This web-site is for Australia. For other countries, go to our international page.

NATIONAL DISTRIBUTOR REQUIRED

You are at this page because you have clicked on a link for a country that does not yet have a national Step Forward distributor.

If you wish to purchase a pair of Step Forward Orthotics, please contact our Australian office mark@stepforward.com.au to arrange for a mail order print kit to be sent to you. We will advise you of the local price and delivery costs.

If you are a doctor or therapist who wishes to supply Step Forward Orthotics to your patients or clients, please contact our Australian office mark@stepforward.com.au. We will advise you how this can be done.

If you are interested to become the exclusive Step Forward distributor for your country, please continue to read below, then send an email with your background information to mark@stepforward.com.au.

Background

Step Forward Company, based in Seattle USA, has been manufacturing foot correctors (orthotics) in USA since 1974. The Australian office, based in Melbourne, Australia, is responsible for export development in many regions including Europe.

We are seeking applications from potential distributors in all countries not yet with an appointed distributor. There is no urgency in this and we are prepared to wait until we find a suitable person or company. We anticipate there will be a single distributor for your country, who will then establish a national network.

Distributorship

The appointee will be a full distributor, purchasing stock from Step Forward and selling it to your customers. Step Forward requires no franchise fee and you pay no ongoing fee. You simply purchase the product at wholesale and then resell it at retail and to your re-seller network. Of course, you will need adequate working capital to be able to pay for your purchases in advance and also to pay for pre-booked shows & events, advertising, point of purchase materials, etc. We suggest you'll need USD20,000-50,000 (depending on your country) to be able to purchase minimum stock and pre-pay for shows and events. As initial profits will go back into building your business, you'll need to be able to cover your living expenses in the first year from another source.

How & Where Would I Sell Step Forward Orthotics?

Step Forward orthotics cannot be sold through normal retail channels because the benefits need to be explained in a face to face situation. You will develop some or all of the following four channels (some methods may be more successful than others in your country):

Public Events (eg Shows)

This channel can be your most successful. You will present Step Forward orthotics to the public at home shows, agricultural shows, flower shows, retirement expos, boat shows, etc in a booth. This is your best opportunity to present & sell the orthotics to a most appreciative audience. Such shows usually last three days, but can be up to 9 days or even longer.

Venue Events (eg Associations)

You will make bookings with nursing homes, retirement villages, gymnasiums, sports teams, bowling clubs, nursing conventions, etc to present the product to a closed group. The presentation, fitting and sale will be the same as the “public events” above, but to a smaller and better qualified audience.

Clinical Distributors (eg Physiotherapists)

Doctors, surgeons, chiropractors, physiotherapists, remedial therapists, acupuncturists, etc will soon notice Step Forward orthotics at your presentations. Most smart practitioners will quickly realise the benefits of our unique orthotics and want to know more. If they are serious, they can be recruited into your clinical distribution network. Once trained and established, they will be buying orthotics from you at a wholesale price for re-sale to their patients. Alternatively, you can arrange a commission payment to referring doctors. This develops a worthwhile passive income to your business and gives Step Forward additional credibility within your country for your own direct customers.

Retail Clinics (eg in Shopping Malls)

You will establish your own retail shops (clinics) in upmarket shopping centres in the major cities. These shops can be quite small and do not need to be in prime positions. The public will see you here and will make enquiries and purchases. Some doctors may like to recommend Step Forward but not want to be involved in the distribution. They can refer people to your clinic for an appraisal and fitting.

Local Distributors (eg State Distributors)

In the larger countries (eg Germany and France) you will probably want to start on your own, but you will quickly realise that too many opportunities are being wasted. You can't be everywhere at once! You will then appoint localised distributors who will conduct the shows, recruit the doctors and represent Step Forward in that locality. A country like Germany or India may settle on about six or seven such distributors. Your job will then be to support, develop, manage and nurture these local distributors.

What About Training?

The selected distributor will be required to spend about 7 days working with other Step Forward distributors. We’ll try to arrange this to keep your travel and other costs to a minimum. Your regional Step Forward manager will periodically (initially about twice each year) travel to, and work with you, in your country to further advance your skills and to ensure you are meeting international consistency in presentation and quality of service and fitting. Each two years there is an international conference of national Distributors.

Earning Potential

You should make a very good executive income in addition to a good return on your investment. Of course, the harder and smarter you work the bigger the returns. Details will be provided at the appropriate point in our discussions.

How Do I Take This Opportunity?

Please now review this entire web-site, starting at the home page.  We will be selecting our distributor according to the qualities that are important to us. We can train you in product knowledge, presentation techniques, etc. but we cannot train you in attitude, presentation skills, credibility & intelligence. You’ll need to convince us you already have these qualities in abundance. Send us an email, give us a call, but it is up to you to set the ball rolling. If you sound close to the mark we’ll go out of our way to meet up with you, but you need to show us what you are made of! First best step is to email us. We welcome all enquiries.