Recently, many distributors have asked me why sales haven't recovered even after the pandemic. I didn't answer directly but asked how long it had been since they visited the front lines. Most bosses have been away from the front lines for too long, unaware of how well terminal customer relations are maintained—a serious problem!
Customer relations aren't built by routine visits and casual words; they require time, understanding, and trust. This process needs not only the efforts of salespeople but also the supervision and support of distributors.
-01- How Important Is Maintaining Good Customer Relations? Customer relations are defined as a lasting, mutually trusting, win-win relationship with both commercial and personal value. Simply put, the quality of customer relations determines the size of sales!
Especially now, with intensified industry competition, small terminal stores have successfully reversed control by monopolizing consumer resources, no longer constrained by products or distributors. Customers can switch products at any time—for example, with mineral water, brands like Nongfu Spring, C'estbon, and Ganten; missing one or two brands doesn't matter much.
Terminal resources are the last and most important link for brand owners to compete for consumers. For distributors, retail terminals are their core resource and the most critical competitiveness connecting upstream manufacturers.
It's no exaggeration to say that only when customer relations are built and managed well can they create wealth for us.
Furthermore, over 90% of sales declines and customer losses are due to untimely or improper handling of issues, which damages customer relations. For example, if salespeople don't exchange near-expiry or damaged products, customers lose trust in after-sales and may stop ordering next time.
When customers reject you, 90% of the time it's not about your product but because they don't trust you! There's no emotional connection!
What can good customer relations bring to distributors? First, directly promote sales and brand communication. Second, effectively reduce terminal operating costs—with the same display fee, your display gets the best and largest space; with the same promotion, small stores will actively recommend your products.
It's fair to say that 99% of salespeople know that good customer relations lead to higher sales, but truly maintaining them is not easy. Let's discuss how to do it.
-02- How to Maintain Good Customer Relations? Distribution is about dealing with people, and salespeople are the most direct contact with customers. So the key to maintaining customer relations starts with salespeople. Their character is important—don't fool customers. Once fooled, they won't trust you, and next time they might switch to competitors' products.
Customer relations at retail stores are built through frequent visits; the foundation is doing your own job well.
Salespeople should regularly check customers' products and promptly put warehouse stock on shelves. Help customers manage inventory and restocking frequency, ensure fresh product dates, and avoid maliciously overstocking. Handle near-expiry, broken, damaged, or defective products promptly with returns or exchanges.
Fulfill promised rewards or rebates on time. Address customer complaints or issues immediately, with a response within 24 hours. Design a reasonable pricing system and manage it strictly to maintain price stability in the distribution area, ensuring customers make money.
Don't argue with customers, whether they're right or wrong; arguments can lose customers. Don't dwell on customers' shortcomings; handle them tactfully.
Using company policies or activities to help terminals is also an effective way to improve customer relations.
Take Anshan Hongye Hengda as an example: the company policy is buy 6 boxes of soybean oil, get 1 free, and salespeople have discretion. When a customer orders 6 boxes, the salesperson can tell the store owner, "You didn't make money on the last new product launch; I'll add an extra bottle of oil as compensation next delivery." The salesperson flexibly turns company policy into a bargaining chip for customer relations.
New product promotions usually come with promotional tools and materials. Salespeople can use these to assist customers in moving products, such as helping with eye-catching displays. If customers find them pleasing, they'll naturally approve of you.
Use company or manufacturer resources to meet customers' special needs. For example, if a customer's store sign is damaged and needs replacement, you can proactively offer to replace it, as manufacturers are usually willing to do store signs, and distributors can use manufacturer resources to negotiate with customers.
Value-added services are a shortcut to improving customer relations. What are value-added services? They are services that competitors might not provide.
There are many value-added services; many distributors may have thought of them but didn't persist. For example, cleaning customers' shelf products neatly to facilitate product movement.
Hongye Hengda salespeople carry a towel when visiting terminals. Upon arrival, they first wipe the displays clean, not only their own products but also competitors'. Usually, salespeople toss competitors' products aside, which customers dislike.
Proactively help customers tidy up their warehouses. For example, with rice and flour products, humidity can cause issues. Some customers put only a cardboard under the rice, which can attract bugs. So we provide pallets and shelves, teaching customers scientific storage to reduce losses.
Moreover, treat customers as friends, and treat their family matters as your own, helping whenever possible. For instance, a customer's house caught fire and everything was burned. One of our salespeople helped clean up all day. We also applied to headquarters to allow that store to receive goods first and pay later, with the salesperson guaranteeing the debt. Later, that customer opened and sold only our products, not competitors'.
Salespeople should be attentive and respect customers. On holidays or weather changes, proactively send greetings and reminders, making customers feel you truly care and respect them. Remember, never send mass greetings—customers can tell immediately.
Everything is relative; customers compare salespeople from different companies. If you do well, customers know it.
Professional support and advice are the core of maintaining customer relations. Profit is the key to driving small stores. Besides existing product profits, finding new profit points for terminals is the core work for distributors.
Help customers with market information and changes, cultivate their product knowledge, and make them see you as an expert. For example, if the company has a new policy or a price increase next month, you can inform customers in advance so they can stock up. When prices actually rise, customers will be grateful.
Also, small store owners often lack deep product knowledge. Salespeople should proactively explain product advantages, functions, and selling points to help customers sell. Help customers analyze their business, share success stories from other customers, and provide more value-added services.
-03- Summary For small store owners, service = care = customer relations. Some might say salespeople's care is fake, with ulterior motives. But conversely, if someone is willing to care for you with a purpose for a lifetime, wouldn't you be happy? The most effective service is one that moves customers, especially service unrelated to the product.
An important belief about service: I am a service provider; the quality of my service is directly proportional to my life quality and personal achievement. If you don't care for customers sincerely and serve them genuinely, your competitors will gladly do it, and your sales won't succeed.
Customer relations are not built overnight but through gradual accumulation, not only in salespeople's service but also in distributors' continuous interaction with terminals.
Tips will be paid 400-2000 yuan once adopted.