Designing and Explaining Marketing and Sales Strategies Model in the Food Distribution Industry

The food distribution industry is one of the high-turnover industries facing many problems in Iran. This research is done with the aim of designing and explaining the model of marketing and sales strategies in the food distribution industry .This study is descriptive, exploratory and using mixed research method. The qualitative research is done using content analysis and consensus of 11 executive and academic experts. In the quantitative part, 81 questionnaires was distributed between marketing and sales managers of 54 distribution companies. The data are analyzed by structural equation modelling method. The research findings show that marketing objectives, pricing strategies and food distribution strategy are respectively the highest factors of marketing strategy in the food distribution industry and the relationship-based competency of the sales team, the sales team performance and the transformational leadership are the most important factors in the sales strategy. Evidence suggests that the presence of each of the three moderators (the threats and opportunities of new competitors, the strengths and weaknesses of the company, and the influential factors of the post-stagnation era) affects the relationship between marketing and sales strategies. The adoption of a comprehensive approach to the components of the marketing and sales strategies and the coordination between them, taking into account the economic downturn, sanctions and the probable situation of the post-stagnation era, are the most important issues that have so far been neglected in designing the marketing and sales strategies of Iranian food distribution companies.