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Another year of spring grass dreams, and the sound of drums is heard again. With the "smoke-filled" New Year's Day and Spring Festival approaching, salespeople are gearing up for a busy season. At the end of the year, for salespeople, this is a critical juncture that connects the past and the future. At this pivotal moment, salespeople must not only find ways to boost sales before the Spring Festival to offset the "deficit" from the off-season or strive for a "comeback" at year-end, but they must also consider another crucial matter: writing the year-end sales summary.
Writing a year-end summary is very important. It can put a complete or perfect full stop on your year's sales work, and it can also help you look to the future, allowing the company and leadership to see the great potential and broad prospects of your sales area, thereby giving you more guidance or stronger support.
So, how should you write a year-end summary to better review the past and improve yourself?
The content of a sales summary should include the following sections:
First, the overall completion of the annual sales task: This section should list the sales tasks assigned by the company for the year, actual sales volume, achievement rate, sales volume for the same period last year, year-on-year growth rate, etc.
This part most directly shows your sales performance for the year and reflects your hard work, so it needs to be described with emphasis.
Of course, we can also go into more detail by comparing the sales achievement of various markets horizontally, or use the 80/20 rule to classify and manage markets, making it easier to identify growth points for the next year and markets that need key support, improvement, or optimization.
Attachment: Annual sales achievement table by market (unit: )
Second, analysis of the four Ps (Product, Price, Place, Promotion) and other aspects:
Product: We can analyze the product mix, including the proportion of new products, best-selling products, and slow-moving products, as well as the product lifecycle stage. For example, whether the product is in the introduction, growth, maturity, or decline stage, and whether the product's quality, packaging, and branding meet market demand. We can also analyze the product's competitiveness compared to competitors.
Price: Whether the company's product price is competitive in the market and whether the product's cost-performance ratio is high, to a certain extent, determines the success or failure of the regional market. We can examine the effectiveness of pricing strategies, such as low-price penetration, high-price skimming, or price-following strategies, as well as the rationality of price tier design and the acceptance of the company's and competitors' price policies by channels and customers, to check the performance of pricing.
Below is a price system analysis table for main products and benchmark competitors. By combining this table with SWOT analysis, we can identify our price advantages, disadvantages, opportunities, and threats, and thus find the price-level reasons for achieving or not achieving goals.
Attachment: Price system analysis table for main products and benchmark competitors
- Place (Channel): Channels are the "springboard" for product sales. The structure, quality, and level of refined operation of channels determine whether products can quickly reach consumers and achieve the "dramatic leap from commodity to money."
First, we need to summarize and analyze the impact of channel structure on sales.
Channel structure includes:
Channel length: Refers to the number of channel levels, such as zero-level (direct sales), one-level, two-level, etc. We need to check whether different channel lengths are adopted according to different regions. For example, in mature markets, we can use short channels; in immature markets, especially sparsely populated areas, we should use long channels.
Channel width: Refers to the number of cooperative channels: exclusive distribution, selective distribution, and intensive distribution. For new markets, exclusive distribution can be adopted; for rapidly growing markets, selective distribution should be used; for base markets, intensive distribution can be adopted. Are we doing this?
Channel breadth: Refers to the variety of channel types: one type or multiple types? We can analyze whether all channels that can sell products have been developed in the market. Is the channel relatively single?
Channel depth: Refers to the level of refinement in channel operations, including deep joint distribution and deep distribution. Deep joint distribution is dealer-led with manufacturer assistance; deep distribution is manufacturer-led with dealer cooperation. Has the company chosen different distribution models based on specific markets?
When analyzing the current channel structure, we need to see whether it fully integrates industry, company, market, and customer conditions, including what channel models competitors adopt, and the impact of refined channel methods like deep joint distribution or deep distribution on sales. Summarizing these is mainly to identify their pros and cons, to keep pace with the times, and to maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses.
Second, from the perspective of channel partner selection, we can summarize and analyze the match between channels and the market, such as whether the channel focus has shifted downward, whether channel customers have strong willingness to cooperate and sales enthusiasm, whether they have service awareness, whether they have logistics and warehouse management capabilities for large-scale in-and-out, whether they have distribution capabilities, whether unqualified inferior customers have been replaced or optimized, and whether new channel customers have been developed.
Third, from the perspective of channel partner management and control, we can analyze whether the company has formulated and strengthened market game rules and increased the "cost of mistakes." Whether market order, especially price order, is strictly controlled, whether cross-regional dumping and price chaos are handled quickly and properly, and analyze and summarize the salesperson's ability to control channels and its significant impact on sales.
Additionally, we can also conduct sales summary analysis from the perspective of channel coverage. No matter how good the product is, if it cannot be seen in channels, especially at the terminal, it is like "a beauty hidden in an unknown boudoir." To maximize sales, we must review the current channel coverage. We can analyze whether the coverage rate of each market under our responsibility has increased or decreased and its impact on market sales.
Attachment: Market coverage analysis table
- Promotion: Promotion drives sales, and the effectiveness of promotion determines the return on investment for a market. The following table is an analysis of targeted promotional activities and their effects for our products and competitors, aiming to identify gaps and provide a reference for next year's promotional plans.
Attachment: Market promotion analysis table
In addition, we should also comprehensively analyze and summarize the execution of promotions from the following aspects: whether the promotion was held at the right time and place, whether the target audience was accurate, whether the activity intensity was sufficient, whether the gifts were attractive, whether target customers were willing to participate, whether advance notice was given, whether value beyond price was provided, whether the execution process was efficient, and whether budget execution and goal achievement met expectations.
Sales budget execution. The market requires investment; every bit of investment yields returns. Therefore, after summarizing product, price, place, and promotion, we also need to summarize and analyze the execution of the sales budget. For example, did the company invest in the market as planned? Were expenses over or under budget? Which investments achieved good results? Which investments did not significantly improve performance and need improvement next year? Finally, were sales goals achieved, what was the expense ratio, compared to the initial budget, was it higher or lower, and what suggestions are there for next year's sales budget?
Organizational development. Organization is the guarantee of sales. In the summary, we can also talk about some work or achievements in organizational development, such as formulating regional management systems under the company's guidance, recruiting and training new employees, helping subordinates become key members, and boosting team morale. A sales supervisor wrote in his summary: "In the past year, we focused on the two principles of 'satisfying the company and satisfying customers,' built a teaching and service-oriented team, started with improving the terminal, and implemented on-site management and walking management..." This succinctly summarized his practices in team building. Of course, if you are a salesperson, you can also write about how to help dealers build teams, how to mentor and train dealer employees, and how to formulate dealer employee management manuals, so that supervisors can see the height of our work and some innovative practices, thereby accumulating or paving the way for promotion to higher positions.
In addition to the above six aspects, if it is not a year-end summary for evaluation, we can also comprehensively review our goal achievement in other aspects. For example, career goals: Did we achieve our promotion goals? Income goals: Did we achieve the compensation we wanted? Further education goals: Did we participate in any external training or seminars? The purpose of summarizing these goals is to give ourselves greater drive for the coming year, stimulate our enthusiasm, and confidently welcome new challenges.
Third, summarize existing problems and shortcomings
In fact, in the second section, we have already summarized and analyzed some unfavorable aspects affecting the achievement of sales tasks. Here, we just need to form a programmatic summary so that the company can pay attention or improve.
Some problems and shortcomings of the company. For example, unstable product quality, severe aging, untimely launch of new products, lack of price competitiveness, weak planning, single promotion forms, uncoordinated production, supply, and sales, slow promotion approval, and inability to reconcile accounts and settle rebates in a timely manner.
Some problems in the market. For example, "half-cooked" markets, unresolved legacy issues, dealers sticking to old rules, being content with small success, serious "sitting merchant" mentality, unreasonable distribution customer settings, and strong competitor investment.
Provide directions for solving problems or suggestions for improvement measures. There are two points to note here: First, "offer more suggestions, fewer opinions." Opinions are just complaints without ideas; suggestions not only point out problems but also provide directions or methods for solving them. Second, "give more multiple-choice questions, fewer essay questions." This means providing several solutions for leaders to choose from, rather than asking leaders how to handle these problems.
Fourth, full of hope, looking to the future
After summarizing achievements and analyzing problems and shortcomings, it is time to express determination.
Because in addition to making a sales summary, salespeople also need to make specific annual sales plans, so here, we can briefly talk about our general ideas or approaches for the future.
For example, a salesperson wrote: "In the new year, I will manage my legs: visit customers diligently; manage my mouth: not eat customers' meals; manage my hands: organize goods frequently, do good terminal display and visualization; manage my brain: summarize more, think more, and love learning..." This shows the leader a salesperson who is full of drive.
Of course, we can also write some "pleasant" words to please superiors, such as: "With the strong support of the company and under the guidance of Director or Manager So-and-so, our region will work together, strive with determination, resolutely complete the sales tasks assigned by the company, and work hard for the company's brilliant tomorrow." This expresses sincerity, boosts morale, and makes people feel excited.
The year-end summary is a display of salespeople's achievements over the past year and a prospect for the coming year. By summarizing and analyzing key factors affecting sales achievement, especially deeply exploring the core reasons for underperformance, it can help better achieve next year's sales goals. Therefore, salespeople should attach sufficient importance to it. A standardized and well-written sales summary can have a significant impact on the salesperson's position, post, and sales area in the new year.
Finally, to write a good year-end summary, salespeople also need to use chart tools such as sales curves, pie charts, and bar charts to intuitively understand changes in sales data and internal patterns, and to pay attention to the collection and organization of various sales data in daily work. Only when these basic tasks are done well can we save effort and smoothly complete the year-end summary report.
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