In development visits, hitting a snag is not shameful; being repeatedly stuck by the same nail is. Grassroots sales is inherently a job of 'enduring all kinds of treatment and eating from many households.' Without a few years of thick-skinned training on the front lines, how can you become that 'copper pea that won't steam soft, boil tender, pound flat, or fry pop, resounding and solid'? Stubborn holdouts are the biggest headache for salespeople, but they are also the most endearing. This is because stubborn holdouts are actually the group that least likes to use their brains. Why do I say that? Because the tactics they use to reject you, even their language patterns, are always the same. They just want to get rid of you as quickly as possible, and the language patterns they use are the safest and most foolproof in their practical experience, with little innovation or creativity. When salespeople are conquering territories and opening new stores, some outlets have unique advantages due to location or the owner's resources. Once you secure such an outlet, it's like 'releasing accumulated water from a thousand-ren ravine.' So for some outlets, the question is not whether to take them, but how to take them. Why do stubborn holdouts become stubborn? 80% of them instinctively reject new faces, new brands, and new products. They are hostile to the salesperson and suspicious of the unfamiliar brand. Most dealers are unwilling to learn what story lies behind the brand they've turned away. All rejection stems from the instinct of self-protection. For this reason, when you muster the courage to visit the target store again, the owner will either use 'no-plan/no-time/no-profit/no-space/no-money/no-demand/no-boss' formats (the 'no' sentences) to end the conversation quickly, or use 'need-distribution/need-price/need-exclusivity' formats (the 'need' sentences) to make you back off. To counter the 'no' sentences, the standard solution is: 'You're treating me like a salesperson again? I'm not here to sell; I'm just walking the market and thought I'd drop by to see you!' Only by deflecting this quick-dismissal intention with a light touch can you first manage to stay in the store, sit down, and then survive. Once you survive, you can use the 'one diligence, two digging, three giving medicine' routine I'll explain later. For the 'need' sentences, there were case studies earlier. First, use a counter-question to filter: 'If I give you distribution/special price/exclusivity, will you definitely place an order and pay today?' This retreat-to-advance tactic cracks the fake problem, then smooth it over with 'I knew you were joking, Brother Zhao!' To crack the 'no' and 'need' language patterns, you also need a thick skin, so thin-skinned people really aren't suited for sales. Of course, 'subduing the enemy without fighting, capturing the city without attacking'—to uproot stubborn holdouts, mere eloquence is absolutely not enough. What is the most powerful move of a stubborn holdout? Nitpicking your product? Making unreasonable demands? Or casually telling you to 'get out'? Actually, none of these count. The ultimate move of a stubborn holdout is to ignore you, refuse to communicate, and disregard your existence. It's like a wolf meeting a hedgehog: the hedgehog curls up, and the wolf has nowhere to bite! A wolf can't handle a hedgehog, but a weasel can, because the weasel uses its gas to make the hedgehog open up. So, based on my personal sales experience, dealing with stubborn holdouts boils down to seven characters: one diligence, two digging, three giving medicine, and finally, you have to say, 'What do you want, a bicycle? What do you want, a bicycle?' One diligence: What are the characteristics of a stubborn holdout? Extremely hard and unyielding. The hard is easily broken, the soft endures. To deal with nails, you need a steady, persistent approach—soft grinding and hard soaking. There's a rule in sales visits: if you visit 100 customers, 5 will close, a 5% close rate; if you visit 200, the number of closes shouldn't be 10, but maybe 12 or 15, meaning a 6% or 7.5% rate. This is the law of increasing close rates with visits. As long as you visit diligently, your close rate will slowly rise, not stay constant. Applied to a single customer, each additional visit increases the probability of closing. For customers you must win, time is the best medicine. There's no grand principle here, only the simplest common sense, so lazy people can't do sales. Two digging: 'Diligence is the root, skill is the essence,' but just running to the stubborn holdout every day is far from enough. You also need to learn to add some medicine to the cup of time. When time has made the holdout less resistant, that's when you open the gap. The root reason a holdout rejects you is that you haven't met their needs, or you don't know their needs. How to solve this? Initially, the holdout won't give you a glance, and your information is isolated. After you persistently pester, the information island's passage opens. In official language, this is an opportunity to increase mutual trust. Digging out, even creating, the dealer's needs is the best way to seize the opportunity. A common tactic is to find the gap between 'ideal' and 'reality' to uncover the dealer's true needs. Reference script: 'Mr. Zhao, are you satisfied with the XX products you currently represent?' (Ask 10,000 dealers, and all 10,000 will say they're satisfied!) So, you should ask: 'Mr. Zhao, are the products and brands you currently represent the most ideal and perfect ones in your mind?' (Ask 100,000 dealers, and all 100,000 will go, 'Hmm... that's tricky, I don't know how to answer.') 'The most ideal? Oh... not really!' 'What aspects make you dissatisfied?' 'Alas... the market has been lively these past two years, but new products come out too slowly, and many market expenses are advanced by us. Their headquarters' reimbursement is too slow. The expenses from August last year still haven't been approved after half a year!' 'Do these issues affect you greatly?' 'Greatly...? Drop the 'question mark'! In this business, you don't see cash. Once expenses are offset against goods, they're all old stock!' See? What is the salesperson doing? Digging at the dealer's pain points and guiding the dealer to specify the consequences of that pain. This is getting the dealer to say what you want to say, letting the dealer find the wheelchair and sit down themselves. Three giving medicine: After digging out the root cause, what should the salesperson do? Quickly assess whether your brand can offer a policy targeting the holdout's pain point. Then you should strike while the iron is hot and say: 'If there were a brand with similar market size and product range as the one you represent, that lets key dealers participate in evaluating new product plans a year in advance, and for market expenses, the manufacturer pays upfront, would you be willing to try it?' What would the dealer's reaction be? 'Trying won't hurt,' at least they'll focus and listen to what you have to say. Applying the right remedy is the ultimate skill to solve the nail problem. Giving a policy to a stubborn holdout may not be the best choice, but it is the most effective one. Soft grinding, seeing the big from the small, seizing the gap when the holdout loosens, and sweeping away everything—these are essential skills for uprooting stubborn holdouts. Finally, I'll share with you ten signs that a stubborn holdout is loosening up. These aren't just for holdouts; in daily business visits, these ten signs are also worth referencing for salespeople:

  1. The dealer calls you proactively. In the past, you were the one dropping by every other day. If one day the dealer suddenly calls you over to chat, it's likely your family burned high incense in a past life!
  2. The sales assistants or workers are more enthusiastic toward you. Even if the boss's wife still has a stern face and the boss looks inscrutable, if the staff suddenly becomes more polite, things are starting to get interesting.
  3. They proactively open your samples to compare and experience. Even if they show disdain and contempt verbally, the action of comparing and experiencing products indicates a willingness to understand the brand deeply, especially if they say nothing after comparing.
  4. They proactively share their sales plans. No fool would expose their hand to a complete stranger. When a dealer starts sharing sales plans, they want you to see their shining points.
  5. They complain about the shortcomings of their current brand. Whether guided by you or on their own, complaints about the represented brand are based on the belief that you can solve these problems.
  6. They give you a tour of the warehouse and office. What do the warehouse and office mean to a dealer? They're like 'wife and car, not to be lent.' If they show you around, what does that imply?
  7. They bargain over details and ask about the company's mid- and long-term plans. Nothing to explain here. In a market, those who dare to haggle are those ready to buy. If you haggle and don't buy, you might get beaten.
  8. They're willing to visit the factory or office. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you'll win every battle. Any dealer willing to visit the factory or office can be secured with near certainty, unless your factory or office is truly an eyesore.
  9. They're willing to spend time on unresolved key issues. When discussing details, it won't be smooth sailing, especially if their key needs haven't been clearly addressed, yet they don't end the conversation.
  10. They proactively invite you to a meal, even with friends. A salesperson who hasn't eaten at a dealer's table isn't a good salesperson; at least, one who hasn't been treated by a dealer isn't. Of course, in such situations, be careful not to get carried away and drink too much, which could backfire. - END- The best FMCG dealer learning platform in China Focusing on providing professional, practical, and actionable tutorials for companies and dealers Committed to helping Chinese FMCG dealers 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 boosting 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 strategies | 014 First lesson for new salespeople | 015 Internet, brands | 016 Dealer B2B transformation | [Long press QR code to follow]