Huang Jing, a researcher on retail issues

  1. Why do we get disciplined? Despite the harsh market conditions that have made retailers more humble and buyers more low-key, nine out of ten salespeople still walk out of negotiation rooms looking dejected. What happened? They got chewed out. Since ancient times, it seems that salespeople being disciplined by buyers has become the norm. The day-to-day work in various business links with retailers is maintained by KA sales staff, but that doesn't mean KA supervisors and managers have nothing to do. On the contrary, KA supervisors and managers are responsible not only for managing internal KA sales staff but also for high-quality communication with retailers. Whether salespeople get disciplined actually has something to do with their superiors. Did you back them up? Did you give them confidence? Did you teach them the skills? When KA managers visit retailers, it shouldn't just be about simple business talks; it should rise to the level of giving buyers a lesson. The frequency of such meetings doesn't matter much; each meeting and conversation should make the buyer feel more positive about you and your company.
  2. What do buyers want to hear? How can you give buyers a wonderful lesson? First, understand what information buyers most want. Generally, besides daily business updates, buyers also want to know:
  3. The latest changes in the manufacturer (personnel, marketing, product changes, etc.);
  4. New product information (packaging, advertising, promotion, production status, etc.);
  5. Industry changes (raw material changes, product production processes, product R&D, consumer trends, sales method changes, etc.);
  6. Successful marketing cases (marketing cases that worked well in other retailers or cities, fresh ideas and creativity);
  7. The current state of other retailers in the same city (senior management changes, successful cases, latest developments, different processes).
  8. New marketing suggestions from a category perspective; These are usually not things that ordinary salespeople can understand and discuss, so the focus for KA managers is clear: don't talk about the trivial business details and specific tasks that salespeople handle; instead, focus more on sharing and exchanging information, updates, and trends, which shows your level. If it's about business details, the buyer can just talk to the salesperson. What's the point of your presence then?
  9. When to schedule meetings When should KA managers meet with buyers? Do you just schedule a meeting when you think of it, or postpone it when you're busy, or do you have a planned schedule? Since business with retailers is long-term, your work should be planned in advance. KA managers should have a purpose for meeting buyers. For example:
  10. One month before important holidays or seasonal product peak sales;
  11. Before the launch of a series of new products;
  12. Before the rollout of a national marketing plan;
  13. When there are difficult problems in cooperation with retailers (price chaos, market disruption by competitors, settlement issues, etc.);
  14. During annual contract negotiations;
  15. After the Spring Festival or mid-year business reviews. It is appropriate for KA managers to meet buyers once a month. If meetings are too frequent, it will inevitably weaken the salesperson's communication skills and customer relationships, and buyers will unconsciously call KA managers directly for all matters, big or small. KA managers, out of face, will have to respond, but ultimately the tasks are handed over to salespeople. If meetings are too infrequent, buyers will directly discuss plans with familiar brand managers when facing major decisions or resource opportunities. Planning the frequency and timing of meetings with buyers helps allocate human resources reasonably. For each meeting, it's more important to improve negotiation quality, reflecting harmonious communication, mutual learning, maximum support, and ultimate benefits in the negotiation.
  16. How to give the lesson Due to unequal resources, buyers' negotiations are often experience-based and purpose-driven, sometimes even coercive and accountability-focused. If KA managers rush into negotiations every time, they will inevitably end up defeated. To make the negotiation chair stick to the buyer, it all depends on how well the KA manager prepares before the meeting. In addition to routine negotiation goals, data explanations, and action plans, preparation should also include proficient professional knowledge and timely information sharing, which can increase the buyer's interest in chatting and also relieve pressure for the buyer. Buyers often suffer from a lack of channels and time to collect information, and also from difficulties in business breakthroughs. I believe your brilliant presentation will be effective. Buyers' self-esteem is particularly sensitive due to their profession, and their decision-making direction can change greatly based on personal preferences. KA managers should pay attention to the following points in their presentations:
  17. Information should be concise and practical, avoiding exhaustive and detailed repetition;
  18. Communicate sincerely, avoid showing arrogance that could hurt the buyer's self-esteem;
  19. Avoid exaggerating or making false claims about your brand, as any distrust from the buyer will be detrimental to future cooperation;
  20. When sharing retail information, avoid excessively praising competitors' advantages or criticizing the retailer's weaknesses. There's no need to mention well-known pros and cons; simply state some successful operational methods and ongoing changes of competing retailers, and appropriately say things that share the buyer's concerns;
  21. Collect, categorize, and fully understand information about your brand and competing brands through various channels. Mainly information on product consumption and sales trends, raw material market conditions, senior management changes, sales method changes, etc.;
  22. Appropriately guide buyers to express opinions and participate in discussions, understand their actual thoughts, find entry points, and reach cooperation intentions. Buyers meet many suppliers every day. How can you make yourself stand out? How can you make him look forward to meeting you instead of being annoyed by trivial disputes with suppliers? How can you make each meeting with the buyer a pleasant exchange? How can you accumulate a bit of goodwill with each meeting? This requires you to rise above ordinary business communication, unleash your energy and professionalism, turn communication into a wonderful performance, and give the buyer a great lesson. Let him appreciate you, even look up to you. Then you are no longer an ordinary supplier, and you will naturally receive different attention and support. If you don't want to be pushed around, you must carry a knife! Comrades, work hard! Author: Huang Jing Huang Jing, an expert in retail backend system design and a researcher on supplier-retailer relations. With over ten years of professional procurement experience, from large state-owned retail enterprises to foreign-invested hypermarkets, she has served as procurement section chief, procurement manager, procurement director, and training director, possessing a relatively complete career experience in the modern retail industry. She has conducted in-depth research on supplier-retailer relations, especially systematic research on procurement issues, negotiation issues, cost issues, contract issues, and various conflict resolution issues that suppliers care about. -END-