30+ industry experts, 100+ B2B platform founders, 800+ manufacturer and distributor friends, gathering in Fuzhou to jointly explore the internet transformation path of the FMCG industry. Field salespeople working away from company supervision—how do they actually operate? What are the drawbacks of this kind of scattered, pastoral-style marketing work? Are there entrenched habits or tricks that make them complacent and coast along? Therefore, I have summarized some content from my previous work experiences and discussions with industry peers, which we call the tricks and formulas for hitting monthly targets. Using this as a starting point, we explore the quality of salespeople's work. 1. Aggressively push stock in off-season, cautiously add inventory in peak season. This is a common tactic used by salespeople in companies whose compensation system is designed around the completion rate of monthly targets. For example, in a beverage company, bonuses are based on the completion ratio: completing 80% of the task earns a 200 yuan bonus, 90% earns 400 yuan, and so on; some companies design compensation based on a salary reference coefficient multiplied by the completion ratio, typically with a fixed base salary. In such companies, monthly targets are usually low in off-season months like January, March, April, September, October, and November, while peak season months are February (usually Chinese New Year), May, June, July, and August. In the off-season, targets are low, so salespeople use all means to push stock to earn more bonuses—the lower the target, the more active they are in pushing stock. Conversely, in the peak season when sales are high but targets are also high, their enthusiasm drops significantly; they sell whatever they can, thinking it's hard to reach the next tier anyway. This phenomenon is extremely harmful to product sales, as it often ignores the dealer's operational status, leads to numbness to market feedback, and delayed policies. It also prevents sales from reaching optimal levels, especially harming new product launches and distribution. Therefore, such companies should either set a scientifically reasonable compensation system or strengthen supervision and assessment of sales personnel. 2. Transplant flowers and secretly cross the border (deceptive tactics). These salespeople or regional managers typically oversee large market areas with uneven development, including growing, mature, and newly opened markets. They often apply for preferential policies for new markets, then transfer goods to mature markets for sale. This not only completes sales targets but also delights dealers, who will eagerly stock up, allowing the salesperson to earn high commissions and gain face, sometimes even being treated to high-end seafood. However, in the long run, this destroys normal business mentality, squanders company resources, disrupts strategic deployment, and forms a vicious sales cycle, laying the foundation for further cross-region selling. 3. Two truckloads per month, no shortcomings to mention. In many industries, the difference between peak and off-season is not obvious, and companies have strict minimum sales limits. The comfortable, leisurely life makes salespeople lose their drive, leading to the phenomenon of "old eight tons" or "two truckloads per month." The base salary plus commissions from two truckloads is enough for them, so the ambitious ones start thinking about side jobs or a third industry; the lazy ones just enjoy their leisure. This phenomenon is largely due to the company's extensive marketing model and flawed compensation system. The best solution is to strengthen management, use methods like resetting targets, incremental sales, or new product promotions to force them to become active, unleashing the subjective initiative and passion that marketing personnel should have. 4. Wherever it sells well, there my goods are—let my goods accompany you forever. Many companies with poor management or those that don't take cross-region selling seriously see the cunning of opportunistic salespeople and managers fully displayed, often better than basic marketing skills like distribution and display. They apply for promotions, exploit price differences, misappropriate funds to subsidize dealer freight, or even exploit loopholes in the company's logistics system to sell goods to other regions. This phenomenon is very common. I believe that 80% of cross-region selling is related to the manufacturer's marketing personnel, either through knowledge, providing convenience, or even direct involvement. The harm of cross-region selling to the market and products is well known to anyone in marketing. If this unhealthy trend is not curbed, it will be difficult for companies to foster healthy competition and active market operations. After the warlord-like chaos, the outcome of killing the goose that lays the golden eggs and drinking poison to quench thirst is not far away. 5. Aggressively push and pile stock, preparing to transfer or resign. Some marketing personnel see limited company resources and mediocre salaries, relying entirely on commissions, so they develop a drifting mentality. A Japanese-style scorched-earth policy emerges. They use various means and resources: promotions, changing dealers, cross-region selling, partial credit, rebates in goods, etc., to make dealers stock up as much as possible, with no thought for the future. After squeezing the last drop of market resources, they scheme to transfer, and if unsuccessful, they resign and leave, leaving endless troubles for their successors. They often fail to establish a foothold in the market, setting the stage for high personnel turnover. This is how a half-baked market is cultivated. Companies may even initially view the original salesperson as a sales elite, but later find themselves resentful: "It was so-and-so who killed the market!"—but it's too late to regret. Early detection, early treatment, and early health are the advice for such unfortunate companies. 6. Frequent calls and reports, desperately requesting promotions. Many salespeople complain at the beginning of the year that their targets are set too high, comparing to last year, but one thing companies insist on is that once targets are set, they cannot be easily changed. So pragmatic veteran salespeople use various channels—reports, phone calls, personal relationship investments—to demand more marketing resources to entice dealers with policies to hoard goods. After completing one month, they repeat the same tactic the next month, leading to monthly requests for policies and stockpiling. If one month lacks resources, even stocking becomes a problem. 7. Year-end phased promotions, amortized across years. Living beyond one's means is common in sales and is often seen as a sign of wisdom and planning. For example, many companies cut off sales expenses by the Gregorian calendar year, which becomes a loophole exploited by salespeople and even regional managers. In December, they run aggressive phased promotions that extend into mid-January or longer. Since rebates and expenses cannot be settled until the promotion ends, they end up consuming the next year's market and sales expenses. But sales, especially for regional managers whose annual salary depends on it, do benefit—they neither exceed expenses nor fail to meet targets, which is a joy for marketers. Among these common tricks, this one is barely acceptable, as its negative impact on the market is controllable and can be remedied by continuing the practice. 8. Divert funds for market image and new product promotion to boost sales. Many companies have underdeveloped marketing departments, or even only a sales department that takes on marketing functions, creating loopholes. Daring marketing personnel use all funds under their control for dealer or channel promotions, focusing solely on sales volume, regardless of old or new products. They use funds wherever volume is generated, thinking they are using good steel on the blade. But in the long run, the market will gradually dry up and lose vitality. Only by fully utilizing and scientifically integrating elements like distribution, new product promotion, display, advertising, and image presentation can a coordinated, effective combat unit be formed. Just as all parts and organs of a person must coordinate, any part that deviates from normal size becomes an obstacle. It's like cooking: oil, salt, vinegar, and ginger are essential seasonings, and they must be balanced according to the dish's quantity, characteristics, and eating habits. Adding too much of any seasoning ruins the dish, and too much makes it inedible. Therefore, this practice is extremely harmful and may breed marketing corruption. It must be addressed, or the company will be mercilessly eliminated by the market. So, the companies and individuals where these phenomena occur share many commonalities: companies are frugal in human resources, understaffed, and even lack monitoring capabilities; they rely heavily on dealer agency systems; they focus only on immediate interests, ignore long-term market development, and lack planning; they lack understanding of market price management and have few effective solutions; on the individual level, they don't understand or even hate distribution, stay away from terminals, don't do basic work, and only do half of marketing; they hate new product promotion, which wastes resources and doesn't generate volume; they prefer to use price differences to win over dealers and the market. They have abandoned the root of marketing and forgotten the essence of sales, so they are fundamentally wrong. Listing and analyzing these common practices and tricks of field salespeople and managers aims to help companies nip problems in the bud, standardize management, promote healthy market development, and allow marketing personnel to grow healthily. I think we should use a "three-ization" prescription to treat these chronic ills: scientific compensation design, market monitorability, and personnel competition. To put it clearly, I hope companies can standardize operations and professionalize personnel, and then good markets and impressive sales will be within reach. -END- The best FMCG distributor learning platform in China Focusing on providing professional, practical, and actionable tutorials for companies and distributors Committed to helping Chinese FMCG distributors grow rapidly The most professional and practical knowledge base in the FMCG industry Reply with the red number below to get the corresponding content Reply with number 1 to view the complete knowledge base | 001 Excellent Article Selection | 002 Dealer Market Operations | 003 Terminal Visit Management | 004 Sales Supervisor Skills | 005 Sales Improvement Techniques | 006 Channel Expansion | 007 Managing Dealers | 008 Dealer Development | 009 Dealer Internal Operations Management | 010 Team Management | 011 Efficient Distribution Techniques | 012 Sales Manager's Eighteen Skills | 013 KA Operation Methods and Strategies | 014 First Lesson for New Salespeople | 015 Internet, Brand | 016 Dealer B2B Transformation | [Long press QR code to follow]