---
title: "Do You Understand the 'Small Data' That Distributors Must Master?"
description: "For distributors, fine management through comprehensive data collection and analysis is an inevitable trend. While achieving this in one step may be difficult, starting with simple basic data can gradually improve management. This article outlines essential data categories, including customer data, upstream manufacturer data, warehouse data, accounts receivable, and sales personnel data."
author: "潘文富"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2017-06-04"
language: "en"
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# Do You Understand the 'Small Data' That Distributors Must Master?

> For distributors, fine management through comprehensive data collection and analysis is an inevitable trend. While achieving this in one step may be difficult, starting with simple basic data can gradually improve management. This article outlines essential data categories, including customer data, upstream manufacturer data, warehouse data, accounts receivable, and sales personnel data.

By Pan Wenfu, researcher on distributor topics
For distributors, fine management through comprehensive data collection and analysis is an inevitable trend. While achieving this in one step may be difficult, starting with some simple basic data can gradually improve management.

First, basic customer data
Distributors rely on downstream customers for their livelihood. Only by clearly understanding customer-related situations can they act with purpose:
1. The total number of current customers must be precise; phone verification is the simplest and most effective method.
2. Divide current actual customers into large, medium, and small categories, and know the numbers for each.
3. Within the total customer base, what are the proportions of high-quality, average-quality, and poor-quality sales?
4. From a relationship perspective, what percentage of customers have good relations, average relations, and poor relations?
5. How many blank outlets remain? Are these blank outlets new stores that haven't been approached, or were they previously cooperative but have now ceased cooperation?
6. How many customers have historical legacy issues? Problems with new product distribution, display, and settlement often stem from unresolved legacy issues that continue to obstruct progress.

Second, upstream manufacturer data:
1. How many SKUs are there in total among cooperating manufacturers?
2. Among all SKUs, what proportion sells well, sells moderately, and sells poorly (including slow-moving items)?
3. As of now, what are the actual sales figures for each manufacturer? This data must be summarized monthly.
4. As of now, how much capital is occupied by each manufacturer? This includes prepayments to manufacturers, the value of inventory, and various expenses advanced on their behalf.
5. As of now, what are the amounts of products pending return, exchange, or disposal for each manufacturer?

Third, basic warehouse data
Whether warehouse data is clear affects distributors' decisions on shipping and receiving goods:
1. What is the total warehouse area? After deducting aisles, loading/unloading areas, and office space, what is the actual stacking area?
2. In the stacking area, how is the space divided among normal goods, goods pending return/exchange that cannot be sold normally, and various gifts, promotional materials, miscellaneous items, and large equipment? What is the ratio?
3. How long does a full inventory count take? This should be compared annually. Strictly speaking, under the same area and quantity of goods, the inventory time should decrease year by year.

Fourth, basic accounts receivable data:
1. As of now, what is the total amount of accounts receivable?
2. Within current accounts receivable, how much is from normal contractual agreements, and how much is due to human factors or industry practices?
3. Among accounts receivable, what proportion is expected to be collected on time, and what proportion has issues or is overdue?
4. What is the ratio of accounts receivable to total sales, and how does it compare to the same period last year?

Finally, basic data on sales personnel:
1. Within the sales team, what proportion maintains stable performance, and what proportion has fluctuating performance?
2. In terms of actual work status, what proportion can keep up with company development? What proportion needs strengthened management and supervision to keep up? How many are essentially candidates for elimination?
3. Based on historical turnover data, how many employees have worked for less than six months, six months to one year, one to two years, and more than two years?

These data points are basic operational data and are not complicated to collect. Data itself cannot directly solve problems, but it can give bosses a clear picture, reduce ambiguity, provide a basis for analysis and judgment in relevant decisions, and reduce impulsive decision-making.

**Source: Tangjiu Kuaixun (ID: tjkx99)**
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