Order conferences are a common promotional form in the industry, used by manufacturers to boost sales and recruit more distributors. Distributors also actively imitate this, cooperating with the manufacturers of the brands they represent to develop their own second-tier wholesalers and terminal sales channels. Through order conferences, they quickly deliver products to sales outlets, occupy as much of the outlets' capital and shelf space as possible, and create a strong market offensive and hot-selling scene.

Distributors' order conferences can be divided by customer type into those for distribution customers and those for sales outlets, and by venue into on-site and door-to-door conferences. This article focuses on on-site conferences. Although the on-site order conference is a powerful and quick promotional method, if not done well, it can easily become a "eating and drinking meeting" with a lively scene but few orders, or a "losing face meeting" with few participants and an awkward atmosphere. Therefore, to successfully hold an on-site order conference, certain details must be paid attention to.

Three Purposes and Two Misconceptions of Order Conferences

A successful order conference generally helps distributors achieve the following three purposes:

Increase sales: In a certain region, the distributor organizes the conference, with the company's sales staff assisting, inviting second-tier wholesalers and large retailers in the area to participate. Through product introductions, policy presentations, and on-site lucky draws, participating representatives are encouraged to place orders, typically starting at over 100 cases per household. A single conference can generate several million in sales, achieving in one day what would normally take a month.

Develop new customers: For entrepreneurs interested in becoming second-tier wholesalers, order conferences are undoubtedly the best way to enter this circle. Distributors can use the favorable atmosphere and preferential promotional policies at the conference to directly recruit them as their second-tier wholesalers.

Transfer financial pressure and enhance emotional communication: It is common for distributors to face sales impacts due to insufficient funds. Through order conferences, funds from participating businesses can be collected in advance, with delivery or pickup days later. This not only temporarily uses the funds of second-tier wholesalers to ease the distributor's cash flow, but also gradually guides the formation of a regional alliance sharing funds, networks, and warehousing. Additionally, many distributors and local second-tier wholesalers or retailers have little interaction beyond occasional business. Such conferences invite customers with direct or indirect business ties to gather, promoting emotional exchange and strengthening cooperative relationships.

Due to inadequate execution, insufficient financial strength, and poor attention to details, distributors often fall into two misconceptions when holding order conferences:

Going to extremes: Distributors or business managers unfamiliar with organizing such meetings may go to extremes. The left extreme is holding a serious meeting with constant speeches, giving a sense of forced indoctrination; the right extreme is casually mentioning promotional policies and turning the entire meeting into a feast.

Failing to maintain proper boundaries: Some distributors fail to maintain proper boundaries, resorting to unfair competition to promote their goods, or failing to honor policies after the conference. In such cases, it would be better not to hold the conference at all.

Pre-Research to Find the Entry Point

After understanding the practical significance of order conferences for distributors and the misconceptions they may fall into, we find that details often determine success or failure. Therefore, the first detail distributors should handle well is pre-conference research.

Investigate customer relationships: After deciding to hold an order conference, first conduct extensive market visits to gather market information, especially to quickly reach consensus with customers on unresolved issues and deepen customer relationships. Customer relationships are crucial for order conferences; if they are poor, the conference may have low attendance and fail to meet expected customer numbers. Therefore, pre-conference investigation of customer relationships is necessary to avoid the situation of "easy to prepare food, hard to invite guests" (of course, if a distributor is willing to hold a conference, it shows confidence in customer relationships, but don't take it lightly; careful planning and invitations are needed, and the distributor must actively invite customers, which is also a challenge).

Through customer visits, investigate whether there are problems in the company's operations. If any, even minor ones, address them early.

Conduct market research to preliminarily understand what policies customers are interested in, and propose initial ideas to test customers' willingness to attend.

Pay attention to when customers can spare time to attend. Different channel customers have different business hours: for example, agricultural market customers are busiest in the early morning and evening; school-adjacent customers are busiest on Sundays (for primary schools, during drop-off and pick-up times); township customers are busy on market days; residential community customers are busy during commuting hours. Also, consider when major customers have important commitments. This information greatly helps determine the final conference time.

Investigate competitor conditions:

Learn about competitors' promotional policies, whether they conflict with this conference's policies, what opinions customers have about competitors, and how to avoid similar issues. Investigate when other manufacturers and distributors (especially in alcohol, large food, and beverage categories) hold order conferences to avoid scheduling conflicts.

Determine a Good Theme:

Many distributors don't think much about order conferences, believing it's unnecessary to make a simple conference complicated. Common themes like "XX Brand 2011 Annual Order Conference" lack creativity and leave attendees feeling indifferent. A well-crafted theme can make a significant difference, enhancing brand alignment and giving distributors confidence in win-win market cooperation.

Determine Scale:

Distributors should also determine the number of attendees: how many customers will definitely attend, how many need strong invitations, how many won't attend but will order, and how many might attend only if manufacturer personnel intervene. Confirm the feasibility of the conference; determine the time, location, and number of banquet tables; determine the budget, including which costs the manufacturer can bear directly, indirectly, or jointly. Be creative with expense categories and adjust sales staff commissions to ensure the conference yields a surplus.

Use Policies to Tempt Customers:

Developing conference policies requires significant effort. A novel policy attracts customer participation. Among multiple linked policies, there must be a standout highlight to keep the conference exciting and stimulate ordering desire.

"Come and Get": Customers receive a gift just for attending. The gift should have perceived value, either provided by the manufacturer or a product combination from the distributor.

"Order and Win": Conference policies should be more generous than usual, making customers feel such support won't be repeated. If there are gifts, they should have value and be relevant, such as ham sausages, rice, salad oil, or even appliances, vehicles, bedding, travel, training, concert tickets, etc.

"Order More, Win More": Policies should have tiers to encourage larger orders. Tier thresholds should consider the order amounts of most customers while also accommodating large customers.

"Win Again": Include a lucky draw segment, awarding draw tickets based on order tiers, increasing chances for multiple draws and rewards, and stimulating customers to order more.

Emphasize that the conference is a cash-only event with no credit, to avoid fake orders and prize fraud. If customers request credit, require sales staff to guarantee payment within a specified period (third-party guarantees pressure both customers and staff, and even if customers fail to pay, they may feel guilty and compensate through other means). After formulating policies, communicate with loyal customers first to gain support and avoid a cold scene.

On-Site: Control the Atmosphere

Controlling the pace of the conference is crucial. A smooth pace boosts customers' ordering enthusiasm, and a lively atmosphere can elevate expectations to unexpected levels. Therefore, pre-set the entire agenda, rehearse, and assign staff roles.

Venue Decoration: Find Highlights, Atmosphere Matters

The theme should be prominent, visible to all attendees, and the host's speech should be clear. Ensure microphones and speakers work, and background music is positive and impactful.

Product displays should be novel and eye-catching. Product manuals, company profiles, and price tags (purchase and sale) should be clear.

Set up hanging flags, posters, banners, roll-up banners, X-stands, and players. If possible, use a projector for clearer product and policy visibility. Hang banners outside the venue to help customers find it, and consider arches, balloons, and product inflatables.

Pre-assign seats to avoid seating conflicting customers together or near each other, and to prevent problem customers from leaking unfavorable information or learning about special policies.

Prepare the cashier area with sufficient receipts, invoicing supplies, and counterfeit detectors. If customers use cards, have POS terminals ready and ensure cash security. Remind customers to keep their receipts and tickets.

Combine Pre-Conference and On-Site Invoicing:

Nowadays, fewer brands actually write many orders on-site. Typically, funds are collected from network merchants beforehand, especially from large customers, with on-site orders coming from small customers and impulsive buyers influenced by the atmosphere. Pre-conference invoicing also helps control costs, preventing overruns due to unexpected attendance and avoiding a cold scene due to insufficient brand influence.

Create a Strong On-Site Atmosphere:

The stronger the atmosphere, the higher the enthusiasm for ordering, and the greater the influence on small and hesitant customers. Atmosphere isn't just about hardware like background images, X-stands, banners, flags, and arches; soft atmosphere is also needed. For example, coordinate with loyal distributors to increase their on-site order amounts to stimulate competitive ordering among others. Set awards for the highest on-site order and highest cash order to encourage on-site ordering and create a lively sales atmosphere.

If budget allows, not only decorate the hotel but also create atmosphere on busy streets. This is especially effective for township customers and when holding conferences in county towns.

Always Include Lucky Draws and Gifts:

If gifts are distributed beforehand or not provided at all, attendance will drop sharply; a mere meal is no longer attractive. Make customers feel they must attend to receive gifts and participate in draws, discouraging the idea of getting gifts without attending, ensuring accurate attendance and high energy.

Boost Conference Attendance:

On the day, check all preparations in advance. Front desk staff should handle reception, registration, and gift distribution, ensuring one gift per customer to avoid duplicates.

Sales staff should warmly greet customers, be attentive, introduce policies, and handle orders without neglecting anyone. Monitor attendance and call customers to ensure expected numbers arrive. Arrange orders, especially from good customers, to lead by example (some can order before the conference to avoid overcrowding and missed orders).

Control the pace to avoid dragging on and causing impatience. Product introductions should be concise, within half an hour, interspersed with order updates to build momentum. Arrange manufacturer speeches to show support.

When introducing products, explain how to drive sell-through, addressing concerns about slow sales and returns. Pay attention to customers who haven't ordered; during meals, sales staff should work hard, leveraging customers' reluctance to not order, and use existing orders to encourage all to order.

Post-Conference Follow-Up and Execution:

After the conference, quickly summarize. Apologize to any neglected or dissatisfied customers, possibly with small gifts as compensation. Thank active customers and strengthen relationships.

Quickly coordinate with the manufacturer for stocking and deliver orders. For customers who didn't attend, offer moderate support. Follow up on sales and adjust to avoid overstocking and returns. For customers with orders more than five times their usual volume, consider not shipping all at once to avoid warehouse congestion and negative impact. Communicate with the manufacturer for expense verification and thank them for support.

Post-Conference Control to Prevent Exploitation:

There are various types of order conferences, but for large orders, customers may pick up goods in batches, or prepay partially and pay later. Sales staff must stay informed during routine sales; if information is delayed or financial records are inaccurate, customers or staff may exploit loopholes. Many companies neglect post-conference control, unaware of the risks.

The best and most effective method is to use order conference management software for tracking and analysis. For example, Suzhou Youshang Software Co., Ltd.'s Supplier S6 software includes a dedicated module that links with sales staff's mobile apps, allowing them to monitor the execution of each order conference during routine sales. This helps identify which sales revenue comes from conferences versus normal sales, and which receivables and collections are conference-related versus normal.

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