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High distribution rate and high share are basic characteristics of base markets. Behind these two highs lie high sales volume and high profits. However, if you delve deeper into these markets, you will find that behind the flourishing scenes of many base markets, there are always some terminals that do not sell your products or sell very little—these are terminal blind spots.

1: Expected terminal blind spots. When a terminal blind spot is discovered, the regional manager might say, "Oh, I know about this one; the reason is..." They might even professionally produce written records: this outlet has been a problem for years; it's a stubborn case.

2: Unexpected terminal blind spots "What? How is this possible?" The regional manager, shocked, immediately calls subordinates or distributors.

"There are no blank spots in my market!" No matter the market type, if someone says that, don't believe it!

Don't over-rely on sales data; blind spots can exist in any market! The existence of blind spots is not scary; what's scary is that they exist without being known! When terminal blind spots accumulate and connect, they form terminal blind zones. Over time, market fault zones naturally form! Once a fault zone forms, it's hard to repair!

Attack and Defense of Market Fault Zones.

Attack Strategy Attacking competitors' blind zones is fundamental to penetration tactics. In a competitor's strong base market, large-scale frontal attacks are difficult. Penetration guerrilla tactics target the competitor's weak points—terminal blind zones.

1: Find: Identify blind spots and establish terminal blind spot records. These terminals are mainly customer complaint stores and stubborn stores that competitors ignore. 2: Analyze: Analyze the types and value of these outlets, and identify target stores for distribution to attack. 3: Negotiate: Develop negotiation scripts based on the reasons for these competitor blind spots, and have sales staff practice them. 4: Entice: Policy and profit incentives are just one part; establish a service commitment system to counter competitors' weaknesses, such as credit sales, regular visits, and exchange of near-expiry products. 5: Attack: After entering the store, follow up with single-store attack actions, such as removing competitor's visual merchandising, moving competitor products to hidden places or covering them with your products, and maximizing your product display. 6: Lock: Monitor single-store sales at distribution points. When you find stores with higher sales than competitors, use large-tier loading or single-store policies like volume commitment or exclusive supply to lock them in, maximizing the suppression and expulsion of competitor sales within the store. 7: Exclusive: Stabilize customer relationships and ensure price system integrity. Avoid cross-supply (multiple distributors supplying the same store), as this can lead to price undercutting and internal friction.

Fault zones always start from blind spots. Once a single store is established, it means a beachhead has formed. Then consider expanding the results in depth, forming a line from a point—that is, concentrated distribution along streets or highways, causing competitors to develop blind zones. Once blind zones form, the foundation for creating market fault zones for competitors is laid.

Defense Strategy:

1: Visits. Base markets carry the core sales and main profits of the enterprise; once they are overturned, the enterprise falls into trouble. Therefore, relying solely on sales data analysis is far from enough. When sales fluctuate, blind spots, blind zones, and even fault zones have often already formed in the market.

To keep base markets stable, blind zones must be discovered early. For example, establish a scientific and systematic visit system where sales representatives report terminal information daily, and handle any blind spots immediately.

2: Management. Establish a regular terminal distribution data monitoring and early warning system for base markets. For example, competitor distribution in the area should not exceed 10%, and there should be no contiguous competitor distribution areas.

3: Mine sweeping. Customer complaint stores are mines in the base market; once exploited by competitors, they explode. The premise of mine sweeping is knowing where the mines are and who is responsible for sweeping them—that is, establish a customer complaint handling process. For long-term unresolved stubborn cases, the regional manager must bear management responsibility.

4: Spring cleaning. Hygiene is maintained through daily cleaning; the purpose of spring cleaning is to focus on dead corners. The off-season is the best time to clean out competitors. At this time, organize distributors and sales representatives to conduct special operations to clear competitors, including eliminating competitor visual merchandising, replacing competitor products, and destroying competitor exclusive stores.

5: Field visits. Data responses are lagging and only reflect quantitative changes; only by going to the front line can you sense signs of qualitative change. Listen to terminal owners' complaints, check sales representatives' visit performance, and inspect distributors' delivery service... Handle false information on the spot. Blind spots may still occur, but you can avoid blind zones and even fault zones.

Connections:

Areas where terminal blind spots are common:

1: Border areas of joint defense. Market division is often based on administrative regions. The edges of administrative regions, especially where multiple administrative regions meet, are prone to dead corners. These areas are mostly marginal, with no visits, no delivery, and no management, making them the preferred areas for competitor penetration.

Furthermore, in markets with multiple distributors, after distributor areas are divided, border areas also form. While blind spots and blind zones form, cross-region selling and price undercutting often occur here. After being repeatedly harassed, outlets inevitably refuse to sell or reduce purchases.

2: Customer complaint terminals: Service complaints: Untimely delivery causing stockouts and shortages. Policy complaints: Incomplete notification of loading policies, missing stores or skipping stores, loading one store while forgetting another; large discrepancies in single-store policies, e.g., giving Hotel Zhang a monthly fee of 20 boxes for exclusive supply, while the similarly sized Hotel Li next door only gets 5 boxes per month. When this is discovered, Li's store refuses to sell. Management complaints: Distributors undercutting prices and cross-region selling, withholding promotions, or not honoring commitments.

3: Newly opened terminals: Not knowing about new store openings or ownership changes.

4: Hidden terminals: Canteens at construction sites, railway sites, highway sites, freight stations, and parking lots. Prisons and military units: As long as you persuade the purchasing officer, you can enter; there is basically no brand loyalty. Fishermen's docks in coastal towns: wholesale/retail stores and small shops; fishermen go to sea for long periods and buy large quantities of food and drink at once. Rural markets, temple fairs, gambling dens, nightclubs, bars, discos, tea restaurants. Water stations: numerous stalls along national highways in mountainous areas that add water and cool down truck tires; travelers usually stop for simple meals and rest.

5: Emerging terminals: For example, mobile vendors in residential areas delivering to homes and consumers. After the rise of KTV, demand for small bottles of beer increased significantly.

6: Large chain terminals: Regional brands often ignore and are unable to deal with national large chain terminals. Brand weakness makes entry negotiations difficult and costly. Thus, large chain terminals become beachheads for competitors.

7: Online terminals: The popularity of online shopping confuses many traditional enterprises.

8: Group buying terminals: Group buying consumption: festival benefits, official meeting alcohol, weddings, thank-you banquets for college entrance exams, birthdays and full moon celebrations, red and white events, free drinks at buffet restaurants, festival and anniversary gifts from supermarkets, and festival benefits apportioned to suppliers of raw materials/goods transportation.

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