Objective: Expanding presence and sales in Vietnam.
Project background:
Rubio Monocoat is a wood painting and coating specialist established in 1906. The brand is active in 41 countries and has over 150 employees worldwide.
In 2017, Rubio Monocoat approached us to investigate a potential entry into the Vietnamese market.
Solutions:
The story started with a market study highlighting the potential of the Vietnamese market. Coating market in Vietnam is among top 5 in the world as Vietnam is the second world exporter for furniture and flooring products. And Vietnamese customers are very demanding in terms of sampling, technical support and after sale services. That is why, thanks to our already existing strong network in the field, we suggested to Rubio Monocoat a tailor-made Sales Representation solution:
- Acting as their distributor to import products and invoice locally
- Dedicated sales staff with sector expertise
- Sales management follow up including order management and logistics support
- Monthly reporting and market trends
Together, we have built a tailor-made business model matching their needs and expectations. The solution allows them to avoid high distributor fees, to ensure physical stock in the country and to secure a direct access to end-users (for samples, deliveries and after sale service).
Results:
After more than 4 years of collaboration, our long-term strategy proved its effectiveness with an average yearly sales increase >35% ! Moreover, having a dedicated Sales Representative on the ground allowed them to get closer to the final customers.
After gaining trust on the market, we are now supporting Rubio Monocoat further with Marketing & Communication missions to enhance their visibility and brand identity. Rubio Monocoat is nowadays sponsoring the Hoa Mai competition, a reputed design contest organized by HAWA, the Vietnamese wood association. They went from “investigating about a potential” to a real reference on the Vietnamese market!
Rubio Monocoat Sales Director: “After a few years of low sales level in Vietnam, we have found with SOA an alternative representation system which is very successful. The unique SOA tailor made solution gives us a secured business model with higher margin and better control on our customers”.