Some distributors refuse interviews and fear others learning from their successful experiences, which is actually a manifestation of "small-mindedness" and a reflection of self-isolation and rejection of help from others. In fact, a distributor who cannot accommodate others (such as competitors) or effectively release their own value is destined to find it difficult to become strong. Actually, for distributors, marketing themselves is more important than marketing their products.

The bigger your heart, the bigger your stage

This is no longer the era of "good wine needs no bush." For a distributor to look to the future and realize their ambitions, they must first abandon closed thinking and embrace openness. "Closing the country to international intercourse" can only make one narrow-minded and "unable to go far," ultimately leading to isolation.

Because in this era of information explosion, information, as a resource, if effectively integrated and optimized, can sometimes bring more business opportunities. Secondly, accumulating connections is more important than accumulating capital. By adopting an open mindset and facing the media and peers candidly, achieving a win-win situation for all parties better reflects a broad mind and lofty aspirations. Imagine if Niu Gensheng, upon founding Mengniu, had tried to destroy his former employer Yili instead of developing together for mutual benefit, there might not be the Mengniu Group we see today.

Take the case of beverage distributors themselves: in some places, especially in the south, some beverage distributors who were once rivals are beginning to unite, negotiating with manufacturers, purchasing, and logistics collectively, which saves costs and reduces internal friction. Why not do it? "The bigger your heart, the bigger your stage," and this is especially true for small and medium-sized distributors.

Marketing yourself is more important than marketing your products

For distributors, while marketing products, they should also learn to market themselves. A distributor who is not good at marketing or packaging themselves will find it hard to sell their products well. This is like being a person and doing things: only by being a good person first can you do things better.

In fact, marketing yourself lays the foundation for marketing your products. It is essentially building your own company brand. Once your company brand is established, product sales will naturally follow.

Marketing yourself includes: First, learn to publicize yourself. For example, find opportunities to advertise yourself for free, such as contacting the media or accepting interviews with reporters, which is a good way. Second, consciously shape your own company brand. Enterprises need to build brands, and so do distributors; brands are more enduring. Finally, learn to leverage your company brand, using the brand you have built to drive product sales, letting your company brand and product brand go hand in hand. That is the fundamental purpose.

Helping others succeed is your greatest success

Some distributors are unwilling to share their successful experiences, and they have their reasons. This can only indicate two things: one, they haven't done well enough and have nothing to say; or they can't articulate it, which is a lack of self-marketing. Second, it is a kind of self-protection, fearing that others will learn their "tricks" and thus avoiding sharing.

For the latter case, the author believes that in today's highly homogenized marketing methods, there is nothing that can be hidden from outsiders. In the end, market competition will inevitably be a contest of details and service. Even if you share some details, outsiders will find it hard to learn and master them thoroughly.

For example, P&G's deep distribution and Master Kong's "channel intensive cultivation" are being studied by many companies, but often they learn in a "neither fish nor fowl" manner, and in the end, like the man from Handan who tried to walk like a person from the state of Yan, they lose their own way. Therefore, different enterprises, different markets, and different situations of distributors will lead to different marketing models. As a distributor, your successful experience may not work in another place with immature conditions or vastly different market environments.

Therefore, distributors need not worry that others will steal their unique skills and lose their core advantages. Helping others succeed is your greatest success. Of course, you are not doing it for free; you can receive compensation in reputation and material form while teaching others how to succeed.

For instance, some distributors summarize their successful market operation experiences into a model and then replicate and promote it in downstream channels. Finally, due to the success of downstream customers, they achieve great success themselves, realizing a win-win situation, such as Zhejiang Shangyuan Company's implementation of the "Gonghao Liti" (cooperative and three-dimensional) business model.

In short, an excellent distributor must be open and inclusive, good at self-marketing, and good at helping others succeed. Only by abandoning short-sightedness and prejudice, and moving towards openness and sharing, can a distributor achieve greater success and experience a greater sense of value and achievement.

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