“Peak season for sales, off-season for market development” has become an unwritten rule. Off-season market development involves market research and activity planning, competing on sales reps' diligence and policy attractiveness. However, when the off-season coincides with an industry adjustment period, both distributor and company teams may suffer from low morale, affecting efficiency. When the off-season meets intense competition, traditional methods become less effective. Thus, this off-season, we need a bit of “innovation” that can both boost team morale and help execute routine market development actions effectively—a single move to enhance off-season efficiency: “hold meetings on the frontline market.”

Hold Meetings on the Frontline Market “Holding meetings on the frontline market” is the “innovation” I refer to. Specifically, it means sales managers set meeting locations where market problems occur, leading the team to solve problems on-site. Just a change in meeting location can bring significant benefits to the team and performance.

First, “holding meetings on the frontline market” improves problem-solving efficiency. Distributors or terminal retailers report problems encountered during product sales to sales reps, who then relay them to sales managers. In this transmission process, important information may be lost, so decisions made by sales managers based on this may not precisely solve problems. Moreover, decisions made by sales managers are also passed through sales reps to distributors or retailers, which also leads to information loss and reduced efficiency. Therefore, if sales managers, upon receiving feedback on important market issues, immediately bring the sales team to the distributor or terminal to verify, jointly research solutions, and ultimately provide a clear attitude and methods for resolution, this will greatly improve problem-solving efficiency.

Second, “holding meetings on the frontline market” effectively boosts team morale. When sales managers lead the team to solve market problems, team members feel they are not fighting alone; the whole team is brainstorming solutions for their problems and going to the field to solve them. The energy stimulated by this “encouragement” should not be underestimated, especially when the off-season coincides with an industry adjustment period. Sales reps face high performance pressure and lack confidence; people need a reason to persist, and this attitude of “teamwork and problem-solving” is most valuable.

Third, intense competition inevitably requires distributors or companies to improve service quality and value customer relationships. “Holding meetings on the frontline market” increases contact between sales managers and distributors or terminal retailers, effectively consolidating customer relationships. On one hand, sales managers visit the stores of distributors or terminal retailers and communicate face-to-face about market issues, which itself reflects the importance placed on these merchants. On the other hand, sales managers leading the team to discuss market problems makes distributors or terminal retailers feel that this team is truly dedicated to the market, instilling confidence in the company and eliciting corresponding support and cooperation.

Fourth, “holding meetings on the frontline market” also helps stimulate sales reps' enthusiasm for discovering and solving problems. In the previous problem-solving mechanism, sales managers were disconnected from the market, unable to understand the complexity of market issues, leading to impractical solutions that put sales reps in a difficult position. Meanwhile, problems reported by sales reps were not well addressed, and over time, they lost the motivation to find and solve problems. If sales managers and sales reps solve problems together on the frontline, sales managers can understand the reps' situation, naturally reaching consensus on many aspects and making the problem-solving process smoother. When problems reported by sales reps are valued and resolved quickly and effectively, thereby increasing sales revenue, their enthusiasm for discovering and solving problems naturally increases.

Action Guide for “Meetings” “Holding meetings on the frontline market” is an efficient way to solve operational and sales problems, but to achieve ideal results, some preparation and groundwork are needed in advance.

Part One: Pre-Meeting Preparation First, establish “holding meetings on the frontline market” as an important part of the company's operating regulations, and announce at the sales meeting how to execute and the frequency, to attract sales reps' attention. Generally, a frequency of 1-2 times per week is sufficient. Second, require sales reps to go to the market with an observational attitude and carry a “Problem Record Form” to register problems reported by distributors and retailers during visits. Third, compile statistics on the “Problem Record Form” to summarize common problems in the market. Fourth, select typical cases from the common problems and report them to the sales manager along with the common market issues. Fifth, the sales manager evaluates the problems and cases and selects two cases to solve on-site within a week. Sixth, the sales rep corresponding to the case coordinates with the distributor or terminal to agree on a meeting time. Seventh, after finalizing the meeting time and problems to be solved, the sales manager should communicate with the sales rep who reported the case about the merchant's situation in advance, and the sales rep should inform the sales manager of details to ensure the rationality of decisions. Eighth, inform other sales reps of the meeting time and problems to be solved to promote their thinking on the issues.

Part Two: Key Points During the Meeting First, the sales manager holds the meeting at the store of the distributor or terminal with problems, and designates relevant personnel to create a written record of the meeting. This serves both as a practical case tool and as a guiding solution for a class of problems. Second, try to give a clear attitude towards solving the problems during the meeting, and actively refine the methods and steps for solving them, so that distributors and terminal retailers feel the significance of the meeting for them. Third, during the meeting, the sales manager should give sufficient respect and speaking rights to the relevant sales reps, so that distributors and terminal retailers feel that the sales rep has the ability to fight for their rights, which is conducive to their cooperation in future work.

Part Three: Post-Meeting Summary First, the sales manager personally supervises the relevant sales reps in implementing the solutions proposed during the meeting. Second, distribute the meeting minutes and require sales reps facing similar common problems to use them as a guide to solve market issues. Third, invite the distributors or terminal retailers involved in the case to “speak from experience” and communicate with other distributors or terminal retailers facing similar operational problems. Fourth, the sales manager organizes a meeting for sales reps to discuss the problems and shortcomings encountered during “holding meetings on the frontline market” to improve the quality and effectiveness of the next meeting.

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