---
title: "Beyond Sales and Inventory Pressure: How Distributors Can Double Sales at Year-End"
description: "With Chinese New Year approaching, distributors must focus not only on pushing inventory but also on helping terminals sell through. By categorizing retail outlets, implementing tiered promotional strategies, and leveraging WeChat groups for engagement, distributors can boost sales and ensure a successful year-end."
author: "罗宏文"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2019-12-14"
categories: "Dealer Operations"
language: "en"
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citation: "罗宏文. “Beyond Sales and Inventory Pressure: How Distributors Can Double Sales at Year-End.” New Distribution, 2019-12-14. https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/beyond-sales-and-inventory-pressure-how-distributors-can-double-sales-at-b5e9c545/"
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---

# Beyond Sales and Inventory Pressure: How Distributors Can Double Sales at Year-End

> With Chinese New Year approaching, distributors must focus not only on pushing inventory but also on helping terminals sell through. By categorizing retail outlets, implementing tiered promotional strategies, and leveraging WeChat groups for engagement, distributors can boost sales and ensure a successful year-end.

**Chinese New Year's Eve in 2020 falls on January 24th, and the Spring Festival on January 25th. Time is running out for sales professionals.** The critical battle is now in its final countdown. Winning it will not only determine your annual performance but also your year's earnings. Losing it means a wasted year, and the chance to make money next year will be gone.
The closer to year-end, the faster time flies. With a warehouse full of unsold stock, what should you do?
**-01- How to Push Inventory at Year-End?**
**1. Review Terminal Relationships and Store Count**
**Before pushing inventory, distributors should first consider not how many tasks they need to complete for the manufacturer or what year-end bonuses they might receive, but rather the number of terminal stores they have in their region and the strength of their relationships with these stores. This will help assess the volume of inventory to push.**
Next, classify these terminal stores into ABC categories. For example, A-class stores are those that cooperate with you year-round, supporting you regardless of what products you sell or how well they sell. B-class stores only sell your fast-moving products and can help boost volume during promotions, but for new products or slow sellers, they only stock up when consumers ask. C-class stores only sell fast-moving products, don't help much even with promotions, and may switch to whoever offers the cheapest price. They might sell a bit during Spring Festival but not much otherwise.
**2. Estimate Inventory and Push Quantities**
**After reviewing your terminal stores, estimate the quantities to push based on the number of stores.** The number of terminal stores a distributor has, and the strength of relationships with them, are key to classifying stores before pushing inventory. This determines the volume to push and directly impacts the distributor's wealth. For example, if you are a county-level FMCG distributor with 600 terminal stores, these 600 stores determine your Spring Festival inventory push volume.
Based on your usual interactions, classify these 600 stores. Suppose there are 100 A-class, 200 B-class, and 300 C-class stores. From sales records, you find that on average, A-class stores sell 120 units of Product Y per month, B-class stores sell 60 units, and C-class stores sell 20 units. What would be a suitable inventory push budget for Product Y this Spring Festival?
**3. Push Strategy**
Based on the budgeted inventory quantity, allocate all promotional costs proportionally and design a tiered promotion policy—a "three-level jump" for pushing inventory. This means creating three different promotional packages for the three types of stores, launching a comprehensive campaign combining first-tier promotions and third-tier sell-through, known as the "Four Seasons Wealth" model.
For example, Promotion Package A is only for A-class stores; B and C stores cannot get it even if they ask. Package B is only for B-class stores; A and C cannot get it. Package C is only for C-class stores; A and B cannot get it.
Additionally, **the timing and placement of pushed inventory have special requirements.** In terms of timing, first visit A-class stores, then B-class, and finally C-class. For placement, try to secure the best positions for B and C stores, but for A stores, the best position is mandatory. If the best position is unavailable, it's better not to offer the promotional package.
This is because these stores carry a wide variety of products, especially during Spring Festival when warehouses are packed. Products placed in front have more sales opportunities, while those in hidden corners have fewer chances to be purchased.
**-02- How to Drive Sell-Through at Year-End?**
There are many strategies and methods for product sell-through, such as personnel promotions. The 10 days before and after Spring Festival are peak sales periods, and arranging in-store promoters at A-class stores is most effective. After-sales guarantees: honor promises made during inventory push, such as exchanging unsold products. Cumulative sales rewards: use credit-based sales, and give extra cash rebates after a set of products is sold. Buy-one-get-one gifts: give consumers a basin with each product sold. On-site golden egg smashing: consumers who purchase products can smash golden eggs for prizes, etc.
These conventional promotional methods are too numerous to list here. The author focuses on the application of internet tools in terminal sell-through activities, sharing the use of WeChat group tools currently being used in terminal management.
**1. Establish WeChat Groups**
Create three terminal store groups, which you can name Gold, Silver, and Bronze groups, and assign dedicated managers. Invite A-class stores to the Gold group, B-class to the Silver group, and C-class to the Bronze group. This way, different types of stores are in different groups. Only stores that have already accepted inventory push should be added; those that haven't should not be included. This facilitates management and allows for targeted notifications and interactions, avoiding any negative feelings from store owners due to different policies.
**2. Set Up Sell-Through Red Packets**
After establishing the WeChat groups, set up three levels of red packet rewards. When a store sells a product, they take a photo and upload it to the group, and the manager sends a one-on-one red packet reward, for example, 1.5 yuan per product sold. The reward amount should increase from A to C, meaning B-class stores get more than A-class, and C-class stores get more than A and B. Additionally, to keep the groups active, managers can send regular red packets daily, and the person with the best luck can receive different gifts.
**-03- Shift Work Goals from Pushing to Selling**
**All distributors are pushing inventory to terminals, but few actually help terminals sell.** Distributors who can help terminals sell will stand out in the intense competition. Festival promotions mainly depend on five aspects:
> **1. Check Display:** Look at the size of the display, whether it's neat and standardized, and if POP materials are in place. **2. Check Promoters:** Assess the appearance, professionalism, and attitude of the promoters. **3. Check Promotions:** Observe the promotional process, such as whether the stack display is reasonable and the contribution of individual products. **4. Check Products:** Ensure there is no price chaos. **5. Check Opportunities:** See if there are opportunities to increase sales through promotions, and communicate with the store manager to seek effective positions or floor displays.
For small stores, festival promotions are about atmosphere and attention. Most small stores don't have a clear concept of Spring Festival promotions and treat it like any other day.
This is where distributors need to guide them, ensuring proper display, promotion, and atmosphere creation. It doesn't take much effort—just simple decoration and changes can yield significant results.
Once you've helped terminals sell, proposing to move inventory again becomes natural and effective.
**-04- Timely Communication and Review**
Helping terminals sell is to prepare for your products to enter their warehouses, but you must also be wary of competitors seizing opportunities. So, while doing this, always monitor terminal sales data.
**Check Sales Data:** Include sales data for bestsellers and slow movers, recent themed activities, and new products. For bestsellers, avoid price cuts and maintain an advantage. During promotions, adjust focus and improvements accordingly.
**Check Inventory:** How much stock is on hand? What's the shelf situation? Are there any out-of-stocks? For large inventories, find ways to reduce stock immediately to avoid returns. Also, replenish fast-moving products promptly to prevent competitors from taking advantage.
**Check Promotional Materials:** Are gifts being distributed? Are promotional materials properly stored? Are company brochures in place? Spring Festival is about after-sales support, which affects whether terminals can sell normally. Don't be careless.
**Check Promoter Reports:** Are reports being made? Are weekly sales reported every Monday? Are company documents or product manuals available? Track the sales dynamics of recent activities, what promotions are running, and competitor sales data.
Through these checks, you can fully understand store information, formulate next steps, and make reasonable work arrangements. By doing this step by step, you'll gain a clearer understanding of the market and terminals, identify shortcomings in the sell-through process, and improve promptly.
The peak season is about mastering details and understanding terminals. Only by knowing yourself and your enemy can you win every battle, control terminals, and quickly complete inventory push, sell-through, and replenishment, achieving rapid product movement and sales growth.
**-05- Tips for Pushing Inventory**
Moving and pushing inventory is a continuous process, but as Spring Festival approaches, terminals become more cautious. Large pushes may still happen, but they require early groundwork.
Spring Festival sell-through activities must not stop and should intensify. Transition from early tasting and giveaways to case promotions, using price differences to drive sales. Also, strengthen contacts with catering and banquet channels to improve product turnover.
Note that the quantity for each replenishment or push should be controlled. Reduce the intensity of pushes but increase frequency, creating an impression of hot sales and fast turnover, thus gaining terminal favor.
With this impression, as Spring Festival arrives, you can finally push a large batch again, citing the holiday season, to complete the final product movement.
With high-frequency turnover, distributors are more likely to receive payments promptly, avoiding the loss of control from large pushes that lead to concessions and extended payment terms. The scarcer something is, the more attractive it becomes! Fast sales are the most appealing selling point for terminals during Spring Festival!
Source: 酒食汇 (jiushihui5959)
Tips will be paid 400-2000 yuan upon adoption.


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## Citation metadata

- Publisher: New Distribution
- Author: 罗宏文
- Published: 2019-12-14
- Canonical: https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/beyond-sales-and-inventory-pressure-how-distributors-can-double-sales-at-b5e9c545/
- Original source: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/XC7sTyDxrkSFMiHTeADZMA

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