By Zhao Haiyong, Shengchu Consulting Salespeople visiting distribution channels are often left speechless and at a loss by a single sentence from the store owner. To avoid this situation, I have compiled response strategies based on my own practice and lessons learned, as a basic skill for salespeople. I hope everyone can learn the general skills of listening, analyzing, and responding to rejections. If the other party has a hundred reasons to refuse us, we certainly have a thousand reasons to persuade them!

1. "I've never heard of your brand—it's a no-name brand, hard to sell." Rejection background: Promoting products in markets with weak foundations or no prior sales. Response strategies:

  1. Make a good impression on the store owner to increase their willingness to accept the product.
  2. Use the company's service quality to alleviate concerns about slow sales.
  3. Introduce the company's well-selling, high-profile products to create positive associations.
  4. Observe the store's products and the external sales environment to recommend suitable products.
  5. Inform the store owner about the company's advertising schedule and content.
  6. Be thoroughly familiar with competitors' situations and professionally analyze your product's advantages, especially profit advantages.

2. "I'm busy right now, no time. Come back in a few days." Rejection background: The owner is using busyness as an excuse or is genuinely busy. Response strategies:

  1. Find opportunities to help with their busy work—such as organizing products or cleaning shelves—to find a moment to engage.
  2. Once their mood eases, either proceed with the pitch or politely exit, emphasizing your next visit time.
  3. Be observant. See what the owner is busy with and use that as an entry point. For example, if they're watching stocks, analyze the market; if they're watching NBA, talk about LeBron James—cater to their interests!

3. "I have so many customers, but none have ever specifically asked for your product." Rejection background: The customer has not sold or is selling only a small amount of your product, and compared to other brands, no consumers are asking for it by name. Response strategies:

  1. Inform the customer that the company's product is in the promotion stage in this area, but in other places, sales and reorders are very good (give examples).
  2. Tell them about the company's determination to operate the market and the service methods provided.
  3. Inform them about the company's advertising investment and prompt them to recall the ad content.
  4. Suggest the customer increase their product range so consumers can buy after seeing the ads.
  5. Analyze how a nearby liquor store has sold a certain amount since their last order, and that consumers are very receptive. Analyzing from the perspective of their peers is more effective.

4. "We only sell product X; other products don't sell." Rejection background: The store has always sold a narrow range of products and rarely sells others. Response strategies:

  1. Introduce products sold at neighboring stores and compare sales to induce a competitive mindset.
  2. Analyze how different consumer groups in different areas have different product needs and how product variety affects their business.
  3. If necessary, make commitments to alleviate concerns (e.g., exchange or return policies).

5. "My store is small, business is poor, I can't take on too many products." Rejection background: Business is not good, few customers, and fear of overstocking if they order more. Response strategies:

  1. Ask about the surrounding population and their buying habits.
  2. Based on the reasons, give confidence in terms of increasing variety, customer base, and sales guarantees.
  3. The smaller the store, the greater the opportunity. Adding products increases consumer choice, which in turn drives customers to buy more varieties.

6. "I just stocked up on other products; my inventory is high." Rejection background: They have indeed just received products from other manufacturers, and available space is occupied. Response strategies:

  1. Provide active service, wipe products, and organize to create effective space.
  2. Based on the customer's attitude, recommend product selling points and promotional policies.
  3. For the order quantity, aim for small quantities but a variety of products to close the deal.
  4. Use the promise of helping with sell-through as an attraction. For example, say, "How about this: you take three cases first, and I'll come to your store every day to help you sell. Once they're moving well, I'll leave."

7. "I don't know if it'll sell. Leave a few cases first, and I'll pay after they're sold." Rejection background: The product has weak sales in this area, the customer fears the risk of accepting the product, or uses credit as an excuse to refuse. Response strategies:

  1. Offer products with effective promotional policies, attract with profit, and mention that the activity is time-limited to grab the owner's attention.
  2. Provide strong confidence and commitments regarding timely tracking, feedback, and after-sales service to dispel concerns.
  3. Tell the owner plainly, "I'm just an employee; my boss doesn't allow this. If I did, I'd be fired! I only earn 1,500 yuan a month, so I can't take that risk." This can win the owner's sympathy.

8. "The boss only gets goods from the secondary distributor." Rejection background: The owner is accustomed to or finds it convenient to order from a secondary distributor, and the price difference between that and direct supply is minimal or nonexistent. Response strategies: Compare the pros and cons of the two supply methods in terms of after-sales service, promotional policies, new product recommendations, and information sharing, emphasizing the advantages of direct supply from the company.

9. "The shelves are too small; there's no place to put it. Let's see how it goes." Rejection background: The excuse is that the shelves are too small and already full, or the space is indeed too small. Response strategies:

  1. Stand in the customer's shoes and avoid the sales pitch for the moment.
  2. Wipe products and shelves, and organize the customer's cluttered items. Based on the space created, decide on the next sales move.

10. "Your products are being price-cut by competitors; there's no profit." Rejection background: High distribution rate leads customers to slash prices to compete for business, reducing retail profits. Response strategies:

  1. Tactfully explain that the product can bring convenience to consumers and drive sales of other products through cross-selling.
  2. Ask about the reasons for the current retail price drop and emphasize future control and improvement measures.
  3. Give confidence in the pricing, promotional policies, and process control of newly launched products.

11. "There are so many varieties with similar prices; all liquor is the same. One kind is enough." Rejection background: The customer already has one variety of this product (or a competitor's), doesn't want to accept another variety, and lacks the concept of full distribution. Response strategies:

  1. Use route cards to show the customer the actual sales of multiple varieties and specifications at neighboring stores.
  2. Analyze how a single variety, specification, or price point leads to customer loss and affects their business.
  3. Recommend products to meet 100% of consumer demand.

12. "I can only sell low-end products; high-end ones don't sell." Rejection background: The customer has long sold low-end products or previously failed to sell high-priced items, leading to a fixed perception. Response strategies:

  1. Start a casual conversation from the low-end angle, analyze the current industry situation for high, medium, and low-end liquor—not too professionally, but so the owner can understand. Then clearly state your product's advantages.
  2. Discuss the sales expansion of neighboring stores and its impact on their business, while adding reassurances to alleviate sales concerns.

13. "Your company's products are priced higher than other companies'." Rejection background: The main product or the owner's primary product is priced higher than similar competitor products, or a large price increase has created the impression of high prices. Response strategies:

  1. Be thoroughly familiar with competitors' pricing and promotions, and have a clear understanding of the differences between your product and competitors'.
  2. Escape the quagmire of price comparison by using service quality, product reorder rates, and ordering methods with low quantities and multiple items to persuade indirectly.
  3. Collect reasonable data on competitors and suggest appropriate countermeasures to superiors.

14. "Poor packaging, bad quality and taste, gives headaches." Rejection background: The owner judges from their own senses or has heard some consumer feedback, leading to a negative quality perception. Response strategies:

  1. Continue the owner's topic to find the source of information (confirm whether it's consumer feedback or the owner's excuse).
  2. Explain the product's drinking method and quality characteristics.
  3. Analyze based on sales at other stores or taste test results.

15. "I've been selling your products for a long time and never received any rewards." Rejection background: The customer has a long-term supply relationship with the company, has sold many products, likes to see themselves as a contributor, but feels unbalanced for not receiving extra rewards. Response strategies:

  1. Analyze the profits brought by the fast turnover of main products.
  2. Recommend new products with promotional policies to follow up.

16. "I still have stock from the last order; it hasn't sold much. I don't need any now." Rejection background: They indeed have stock, but it's not selling. Response strategies: Check the order date, ask about the retail price, and make effective recommendations based on that.

17. "You don't exchange or return damaged products, unlike other manufacturers." Rejection background: They have sold or are selling the company's products, but due to unclear promotional product terms, misunderstandings occurred, or actual damage caused losses, and they expect help. Response strategies:

  1. Find out the cause of the damage and make suggestions to the customer.
  2. Resolve the issue based on current policies or after communicating with superiors.
  3. Explain the company's future service methods, content, and the cooperation expected from the customer, then proceed with the next sales steps.

18. "When sales are good, you control supply and don't deliver; when sales are bad, you come to push products." Rejection background: Due to distribution or capacity issues, the customer experienced stockouts, leading to dissatisfaction with service. Response strategies:

  1. Tactfully explain the reasons for supply shortages, apologize to the customer, and understand the current sales situation.
  2. Introduce the company's future measures for distribution, service, and visit frequency, and give the customer confidence in a harmonious atmosphere.

19. "Wait a while; I'll order next time." Rejection background: The product hasn't brought special benefits to the customer, so they're indifferent, and this is an emotional rejection to get rid of the salesperson. Response strategies:

  1. Find topics or reasons that interest the customer and chat to build rapport.
  2. Organize existing products and look for opportunities to discuss new products and promotional policies.

20. "I've sold your products before; they sold slowly. I don't want to sell them now." Rejection background: They sold before, but reorders were slow, or even not a single case sold, causing overstock. Response strategies:

  1. First, draw out the reasons for poor sales from the owner's comments and ask about competitor measures.
  2. Based on the results, explain and promise the company's efforts to increase consumer pull and improve after-sales service.

These are some of the language response issues that salespeople commonly encounter during distribution, as summarized by the author. Each response strategy has been carefully considered and refined. They may not be universally effective, but they will definitely help with distribution!

Source: Micro Wine -END-

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