By Kopin Modi
Head of Sales
When people think about sales leadership, they often picture someone chasing targets, measuring margins, and closing deals. They think about numbers on a spreadsheet, and in manufacturing, it’s easy to simply refer to sales leadership with regard to how many tonnes move in a quarter or what percentage market share is captured. Those things matter, yes, but they are outcomes, not the foundation.
The foundation of real, sustainable growth is relationships. And in our business, that means dealers.
Too many sales leaders fall into the trap of treating dealers like statistics. They walk into a meeting with a target in mind, focused only on closing the next deal. But here’s the truth I’ve seen over and over: if you show up only as a salesman and only through the lens of transactions, you’ll leave with little more than a sale. If you show up as a partner, you build something far more valuable.
I often say this to my team: better not to talk about sales at all if you haven’t first built a relationship. Once a dealer trusts you, the sales will follow naturally. Strong businesses grow because of strong relationships, not the other way around.
Dealers are the backbone of Uganda Baati’s distribution network, and I can say the same for any manufacturer. They are the face of our brands in the communities, often the first point of contact for someone building a home.
Think about it; one company can directly reach a hundred dealers, but those hundred dealers serve thousands of customers every day. For a builder or homeowner, it’s often the dealer they know and trust who influences their purchase decision, not just the brand name. That makes dealers ambassadors and multipliers of our growth.
In reality, the dealer is your best source of market intelligence and they ought to be listened to. They see competition’s offers first, they sense consumer shifts earlier, and they often know what’s changing before the data catches up.
When dealers grow, our business follows suit. That’s why it’s important to introduce initiatives to make their work easier and more rewarding; price stability, consistent product lines and support in areas like transport and marketing.
This dealer-centric approach builds resilience, loyalty, and a sense of shared purpose. Dealers don’t just stock our products; they carry our reputation. And when we empower them, we strengthen the entire ecosystem.
Companies that fail to listen risk being left behind. Customers and dealers alike expect evolution. They look for partners who bring new ideas, products, and ways of working.
The aspiration for any salesman is a culture of sales leadership that treats dealers as partners, values listening as much as speaking, and embraces innovation as a constant.