Warm Reminder Click ↑ "FMCG Distributor Professional Consulting" to learn more about marketing and distributor internal management.

Preface: What is the most important thing in the 21st century? Talent! But after having people, what is the biggest problem? Management! Perhaps everyone knows the basic fact that management brings efficiency, but in reality, when you face a sales team, especially with more and more individualistic post-90s, how can you effectively manage them to keep them stable and leverage everyone's strength to make your company bigger and stronger? Based on personal experience in project services and past market operations, I share the following for reference.

First, Institutionalized Management

  1. Meeting Management: Adhere to the daily morning meeting system, keeping it short (15-30 minutes). Use this time to summarize the previous day's work, address and resolve issues encountered, and arrange the day's tasks.
  2. Form Management: Use terminal information summary forms and salesperson daily report forms to implement digital management of the market. The terminal information summary form includes classified management of market outlets (as shown below), identifying core stores, key stores, and ordinary stores, categorizing and maintaining them to form a terminal information database. "Iron camps and flowing soldiers"—even if the sales team changes, new personnel can quickly familiarize themselves with the market and start work by reading the database. At the same time, divide the salesperson's responsible area into routes, typically 150-200 outlets per person, with 5-6 routes. Reserve one day per week to handle ad-hoc issues such as payment collection and activity redemption. Design a daily work report form for salespeople based on market outlet information and daily work content (as shown below). Through a true understanding of terminal information, determine specific actions for the regional market, such as new store development, restocking existing stores, product prize redemption, or posting promotional materials. Report issues encountered during the morning meeting and find solutions.
  3. Assessment Management: This mainly includes quantitative and qualitative assessments. Quantitative assessment focuses on monthly sales targets, supplemented by phased tasks such as new product launch outlet development and regional market outlet displays. Break down sales targets to weekly, assess every Monday, and conduct monthly comprehensive evaluations. Qualitative assessment should not be too cumbersome, mainly targeting the salesperson's basic terminal work, such as:
    • Product terminal market share: must be on par with the best-selling local product at the same price point.
    • Actual terminal visit rate: combine phone follow-ups with on-site visits.
    • Terminal atmosphere creation: poster posting, shelf displays, price tags, etc.
    • Salesperson route visit daily report: focus on the truthfulness and accuracy of the content filled in. In general, both quantitative and qualitative assessments can set specific weights. Quantitative assessment can be accurately evaluated based on actual sales figures, but qualitative assessment requires dedicated personnel to conduct real on-site evaluations, initially with regular assessments plus spot checks, and later mainly with irregular spot checks.

Second, Humanistic Management

  1. Monthly Gathering: "Attack the heart, not the city" is a classic strategy from the Three Kingdoms. In managing a sales team, relying solely on rigid institutional management may lead to going through the motions. To truly make the team work from the heart, incorporate more humanistic care in daily management. Let the team feel they are not just salespeople but also friends or even family of the boss. Hold a monthly team gathering to let everyone feel the company's culture amidst the intense work and bridge the distance between employees and the company.
  2. Personal Benefits: On occasions like employee birthdays or family anniversaries (e.g., parents' birthdays, Mother's Day), send appropriate company blessings such as flowers, cakes, or other gifts to foster a humanistic atmosphere and earn employees' sincere dedication.

Third, Differentiated Management

  1. Shareholding Management: For outstanding supervisors and employees, implement shareholding management by promising a certain amount of dry shares (5-10%), deeply binding their interests with the company's, motivating their enthusiasm, setting a good example, spreading positive energy, and leveraging team strength.
  2. PK System Management: Divide the sales team into groups or individual competitions, arrange weekly work assignments, and implement a "weekly competition" as a regular practice. Specifically, two groups or individuals compete on results, and the results are published on a company PK leaderboard weekly. The winning side receives moderate cash or material rewards, fostering a healthy competitive atmosphere within the company. Through continuous competition, discover talent, open promotion channels, and reserve business backbone and management teams for long-term development.
  3. New Media Management: With the spread of smartphones, real-time video transmission is common. Mainly use WeChat group management, such as creating a sales team WeChat group. Use the app's "Send Location," "Share Real-Time Location," and "Camera" features to require salespeople to send photos with store signs and location information to the group for each terminal visit, with a designated person for assessment.

Postscript: From past experience and information, successful distributors generally have a stable and capable sales team. Especially in the current deep adjustment of the industry, to quickly break through and achieve rapid development, you must manage your sales team well. One hand on management, one hand on assessment—both must be firm. Once you form a stable and capable sales team, the prospect of making your company bigger and stronger is within reach!

(Author: Zhang Wuzi)

Like this article? Feel free to share it to your Moments by clicking the top right corner.

About Us: WeChat Name: FMCG Distributor Professional Consulting Management Account Introduction: 20 years of FMCG distributor operation and management experience, specializing in distributor internal management: We understand distributors better than manufacturers, and we understand internal management better than distributors. Senior marketing experts help your business grow.

Click "Read Original" below to enter our micro-community for interactive communication and questions.

Learning and Exchange QQ Group: 344257092

Reply 1 to enter the micro-official website to view historical messages.