---
title: "Facts, Data, and Attitude: The Three Core Elements to Persuade Distributors"
description: "Manufacturers and distributors have always been both partners and adversaries. In this dynamic, salespeople often struggle to persuade distributors to wholeheartedly promote their products. This article outlines three practical methods—using facts, data, and the right attitude—to effectively convince distributors and foster cooperation."
author: "New Distribution"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2016-01-25"
language: "en"
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# Facts, Data, and Attitude: The Three Core Elements to Persuade Distributors

> Manufacturers and distributors have always been both partners and adversaries. In this dynamic, salespeople often struggle to persuade distributors to wholeheartedly promote their products. This article outlines three practical methods—using facts, data, and the right attitude—to effectively convince distributors and foster cooperation.

Manufacturers and distributors have always been both partners and adversaries. In this game, how salespeople persuade distributors to operate their products with dedication and focus has become the biggest challenge. Every manufacturer and salesperson seeks the secret to making distributors compliant and obedient. In practice, I have seen many eloquent salespeople exhaust all their tricks to persuade distributors to carry their products, cooperate with promotions, and work together to develop the market, yet they still fail to win over the distributor. The reason is that these salespeople do not understand what distributors truly need, nor do they have the right approach to negotiate. The following "three tricks" are simple, practical, scientific, and artistic methods that I have summarized. They may help salespeople who are stuck on the surface. Why not give them a try?

**First Trick: Use Facts as Evidence**
Many salespeople try hard to win over distributors at the negotiation table, using their eloquence, ability, and the manufacturer's advantages. I believe these methods might have worked ten years ago, but now they are ineffective because distributors no longer trust a salesperson's one-sided story. Talk is cheap; seeing is believing. Facts speak louder than words.

However, every industry has some "bragging experts." Why are they called that? Because these experts only talk and rarely use facts to illustrate marketing issues. They are all talk and no action. Their examples come from foreign books or outdated cases from famous companies. Therefore, distributors often call them "XX bragging expert" or "one of the industry's biggest blowhards."

In fact, using real facts to illustrate a point is the most convincing method. Examples are the most vivid way to persuade. In my over a decade in marketing, I often use practical examples to convince distributors, such as how a new product was promoted at a distributor's location, how terminal markets in a certain region were developed, how someone generated massive sales in a system store, or how a particular store was negotiated. Of course, examples must be representative—not ones the distributor can't see, but ones they can see and touch, that they are familiar with, or even their competitors. Ideally, they should be examples from distributors in their vicinity. Remember the old saying: "The power of example is infinite!"

The best way to use examples is through comparison. "Don't worry about not knowing goods; compare them." For instance, when promoting a new product and the customer says the price is high, many salespeople fail to ask, "Compared to what?" or use a benchmark. During negotiations, distributors often raise issues that are hard to verify: unstable product quality, high prices, low brand awareness, excessive channel conflict, insufficient promotions, inadequate budget, and heavy competitor investment. Some of these are true, but some are false. If you merely argue, you will lose. But if you bring up benchmarks and compare, they may yield to facts rather than your rhetoric. Otherwise, they will next demand more conditions and benefits.

The most effective way to use facts is to go to the scene directly. Every time I visit a distributor, even if I'm busy, I first walk a few streets, check several system stores, from small shops to large ones, and observe all representative channels before going to the distributor. Then I list the problems I've seen. If the distributor has doubts, I take them to the scene, walk around, and discuss. Let the facts speak for themselves. I believe no one can deny or counter facts.

**Second Trick: Let Data Speak**
Chinese salespeople often neglect data. I have read many marketing books by Chinese authors, but few use data analysis—they are rare. In fact, all marketing can be expressed through data, and data is the most persuasive.

The biggest difference between foreign and domestic companies is that foreign companies like to use data analysis, while domestic companies tend to quote ancient sayings, great people, celebrities, and leaders. However, in marketing practice, I prefer to use data because data does not change with personal feelings or environment, nor with human will. Everyone is equal before data.

Negotiating with distributors mainly involves data analysis, analyzing common marketing metrics such as sales, expenses, profits, market share, market penetration, number of stores opened, active stores, year-over-year growth, month-over-month growth, and return on investment. These data are all related to market and performance requirements.

To use data effectively, you must first learn to break it down. Disaggregated data is clearer and more understandable. For example, sales expenses are typically broken down into sales personnel compensation, advertising costs, business expenses, after-sales service costs, sales logistics costs, and public relations costs. Personnel costs are further broken down into base salary, bonuses, allowances, benefits, and special rewards; business expenses into travel, business entertainment, sales discounts, bad debt losses, and training fees. Through such breakdowns, we can see whether our expenses are increasing or decreasing, and the input-output ratio becomes clearer, not like a monkey playing the piano—random. Such analysis will make distributors convinced.

Second, use horizontal and vertical comparisons. Horizontal comparison is comparing similar things, such as comparing distributors of the same type, level, and consumer segment. Vertical comparison is comparing with oneself over time, which is historical. Both methods quantify sales matters, making comparisons more meaningful.

Third, use analytical tools such as charts, graphs, and formulas to clearly compare actual situations. Common tools include: data chart types for comparative analysis, for trend analysis, for market share proportions, stacked area charts for product layering, quadrant charts for product type distribution, radar charts for comprehensive strength analysis, and functions for calculations. Pie charts, line charts, column charts, bar charts, pyramid charts, Gantt charts, pie and compound pie charts, and scatter plots are all common charts related to sales.

**Third Trick: Use the Right Attitude**
Attitude determines everything; attitude determines success or failure! The same issue, approached with different attitudes, yields different results. In reality, many salespeople do not pay attention to their attitude when talking with distributors. They may be arrogant because they work for a big company or consider themselves well-traveled and knowledgeable, looking down on distributors. This is a big mistake. Distributors, even if small, are bosses. You have no reason or qualification to look down on them. From a certain perspective, distributors are the bread and butter of manufacturers. So, when you talk with a distributor, you must first correct your attitude before discussing anything else; otherwise, you will suffer the consequences.

What is the correct attitude?

First, be serious and not careless. Salespeople deal with money and goods, so serious work earns respect. Being serious means putting everything in writing, not just talking. Many salespeople have the habit of promising the moon but delaying action and failing to keep their commitments. Also, be truthful and do things as they should be, without falsification.

Second, be humble. In China, whether in personal conduct or business, one should be low-key and modest. Salespeople often make the mistake of arrogance. Some think their high education makes them superior to less-educated distributors; some, being in a big company, look down on the informal management of small enterprises; others read a few impractical marketing books and become unrealistic and overambitious.

Third, always respect the distributor. For example, when speaking with a distributor, maintain eye contact, listen quietly and patiently. Do not look around absentmindedly, show a blank expression, scratch your head, pick your ears, or pick your nose—these are impolite and undignified. Also, let the other party finish speaking without interrupting or interjecting, to show respect. If you need to interject, ask for permission first, using a consultative or requesting tone, to avoid seeming disrespectful and to make the distributor feel you are polite.

Finally, be sincere and avoid insincerity. Do not mock or ridicule the distributor's mistakes or inappropriate remarks, to avoid hurting their self-esteem. Avoid topics they are reluctant to discuss or do not want to share, and avoid mentioning physical defects. However, do not be overly silent during conversation. Appropriate silence shows composure and depth. But excessive silence can hinder communication and may cause misunderstanding, making the distributor think you are aloof, arrogant, and looking down on them.

Persuading others is difficult, but not impossible. The key is how you speak and act, but most importantly, you must touch their hearts and do what they want but cannot do themselves. That is the ultimate skill, and then you are a master.

**-END-**

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