Click to read the original text for details When it comes to maintaining business relationships, many FMCG distributors feel that the cost of relationship maintenance has been increasing in recent years: Delivering goods for free, and even having to carry them to designated spots; being on call for holidays, weddings, and funerals of second-tier distributors; the worst part is having to endure their attitudes, as if selling your products is doing you a favor. You're practically a mover, and there's plenty of grumbling and complaints...! But some distributors manage to keep second-tier distributors well in hand, doing business with ease, which is the exact opposite of the above. It's truly a case of "some are happy, others are worried"! So-called relationship maintenance refers to, beyond the stipulated sales policies, fully mobilizing various resources and using personal efforts and charm to provide emotional care and satisfaction to second-tier distributors, creating a good interpersonal environment for normal sales work, and creating continuous benefits for them. That is, on the basis of certain material benefits, making multifaceted efforts to establish increasingly stable business relationships. So how exactly should one go about maintaining these relationships? Key Points 01 First, set the right goals and find the right second-tier distributors. Find the right person, and the whole game comes alive! You need to find second-tier distributors with good credit, promotional ability, and growth potential, regardless of size; small clients can be gradually cultivated. As the saying goes, "Men fear entering the wrong profession, women fear marrying the wrong man." Doing business with a second-tier distributor with poor credit can have predictable consequences; dancing with wolves won't end well. Those with bad credit and who are disloyal for profit should be firmly removed. 02 A good platform is the foundation; find a strong "backer" in terms of hard power. Nowadays, competition in the FMCG industry is increasingly fierce, and product homogenization is becoming more serious. This requires distributors to have a keen eye to find products that are differentiated from other distributors and have unique selling points. Differentiation is not about cutting corners, like making bottles thicker or indenting the bottom more—those are distorted forms of differentiation. Second-tier distributors are not stupid; they are among the smartest and most cunning of merchants. Product quality is the prerequisite. Now second-tier distributors have come to understand that selling good products also makes money, but the money is earned with more confidence and a stronger voice. Distributors must never sacrifice product quality for short-term market gains, or they will lose even more. 03 Let second-tier distributors make money—this is the core. There are no permanent friends, no permanent enemies, only permanent interests. This famous political saying applies equally to business. Many salespeople who change jobs feel a sense of "out of sight, out of mind" in their relationship with first-tier distributors. What is the real reason for this? I summarize it as a failure to continuously maintain the business relationship and continue bringing benefits to the client. In plain terms, you haven't continued to help the client make money. Merchants don't get up early without profit! If we're not doing business, we're still friends; you can come to me and I'll treat you to drinks and meals. Once or twice is fine, even eight or ten times, but after a while, don't you start feeling a bit embarrassed? If you have many products of excellent quality and good marketability that allow him to earn more money, I believe the business relationship will get better and better, growing stronger over time. The same goes for second-tier distributors, though they show it more clearly. 04 Understand and pinpoint the true needs of second-tier distributors. Grasp the issues that concern second-tier distributors the most, manage their downstream, and provide good after-sales service. What is the downstream of second-tier distributors? It's the consumers. If you can stimulate consumers' desire to buy, then you hold the initiative in the market, and you can dictate what to sell. Then develop some backup second-tier distributors to make them feel a sense of crisis and dependence on you—they can't do without you, and without your products, they can't do business. Do something practical that earns the admiration of second-tier distributors, not just empty talk; change and guide them through both thought and action. Last year, when I was in charge of the company's market business, I went to a certain region for market research. Since I was young and unimpressive, I could see the distributor's attitude toward me even without him saying it. The distributor invited me to dinner, but I declined. After understanding the general situation, I went directly to the townships to survey the market. After two days of visits, I returned and had detailed discussions with the distributor, formulating a promotional plan suitable for that market. After implementation, the results exceeded the distributor's expectations, and he was quite satisfied. From then on, whatever I said was taken as truth, and the distributor cooperated fully; the two of us became close friends with no secrets. Do consultative marketing well; you have qualities others admire, because people always want to know what they don't know. 05 Pay attention to details and be someone who truly thinks for them. In modern society, there are many who add flowers to brocade, but few who offer charcoal in snowy weather. If you can help a second-tier distributor at a critical moment, he will definitely be loyal and push your products wholeheartedly. In a market in northern Henan, a distributor learned that a second-tier distributor's child had a traffic accident. He proactively found connections to help resolve the problem satisfactorily. From then on, the distributor's status in the second-tier distributor's eyes changed dramatically, and their subsequent cooperation went very smoothly. In the market, I once encountered such an incident. In 2005, I led a team to a client's place in a market in Shandong for a promotion. This client had large sales volume, and many manufacturer salespeople were stationed there at the time. One morning, I arrived early at the client's place as usual. Upon arrival, the store staff said the client was ill and in the hospital receiving IV fluids. Many manufacturer salespeople returned to the hotel to rest after hearing this. I immediately bought some nutritional products and went to the hospital to visit the client. I remember the scene clearly; the client was very moved, as no manufacturer salesperson had come to the hospital to see her. After the client was discharged, she held a meeting with her delivery staff and said they should focus on selling our company's products. That year, our company's products ranked first in sales among similar products the client distributed, and in the following years, work with this client went smoothly. Perhaps this was all thanks to my attention to that small detail. Of course, a senior manager once said: Treat second-tier distributors like your own children—spank when needed, scold when needed, and pamper when needed. I admire that saying; it's very bold. People should have some temper. Now many distributors say second-tier distributors have been spoiled, are unruly, and even act recklessly. Change second-tier distributors' perception of distributors from the ground up, making them understand that we are all the same. I believe in one saying: All pleasant and meaningful cooperation is based on equality and mutual benefit. -END-