At the routine morning meeting of the sales department, Manager Chen announced that the new product must achieve a 70% distribution rate on the day's route. The salesmen whispered among themselves, but Xiao Wang appeared confident.
By 4 p.m., with the sun still scorching, Xiao Wang had completed his task as scheduled...
At the routine morning meeting of the sales department, Manager Chen announced that today was the launch day for the new fruit pulp orange juice, and issued the requirement that all sales representatives must achieve a 70% distribution rate on the day's route. As soon as the order was given, many sales representatives present quietly exchanged glances; such a high requirement for the first round of distribution was indeed unexpected.
Among the representatives present, only Xiao Wang smiled, looking confident. For this new product launch, Xiao Wang had familiarized himself with the product's selling points and policies several days in advance, and had mentally inventoried all customers on his route. In other words, Xiao Wang had already rehearsed countless times and was just waiting for the command.
Half an hour later, the morning meeting ended. Colleagues gathered in small groups to discuss the new product's price and distribution rate targets. Xiao Wang quickly packed the necessary items for customer visits, such as advertising paper and price tags, put samples into his work bag, and went out to start his electric bike and hit the road.
Twenty minutes later, Xiao Ma's cigarette shop came into view. Although Xiao Ma's shop mainly sold cigarettes, due to its good location, Xiao Wang had suggested half a year ago that he also sell beverages, and now his beverage business was very good. Recommending new products to such a customer was as easy for Xiao Wang as pulling a scallion from his own backyard. Indeed, as soon as Xiao Wang started, Xiao Ma spoke up: "Stop the chatter, isn't it just a new product? Two boxes will do, right? How much?" Xiao Ma was like that, quick and direct, never refusing new products recommended by Xiao Wang.
After leaving Xiao Ma, Xiao Wang thought: if only all customers were like Xiao Ma. He gave Xiao Ma a name with local characteristics: "self-owned plot type customer". On Xiao Wang's daily route, there were several similar customers, whom he had cultivated with good relationships and stable sales. When there were distribution tasks or handling of near-expiry products, they would take the lead without hesitation.
Lost in thought, he arrived at Sister Li's shop. Sister Li's shop was located at the entrance of a residential community, across the road from Uncle Chai's shop. Although the two were neighbors, they had a falling out over business matters, making it difficult for Xiao Wang to deal with both. Usually, he would consciously balance the order of visits to avoid appearing to favor one over the other. But this time, Xiao Wang decided to visit Sister Li first. Sister Li was a typical "small favors type customer"; many middle-aged female shop owners were of this type. Sure enough, after promoting the relevant selling points, Sister Li refused to stock the product, citing the small size of her shop and not needing too many products.
"Sister Li, this product is currently running TV ads with a celebrity endorsement, rich in Vitamin C. Especially for someone as young and beautiful as you, drinking it will make your skin especially elastic."
"Cut it out! I'm not falling for that anymore. Young and beautiful, indeed. No." Sister Li was pleased inside, but her mouth didn't relent, and the conversation was about to reach a deadlock.
Fortunately, Xiao Wang was prepared. He said gently: "How about this? You've always complained that the bottle openers on the market are of poor quality. This time, I specifically reported your situation to our manager. Manager Chen specially found a few advertising bottle openers for me to give you. He really pays attention to your shop. You help me with this small favor, so I can report back to Manager Chen."
"Is that Manager Chen who came last time? He still remembers me?" Sister Li's face beamed with joy: "Alright, alright, since you're so thoughtful, I'll take one box."
"Hey, Xiao Wang!" Sister Li called out as she counted the bottle openers, just as Xiao Wang was about to leave: "If you can't sell them, you have to take them back."
It was the same bottle opener, but when given by the manager, it seemed more valuable. Xiao Wang was proud of his little trick. Last time, he gave Sister Li some pens, and she complained they were of poor quality and didn't write smoothly. Well! For such customers, not only did you have to consider what gift to give, but also how to give it to maximize its effect.
After cleaning and updating the advertising paper outside Uncle Chai's shop, Xiao Wang stepped inside. Uncle Chai pretended not to see Xiao Wang coming from across the street: "Oh, Xiao Wang! You're here again. I was just about to order. How about it? My sales volume here is among the best in this area!"
After exchanging pleasantries and ordering the regular stock, Xiao Wang took out the sample: "Uncle Chai, this is a new product from the company, specifically targeting young consumers. There are so many new-generation people in our community, not to mention the many renters in the computer market across the street. Sales will definitely be good."
Uncle Chai held the sample, weighing it repeatedly, but remained silent.
Xiao Wang knew that Uncle Chai had entered a hesitation period. At this point, a little push would move him in a positive direction; otherwise, he might lean toward refusal, as most people have a natural resistance to unfamiliar things. Xiao Wang knew that Uncle Chai was a very competitive person, belonging to the "competitive type customer", and especially the rivalry with Sister Li across the street was something Xiao Wang had planned to exploit.
"By the way, the shop across the street has already stocked it."
"Oh!" Uncle Chai looked up from the product, staring at Xiao Wang: "How many boxes did they take?"
"Not many, just one box, after all, it's a new product."
A hint of a victor's smile appeared at the corner of Uncle Chai's mouth: "How much could she take? You know her. I've told you before, I could cover her entire volume. You didn't believe me."
Uncle Chai again subtly tested Xiao Wang's intentions, but Xiao Wang remained noncommittal.
"The price is still a bit high; otherwise, I could take 10 boxes without any problem!" Uncle Chai concluded with a very affirmative tone, then added: "How about I try two boxes first?"
"Of course, I know your capability, Uncle Chai. You're the most straightforward! But two boxes are enough. If they sell well, you can order more. Thank you!" Xiao Wang always flattered Uncle Chai. After all, for this type of customer, the key was to prove their capability; once that was satisfied, things were much easier.
After a few more customers, Xiao Wang arrived at Boss Zhou's shop. Boss Zhou was in his early forties, and his small shop was managed in an orderly manner. Xiao Wang usually had a good relationship with him, but he felt that Boss Zhou had a strong resistance to new products and generally didn't easily stock them. Xiao Wang called him a "fortress type customer".
However, Xiao Wang had already thought of a strategy. Instead of directly recommending the new product, Xiao Wang first recommended the lemon tea that he had recommended last month, launching a feint with strong recommendation. Boss Zhou fell for it and used all his "defensive" firepower to resist, from the product being too expensive to fierce business competition, to tight cash flow... After 20 minutes, Xiao Wang felt both sides were tired, so he changed the subject and began to attack the main point.
"Boss Zhou, you're absolutely right. As a friend, I agree with your point of view. Fine! I won't push the lemon tea on you, since we're friends!" Xiao Wang deliberately emphasized their friendship, then said in a very decisive tone: "How about this? You take one box of the fruit pulp orange juice! Although this product hasn't been on the market long, it's selling well elsewhere. I haven't recommended it to you before because I thought you'd be more receptive if it sold well."
After 20 minutes of defensive work, Boss Zhou was dry-mouthed and his mind was completely relaxed and unguarded. Suddenly, Xiao Wang launched a new attack, and Boss Zhou clearly couldn't muster the energy to counterattack effectively. Moreover, he had a good relationship with Xiao Wang and recognized the young man's work. Having just refused the lemon tea, he felt embarrassed to refuse again, so he considered doing Xiao Wang a favor.
This subtle change in feeling was precisely captured by Xiao Wang. It was an obvious signal of a deal, and Xiao Wang wouldn't miss such an opportunity. He decisively sealed the deal: "Thank you, Boss Zhou!" While expressing thanks, he was already registering it on the customer card.
Before he knew it, it was noon. The restaurants along the way were full of diners, but Xiao Wang deliberately didn't eat because his next customer was Aunt Song. This old lady was a vegetarian and devout Buddhist, and beggars who came to her door never left empty-handed. Xiao Wang categorized her as a typical "charitable type customer" and planned to use a sympathy trick.
Sure enough, as soon as they met, Aunt Song showed concern: "Oh dear, you're still running around at noon. Have you had lunch?"
"Not yet, sigh! The task isn't finished yet." Xiao Wang wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"What task is so important that you skip lunch? Young people not eating on time will ruin their health sooner or later."
"No choice. New product distribution, can't go back to the company without achieving a 70% distribution rate." Xiao Wang took a rag from his bike and started wiping the dust off the company's beverage bottles on the shelf while speaking.
"Amitabha! It's really not easy to have a job these days. Come, come, what new product? Let me help you share the burden."
"It's this one." Xiao Wang patiently introduced the product's selling points and sales methods: "When the goods arrive, put them in this position so everyone can see them... Remember to put this price tag on the bottle neck... When young people come, recommend it to them... With your kind face, everyone will trust you..." To be honest, for such customers, although Xiao Wang would play some sympathy tricks, he paid special attention to after-sales service, unlike some company salesmen who took advantage of the old lady's kindness to stuff products. Xiao Wang always felt he had to live up to Aunt Song's care and trust, which was more important than anything.
Xiao Wang had lunch at Brother Liu's place. Brother Liu and his wife ran a small restaurant of about 50-60 square meters with two floors: the ground floor was the main hall, and the upper floor had private rooms. The wife was responsible for taking orders and issuing receipts, while Brother Liu greeted guests and handed out cigarettes to acquaintances. By this time, the ground floor business had slowed down, and Brother Liu was relatively free. Xiao Wang usually ate at Brother Liu's when running this route; one dish and one soup cost only 7 yuan, which was economical. However, Brother Liu's restaurant only sold a fixed few beverages and didn't accept others. This time, Xiao Wang didn't plan to include Brother Liu in the 70% target.
During the meal, knowing that Brother Liu liked football, Xiao Wang casually brought up last night's match. Unexpectedly, mentioning it opened the floodgates of Brother Liu's chatter.
Seeing Brother Liu getting more and more excited, his face turning from pale to red, Xiao Wang finished his meal and went out to mount his electric bike. Just as he was about to start, he noticed that Brother Liu had unexpectedly come out to see him off, so he asked on a whim: "Brother Liu, how about trying a box of the new fruit pulp orange juice?"
Brother Liu seemed still immersed in the pleasure of expressing his thoughts, clearly not wanting to spoil the mood. He said with lingering enthusiasm: "Let's talk next time. Take care! The drinks can be delivered tomorrow."
On the way, Xiao Wang thought, unexpectedly, a casual remark had borne fruit. It seemed that for customers like Brother Liu, who were "impulsive type customers", it was indeed a good idea to use hobbies and interests as an entry point, then strike while the iron was hot.
Aunt Gu stood behind the counter, still hesitating after listening to Xiao Wang's introduction. Xiao Wang opened his customer card and showed it to her, saying: "Everyone has stocked it. See, I'm not lying! If everyone accepts it, you can rest assured!" Aunt Gu was a "follower type customer"; seeing that everyone had stocked the product, she happily accepted.
Uncle Han, the owner of the small shop inside No. 2 Middle School, was categorized by Xiao Wang as a "rational and calm type customer". It was useless to be sentimental with him; he considered things purely by numbers, and his notable trait was an excellent memory for numbers.
At that moment, classes were in session, so Uncle Han had time to listen to Xiao Wang's "profit story".
"Indeed, Uncle Han, you're right. The ones already sold are our beverages, so it doesn't matter to us." Xiao Wang took out a calculator: "But for you, it's a big difference! Look, at the price you mentioned, for every bottle of fruit pulp orange juice sold, you earn 0.2 yuan more than others. Even if only 10% of students buy it, with over a thousand students at No. 2 Middle School, your customer card shows you sell over 600 boxes, nearly 15,000 bottles per month. If you switch to fruit pulp orange juice, with the same sales volume, you'd earn an extra 300 yuan, and over a year, at least 2,000 yuan more."
Uncle Han looked at the numbers on the calculator and was clearly wavering.
"How about this!" Xiao Wang waved his hand and played his trump card. Xiao Lin from the company's marketing department was Xiao Wang's fellow townsman, and every time a new product launched, there were some resources. Xiao Wang had already secured some "heavy weapons" to "capture cities and seize territories" at critical moments. "Anyway, there's no city management to bother you here. I'll have my colleague from the marketing department put up a large spray-painted advertisement at your shop, which will definitely attract the kids' attention. Then the numbers might not be what I just said."
Xiao Wang multiplied the number on the calculator by 3 and showed it to Uncle Han again. This time, Uncle Han was completely tempted. After learning when the spray-painted ad would be in place, he decisively placed an initial order of 20 boxes.
"Oh, what trick is your company using to fool people again?" Brother Xiao Xu teased Xiao Wang. Brother Xiao Xu ran a medium-sized internet cafe and was never seen before 3 p.m. Perhaps out of boredom, he liked to make fun of salespeople from various manufacturers. Xiao Wang had long categorized him as a "troublesome type customer". Because he was particularly difficult to deal with and often absent early, Xiao Wang deliberately scheduled his visit as the last stop on the day's route, even if it meant a detour, to have ample time to handle him.
"What's the promotion this time? Buy one get two? Come on, let's start with 10 boxes." Brother Xiao Xu tossed a cigarette to Xiao Wang, lit his own, and then handed the lighter to Xiao Wang.
Previously, Xiao Wang's strategy was to counter each move, but he found that this made Xiao Xu even more excited, and several times Xiao Wang was left speechless and embarrassed. Although he usually accepted the new product in the end, it was particularly time-consuming. Now Xiao Wang had changed his strategy: whenever Xiao Xu made a move, Xiao Wang would remain noncommittal and smile foolishly at him. Gradually, Xiao Xu lost interest and switched to talking business.
Sure enough, after a few moves with no reaction, Xiao Xu took the cigarette Xiao Wang offered again, pointed to the girl at the counter, and said: "Go see Ahui, check how much stock is left."
It was already past 4 p.m. when Xiao Wang left Xiao Xu's place. The sun was still scorching, but Xiao Wang felt relaxed and refreshed. Today's plan was completed on schedule. Now he had to hurry back to the company to place orders and fill out the daily report. In the evening, as usual, he would write in his diary, summarizing the day's gains and losses, and strive for good results again tomorrow. Xiao Wang believed that as long as he kept working hard like this, he would eventually have his own piece of blue sky in this beautiful city.
The first position for a marketing newcomer is often a terminal salesperson, shuttling through streets and alleys to sell to small shops. This seemingly ordinary position actually contains profound "martial arts".
At the request of many distributor friends, the fourth B2B e-commerce inspection class of this public platform will be held from August 15 to 18, visiting Qianmi.com and Alibaba Retail Link in Nanjing and Hangzhou. Distributor friends interested in transformation can join us for on-site inspection:
Activity schedule: Time: August 15-18
15th: Check in at designated hotel in Nanjing; 16th: On-site inspection of Qianmi.com, then high-speed rail to Hangzhou in the afternoon; 17th: Participate in the "FMCG Distributor B2B Transformation Exchange Summit"; 18th: On-site inspection of Alibaba Retail Link in Hangzhou;
Distributor friends interested in transformation are welcome to join us to learn and inspect on-site:
Organization format
- Company visit
- Actual market case visit
- On-site explanation
- One-on-one exchange
Participating distributor friends only need to pay a registration fee of 200 yuan. Other expenses are self-covered. Note: This inspection is limited to distributors.
Interested distributor friends can register by long-pressing the QR code below.
When adding, please note: "Phase 4 Registration".
Non-participants, please do not disturb.
Group photos from previous inspections: Phase 3 B2B e-commerce inspection group photo, from top to bottom: Yunbao Shangmeng, Weijie City Distribution, Wanshang Yizhan. Phase 2 B2B e-commerce inspection group photo, from top to bottom: Jinhuobao, Caiba, Yishang. Phase 1 B2B e-commerce inspection group photo, from top to bottom: Piduoduo, Beiquan, Yishang.
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