wide range of sales material available at the shops: Sample mock-ups and displays showing the products in action to engage customers and to provide them with a visually impressive and tangible shopping experience. This also includes material to take home such as flyers, data sheets and the like.

"Train to connect" is the third component of the concept: "Well trained people are well connected people", well said by Brian Williams, Head of Global Business Development Management: Indirect Distribution Channels. And an important connection in this case is the one with the experts from EB. The distribution partners' employees – regardless whether their sales activities are store- or field-based – receive comprehensive training and participate in workshops at the recently opened training center at the EB site in Sadat City. After finishing their courses, the participants receive a certificate, and the distribution partners benefit from the reliable technical support provided by EB's experts. Rounding out the package, the fourth and last component consists of visually appealing product packaging in line with brand design guidelines to deliver a consistent look across the entire portfolio.

Implementation of the concept also includes getting together with the distribution partners at regular intervals, and the first such meeting took place on 11 May. "We want to meet up twice a year to discuss new initiatives, develop new ideas together and share experiences", Karim Ghannam, Indirect Distribution Channels Manager says. "Throughout, we will take the feedback from our distribution partners very seriously and listen very closely to what they have to say."

Participation in the program, however, is bound up with certain requirements: The location of the sales room plays a role, as does the quantity of Master Builders Solutions products stocked by the distributors; a minimum number of employees as well as an annual growth in sales with Master Builders Solutions is required, and, not least, a satisfactory payment history. For its most successful and loyal partners, EB has organized an annual competition, MasterLeague, whose winner will be announced at the beginning of each year.