---
title: "Distributors: Are You a Sales Tool or a Partner for Manufacturers?"
description: "Chinese people tend to speak indirectly and rarely tell the whole truth. While manufacturers often pay lip service to partnership, many distributors feel they are treated merely as sales tools, used when convenient and discarded when not. This article, written from a small distributor's perspective, argues that most manufacturers view distributors as tools rather than true partners."
author: "New Distribution"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2016-06-28"
language: "en"
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markdown: "https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/distributors-are-you-a-sales-tool-or-a-partner-for-manufacturers-7f6d8f62.md"
original_source: "https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/zCHTe4vx_MTGoaVhtR-42g"
translation: "https://xinjignxiao.com/zh/articles/%E7%BB%8F%E9%94%80%E5%95%86-%E4%BD%A0%E6%98%AF%E5%8E%82%E5%AE%B6%E7%9A%84%E9%94%80%E5%94%AE%E5%B7%A5%E5%85%B7%E8%BF%98%E6%98%AF%E5%90%88%E4%BD%9C%E4%BC%99%E4%BC%B4-7f6d8f62.md"
attribution: "New Distribution — https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/distributors-are-you-a-sales-tool-or-a-partner-for-manufacturers-7f6d8f62/"
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---

# Distributors: Are You a Sales Tool or a Partner for Manufacturers?

> Chinese people tend to speak indirectly and rarely tell the whole truth. While manufacturers often pay lip service to partnership, many distributors feel they are treated merely as sales tools, used when convenient and discarded when not. This article, written from a small distributor's perspective, argues that most manufacturers view distributors as tools rather than true partners.

Chinese people have two major characteristics in speech: they don't say things directly, and they generally don't tell the truth. It's easy to say nice things, but the reality is often not so reliable; otherwise, there wouldn't be so many cooperation disputes and conflicts between manufacturers and distributors. I am a small distributor and have dealt with quite a few manufacturers. Perhaps my exposure is too limited, or perhaps I've just been unlucky, but after years of contact and cooperation, I personally feel that the vast majority of manufacturers actually treat distributors as sales tools! Distributors are just tools! Use them when they're useful, and discard them when they're not!
Why are distributors just sales tools? The reason is simple: at the top levels of manufacturers, there is often a deep-seated disdain for distributors. They see them as uncultured, poorly educated, small-time individual businesses, nouveau riche, short-sighted, profit-driven, confused, old-fashioned, greedy, and always looking for a bargain. These are likely the inner thoughts of many senior managers at manufacturers. The views and positioning of senior management inevitably influence the middle and lower levels of the company. Over time, even sales staff begin to look down on distributors, and even back-office departments like marketing and finance often view distributors as lowly parasites on the manufacturer!
Calling them tools might even be polite. Let's objectively analyze the characteristics of tools and how they compare to the current state of manufacturer-distributor cooperation: The primary characteristic of a tool is that it's easy to use and handy. Manufacturers want obedient, cooperative distributors.
1. Tool users only consider their own experience, rarely considering the tool's feelings. Manufacturers position distributors to fit their own development, but as for the problems distributors themselves face, sorry, that's not the manufacturer's concern.
2. How many users properly maintain their tools? How many manufacturers try to improve the overall operation of their distributor companies?
3. Tools are used as-is; there's no need to understand the raw materials, production process, or structural features. How many manufacturers are willing to deeply understand their distributors? Over 90% of manufacturers' distributor files contain fewer than 50 data points. If they can't even do the basic homework, how can they find effective points of connection and establish efficient cooperation models?
4. Tools are only cleaned and packaged when they're being sold. Similarly, manufacturers only pay attention to distributors when they're recruiting new ones or need high levels of cooperation. They put on a show and say nice things to attract distributors.
5. After using a tool, it's often set aside... When a distributor's value starts to decline, isn't that the same fate?
6. When a better tool comes along, the old one is naturally discarded. Users always seek better tools rather than improving the existing ones. Isn't that the same logic behind manufacturers constantly recruiting new distributors?
Some might say that business is about pursuing profit, and so-called cooperation is mutual exploitation to maximize benefits. Some manufacturers also emphasize that when distributors can't keep up with their development, they naturally need to be eliminated. From the manufacturer's perspective, none of this is wrong. But can you be a bit more sophisticated? Can you play at a higher level? Can you see further? Can you hide your intentions better? Being a cunning merchant is fine, but if you let everyone see your cunning, that's just stupid!
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