---
title: "Diligence, Digging, and Dosing: How to Win Over Stubborn Dealers!"
description: "In sales development, hitting a wall is not shameful; being repeatedly stung by the same thorn is. Grassroots sales is a job of enduring all kinds of treatment and relying on others, and without years of thick-skinned practice on the front lines, you can't become that 'indestructible, clanging copper pea.' Stubborn dealers are the most headache-inducing, but also the most endearing, because they are the least inclined to think. Their rejection tactics and even language patterns are always the same, as they just want to get rid of you quickly, using the safest and most conservative phrases. To win them over, you need the seven-character strategy: diligence, digging, and dosing, plus a final reminder not to ask for too much."
author: "黄润霖"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2018-01-08"
language: "en"
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original_source: "https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/ENdG7-GbuaMlP-VLAhqsjw"
translation: "https://xinjignxiao.com/zh/articles/%E4%B8%80%E5%8B%A4%E4%BA%8C%E6%8C%96%E4%B8%89%E7%BB%99%E8%8D%AF-%E6%95%99%E4%BD%A0%E6%90%9E%E5%AE%9A%E7%BB%88%E7%AB%AF%E9%92%89%E5%AD%90%E6%88%B7-7a3fd004.md"
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---

# Diligence, Digging, and Dosing: How to Win Over Stubborn Dealers!

> In sales development, hitting a wall is not shameful; being repeatedly stung by the same thorn is. Grassroots sales is a job of enduring all kinds of treatment and relying on others, and without years of thick-skinned practice on the front lines, you can't become that 'indestructible, clanging copper pea.' Stubborn dealers are the most headache-inducing, but also the most endearing, because they are the least inclined to think. Their rejection tactics and even language patterns are always the same, as they just want to get rid of you quickly, using the safest and most conservative phrases. To win them over, you need the seven-character strategy: diligence, digging, and dosing, plus a final reminder not to ask for too much.

In development visits, hitting a wall is not shameful; being repeatedly stung by the same thorn is. Grassroots sales is inherently a job of 'enduring all kinds of treatment and relying on others.' Without years of thick-skinned practice on the front lines, how can you become that 'indestructible, clanging copper pea'?

Stubborn dealers are the most headache-inducing for salespeople, but they are also the most endearing. This is because stubborn dealers are actually the group least inclined to think. Why do I say that? Because their rejection tactics, even their language patterns, are always the same. **They just want to get rid of you as quickly as possible, and the language they use is the safest and most conservative they've found in practice, with little innovation or creativity.**

When salespeople are conquering territories and opening new accounts, 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 chasm.' So for some outlets, the question is not whether to take them, but how.

Why do stubborn dealers 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 about the story behind the brand they've turned away. All rejection stems from a self-protective instinct.

For this reason, when you finally muster the courage to visit that target store again, the owner will either use the 'no' format—'no plan/no time/no profit/no space/no money/no demand/no boss'—hoping for a quick resolution, or the 'want' format—'want distribution/want price/want exclusivity'—hoping you'll back off.

**To counter the 'no' format, the standard solution is:** 'You're treating me like a salesperson again? I'm not here to sell; I'm just passing through and thought I'd drop by to see you!'

Only by deflecting this quick-dismissal intent with a light touch, first securing a place to stay and sit in the store, can you survive there. Survive, and then you can use the 'diligence, digging, and dosing' strategy I'll explain later.

For the 'want' format, as mentioned in previous cases, first use a counter-question to filter: 'If I give you distribution/special price/exclusivity, will you definitely pay and order today?' This retreat-to-advance tactic defuses the fake problem, then use 'I knew you were joking, Brother Zhao!' to smooth things over.

To crack the 'no' and 'want' 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 cities without attacking'—to remove stubborn dealers, mere verbal skill is absolutely insufficient.

What is the most powerful move of a stubborn dealer? Nitpicking your product? Making unreasonable demands? Or casually telling you to 'get out'? Actually, none of these. **The ultimate move is ignoring you, refusing to communicate, and treating you as if you don't exist.** It's like a wolf encountering 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, from my personal sales experience, dealing with stubborn dealers boils down to seven characters: **diligence, digging, and dosing**—and finally, you have to say, 'What more do you want? What more do you want?'

**Diligence:** What is the characteristic of a stubborn dealer? Extremely hard and unyielding. The hard break easily, the soft endure. To deal with such nails, you need a steady, persistent approach—soft grinding and hard pestering. There's a rule in sales visits: if you visit 100 customers, 5 will close, a 5% rate; if you visit 200, the number shouldn't be 10 but maybe 12 or 15, a 6% or 7.5% rate. This is the law of increasing closure with visits. With sincere visits, your closure rate will slowly rise, not stay static. 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 big theory here, only the simplest common sense, so lazy people can't do sales.**

**Digging:** 'Diligence is the root, skill is the essence,' but just running to the stubborn dealer 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 dealer less rejecting, that's when you open the gap. The root reason a dealer rejects you is that you haven't met their needs, or you don't know their needs. How to solve this? Initially, the dealer won't give you a glance, and your information is isolated. After persistent pestering, you open the path across the information island. In official terms, this is an opportunity to increase mutual trust. **Digging out, even creating, the dealer's needs is the best way to seize the moment.** A common tactic is to find the gap between 'ideal' and 'reality' to uncover the dealer's true needs.

Here's a reference script: 'Mr. Zhao, are you satisfied with the XX product you currently represent?' (Ask 10,000 dealers, and all 10,000 will say they're satisfied!)

So, you should ask: 'Mr. Zhao, is the product and brand you currently represent the most ideal and perfect 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 are you dissatisfied with?'

'Well... 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 haven't been approved even after half a year!'

'Do these issues affect you greatly?'

'Greatly...? Drop the question mark! This business doesn't show immediate cash, and when expenses are offset against goods, they're all old stock!'

See what the salesperson is doing? Digging at the dealer's pain points and guiding the dealer to specify the consequences themselves. This is getting the dealer to say what you want to say, letting them find their own wheelchair to sit in.

**Dosing:** After digging out the root cause, what should the salesperson do? Quickly assess whether your brand can offer a policy targeting this pain point. Then, strike while the iron is hot:

'If there were a brand with similar market size and product range as the one you represent, with new product plans involving key dealers a year in advance, and market expenses paid upfront by the manufacturer, would you be willing to try it?'

What would the dealer's reaction be? 'What's there to lose in trying?' At least they'll focus and listen to what you have to say. **Targeted dosing is the ultimate skill for solving stubborn dealers. Offering a policy to a stubborn dealer may not be the best choice, but it is the most effective.**

Soft grinding, seeing the big from the small, seizing the moment of loosening, and sweeping away obstacles—these are essential skills for removing stubborn dealers. Finally, I'll share **ten signs that a stubborn dealer is loosening up**. These aren't just for stubborn dealers; in daily business visits, these signs are worth referencing:

1. The dealer calls you proactively. In the past, you were the one dropping by every few days. If one day the dealer suddenly calls you to come chat, it might be that your ancestors burned high incense!
2. The sales assistants or workers are more enthusiastic toward you. Even if the boss lady still has a stern face and the boss looks inscrutable, if the staff suddenly become more polite, things are starting to get interesting.
3. They proactively open your samples to compare and try. Though they may verbally express disdain, the act of comparing and trying shows willingness to understand the brand, especially if they go silent after trying.
4. They proactively share their sales plans. No fool would expose their hand to a stranger. When a dealer starts sharing plans, they want you to see their strengths.
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 issues.
6. They show you their warehouse and office. What do these mean to a dealer? They're like a wife or a car—not to be shared. If they show you, what does that imply?
7. They haggle over details and ask about the company's mid- and long-term plans. No need to explain—those who haggle in the market are ready to buy; if they haggle and don't buy, they 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 is almost certainly ready to be won over, unless your factory or office is truly unimpressive.
9. Key issues unresolved, but they're willing to spend time. When discussing details, it won't be smooth sailing, especially if their key needs aren't met, 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 one; at least, one who hasn't been treated isn't. Of course, in such situations, be careful not to drink too much and ruin things.

-END-


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