---
title: "How to Accelerate Sell-Through at the Terminal? Finding the Top 50 Stores Is Key"
description: "A common problem in the FMCG industry is that products are distributed, displayed, and promoted, but they don't sell through. This article introduces a method called 'New Product Sell-Through Top 50 Stores' to accelerate sell-through speed, based on a course by Teacher Wei Qing."
author: "魏庆"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2017-11-13"
language: "en"
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---

# How to Accelerate Sell-Through at the Terminal? Finding the Top 50 Stores Is Key

> A common problem in the FMCG industry is that products are distributed, displayed, and promoted, but they don't sell through. This article introduces a method called 'New Product Sell-Through Top 50 Stores' to accelerate sell-through speed, based on a course by Teacher Wei Qing.

A common problem in the FMCG industry is that products are distributed, displayed, and promoted, but they don't sell through. What to do?
Today, we present a course by Teacher Wei Qing, using this method to accelerate your sell-through speed.
**This method is called: New Product Sell-Through Top 50 Stores**
Case Scenario Reappearance
About 20 years ago, I was a product manager in the planning department at Kangshifu Dingyi. At that time, the sales department and the planning department often quarreled and fought. Why?
The marketing department planned a new product, and after packaging modifications, taste tests, advertising media placement plans, trade promotions, consumer promotions... a complete launch plan was made and handed to the sales department for execution. Then if sales were poor, the two departments blamed each other: the sales department would say the planning department's plans were crap... the marketing department would say the sales department's execution was poor, and they themselves were crap... In short, the marketing and sales departments were at each other's throats, blaming each other.
At that time, a method was passed down from senior marketing colleagues at Dingyi: Don't argue with those sales people. If you ask them, 'Why is my new product selling poorly here?' They have a thousand excuses—'The packaging is ugly, the price is too high, the profit is too low, the advertising is insufficient, you don't understand the local market, the plan doesn't fit local market conditions...' etc. They are full of complaints, and you can't reason with them. Instead, just ask the local sales office manager one question: 'Are there any stores that can sell?'
A very 'mystical' phenomenon in the marketing industry: any company launches a new product, and even if it's distributed to a thousand stores and doesn't sell, there are always a few dozen stores that can sell. These stores that can sell are what we call in jargon the 'New Product Sell-Through Top 50 Stores.'
Ask the sales office manager: 'Cut the crap, are there any stores that can sell?'—There definitely are.
'Write down the addresses of these stores where the new product can sell.' Even if the local manager doesn't know, they can ask a distributor or a salesperson and find out.
Then you need to 'lift your feet high, step lightly, tighten your clothes, dress up, and go deep into the grassroots'—Don't have three people clearing the way in front and five people beating gongs behind, with yellow earth paving the road and clean water sprinkling the street... When you get to the store, 'Mr. Zhang, hello, this is our company's President Wei.' Done! If you ask like that, you won't find out anything.
Instead, go directly to the market, and at the store, pretend to be a consumer: 'Boss, hello, I want to buy a box of one-yuan-a-pack noodles.' See what the boss recommends to you? If the boss recommends your product, good. If the boss recommends a competitor's product, then you have to ask.
'Boss, I'm from Kangshifu headquarters. We came down to see how the new Fumando product is selling. You didn't recommend Fumando. Is it because our Fumando service is bad, so you don't want to recommend it? Or is our profit too low? Or do consumers not accept it? Or did you just grab it casually...?'
'We communicated with the local sales office manager, and the manager specifically mentioned that your store has excellent sell-through, and this month you've restocked the new Fumando product four times. Brother, I just want to take a few minutes to ask for your advice. How do you sell this new noodle product in your store? Here, have a cigarette. I brought you a small gift, just a token of appreciation, a little something. Keep it for fun.'
'This new product can't sell in other stores, but it sells well in your store. Did you do any special display? What price do you sell it at? Or did you combine it with other products for a promotion? Did you give any gifts? Who buys this new product? Have there been any complaints that the flavor is too spicy? Do consumers come back after buying? Who are the loyal consumers who come back to buy our Fumando new product? Are they young or old? Are they strong or look like they won't live long? Are they rich or poor? Male or female... (omitting 1000 words here).'
Please Think
A thousand stores can't sell, but a few dozen can. Identify these few dozen stores that can sell, go to the stores, offer a cigarette, give a small gift, sit down and chat for ten-odd minutes... Spend three days visiting these few dozen stores that can sell. Do you think you can learn something?
Is it possible? Or certain?
It's certain!
Maybe after visiting these stores, you'll have a sudden realization: Oh, I see! So my new product needs to be distributed to this type of store to sell! So my new product needs this kind of display and promotion in the store to sell! So the loyal consumers of this product are this group of people...
When you find the stores and consumers where the new product can sell, you find the common opportunities and patterns for new product sell-through. Then you can find ways to replicate and amplify this opportunity.
So how exactly do you amplify this opportunity? Let me tell you a case I personally experienced.
Case 1: A Fire in Winter—Scene Reappearance
A few years ago, I was consulting for a beer company. One cold winter, in December, it was snowing heavily and the highway was closed. I went to inspect the Handan market.
At that time, this company had large sales in Handan, but the product mix was poor. Only one product was selling well: a retail three-yuan beer called 'Old Dry Beer.' In our jargon, this is called 'running naked on one leg'—meaning your product mix is poor, with too few varieties.
After a day of inspecting the Handan market, I was a bit annoyed. Why? Because it was frustrating—
At seafood restaurants, star-rated hotels, and A-class dining entrances, when I announced, 'Where are you from?' 'I'm from such-and-such beer company,' 'Go away, go away, we don't sell that here...'—Why? A-class dining places sell beers at 5, 6, or 8 yuan, relatively high-end beers. They don't sell 3-yuan beers.
Then I went to premium tobacco and liquor stores. When I announced, 'We're from such-and-such beer company,' 'Go away, go away...' They kicked us out again. Why? The premium tobacco and liquor stores said, 'Selling your beer doesn't even cover the electricity bill'—These stores want varieties that are not commonly seen in the market, so they can make huge profits.
Then I went to barbecue stalls. They said, 'Few people come to eat skewers in winter, and barbecue stalls sell cheap draft beer. Your 3-yuan beer is a bit expensive and hard to sell.'
Then I looked at the supermarket channel. The supermarkets did have stock, but when I checked the production date, it was almost expired. Why? In snowy weather, beer sells poorly in supermarkets, and the beer category in supermarkets doesn't have high sales volume anyway.
So after a day of inspection, I was frustrated. The big restaurants thought our beer was too cheap, the premium tobacco and liquor stores thought our beer didn't make money, the barbecue stalls thought our beer was too expensive, and the supermarkets said beer basically doesn't move in winter. After a day, only one channel gave me some confidence and hope. Can you guess what channel can still sell some beer in snowy weather?
Right! Hot pot restaurants and shabu-shabu restaurants! And those small dining places with two or three private rooms and seven or eight tables (with earthen stoves). These earthen stoves are rare in the south but common in Hebei, Shanxi, and Henan. They're like large gasoline barrels with a big chimney, some burning coal, some burning gas, and they're very heavy. But they heat the room extremely well. In the dead of winter, when you lift the leather door curtain and walk in, you have to take off your glasses as soon as you enter. Why? It's 20 degrees above zero inside and 20 degrees below zero outside. If you stand on the threshold, you're 'half scorched yellow, half freezing cold.' Right, these small dining places with earthen stoves, because of their excellent heating, people take off their down jackets and eat in sweaters. When they get warm, they take off the sweaters too, and customers can still drink some beer.
Please Think
After a day of inspection, all channels can't sell, but this one channel can. So what do you think we should do?
A ship sails by the helmsman. As managers, salespeople and distributors call us 'leader.' They call you 'leader,' so you can't let that be in vain.
Leadership is a level above management. What does 'lead' mean? Give direction to others: 'Brothers, this way, follow me, go in this direction, it's right.' 'Guide' means 'If you don't come, I'll kill your whole family.'
**'Lead' means finding opportunities and direction. 'Guide' means managing, setting standards, and enforcing execution.**
In the case just mentioned, what did we see in Handan? What should we say to the Handan manager next?
**Lock onto target stores:** In heavy snow, a box of beer in a supermarket sells over several months, and you visit once a week? Are you crazy? The seafood restaurants and A-class dining don't sell our beer at all. Is it meaningful to visit once a week? The barbecue stalls don't sell our beer. Is it meaningful to visit once a week? So, first, identify the sell-through opportunity stores: small dining places with earthen stoves and hot pot restaurants, shabu-shabu restaurants.
**Organizational support, adjust visit routes:** Once target stores are identified, concentrate forces to take these stores. Strategically, one against ten; tactically, ten against one, fight an annihilation battle. For other stores, don't visit once a week; once a month is enough this season. For these small dining places with earthen stoves and hot pot restaurants, visit three times a week (other manufacturers might visit once a week). In these places, we must station heavy troops, fight annihilation battles, and have a visit rate several times higher than others.
**Targeted promotional support:** Create a promotion plan: 'Buy two boxes of beer, get 12 cups.' Folks, even if you don't sell beer, you've seen a pig run even if you haven't eaten pork. Think about it: do these small dining places need this kind of promotion? They lack exactly this. This is a targeted promotion plan.
**Raise standards:** Since we're fighting an annihilation battle, we can't take it lightly. We must raise standards (product mix standards, display standards, inventory standards). For example, the visual merchandising standard for sell-through target stores requires at least three product items, nine facings, table settings in the main hall, stacked boxes in private rooms, and single-store inventory not less than 50 boxes...
**Management cycle:** Next, I don't need to teach you about team management. For example: set sales targets for salespeople, distribution targets, standard store creation targets, then month-end assessments, weekly rankings, daily rewards and penalties... (omitting 5000 words).
**Focus resources, hit the sell-through opportunity stores.** Comrades, this is not a one-off deal. During the three months of winter off-season, other companies are relaxing, but you are fighting hard in opportunity channels. This is the foundation of your new product sell-through.
Next spring, to quote Teacher Zhao Zhongxiang: 'Spring returns to the earth, all things revive, and it's the season for mating'—the peak season arrives, and your sell-through base has been cultivated. In this channel, your product mix, inventory, terminal count, and active customer count have all increased.
You haven't fired a shot, but you've quietly entered the village. Focus on opportunity stores, use four ounces to move a thousand pounds, and defeat the strong with the weak.
Case 2: The Red Base in 'Enemy-Occupied Territory'—Scene Reappearance
Giving only one example might be an isolated case, so let me give another example.
Still this beer company, another market called Rizhao. Rizhao is close to Qingdao, about an hour's drive. Consumers in Rizhao definitely prefer Tsingtao Beer. At that time, our beer brand was an attacking brand in Rizhao, a small brand.
I was at headquarters looking at data: 'Hey? Rizhao's sales are rising steadily. Strange. In a competitor's strategic stronghold, I have a region where sales are rising steadily. I need to figure out why. Is it channel stuffing? Did we find a good distributor? Or did the competitor make a mistake? Let's see if there's an opportunity to invest more money and maybe build it up?'
Then I went to inspect the Rizhao market. After a day, the result was 'distribution rate is poor, display is poor, posters are poor... everything is poor. To what extent? On a dining street, all the store signs were invested by Tsingtao, all the umbrellas were invested by Snow, and all the tables and chairs were from Yanjing. It was like we had nothing to do with it. Even so, our Rizhao sales were rising. So what could I think of? I definitely thought of channel stuffing.
I called the Rizhao manager over: 'Old Liu, come here. Tell the truth. With no terminal presence, where did these sales come from? You have the right to remain silent. If you speak, every word will be your last...'
The Rizhao manager was very honest: 'Hehe, teacher, don't worry. Let's go to Lanshan District.'
Then I went with him to Lanshan District. Oh, when I saw Lanshan District, it was a different world. My distribution, display, posters... the terminal image was much better than in the city center. In some stores, I was even the number one brand. Strange. In the same Rizhao, why was I a mess in the city center, but in Lanshan District, it was so good? Why?
I understood. What? Lanshan District is by the sea. Do you understand? Some people say they understand, saying they poured the beer into the sea.
No! Think about it: the shops, restaurants, barbecue places, and farm stays by the sea—who are they selling to? Who goes there more?
Right! Tourist spots are visited more by outsiders. So what beer do outsiders drink when they come to Rizhao?
When people travel to an unfamiliar city, they basically drink whatever the store owner serves. And as an attacking small brand in Tsingtao's main market, our terminal profit is definitely higher than Tsingtao's, so store owners would definitely prefer to promote our product.
Then I asked how Lanshan District was built up. The Rizhao manager was very smart. He saw that the whole of Rizhao was full of Tsingtao's atmosphere, and he had no chance to win. But there were a few sell-through outlets in Lanshan District. He understood: sell to outsiders! Then he adjusted the salespeople's visit routes, pulled all the forces back from the city center. Lanshan District is a bit far from the city center, and competitors might visit once a week or even once every two weeks. We put all our people into this one district, and then stationed one salesperson on each street and didn't leave.
Competitors visit once a week, but I directly stationed one salesperson on a street and didn't leave! They walked around the street every day. Think about what that means? They could visit that store eight times a day. First, they found ways to sell on credit, distribute by opening boxes, and bundle beer with baijiu to get the first store done. Then they showed the first store's order to the second store: 'Look, the store next door has already stocked up, and the goods are selling well'... Then they'd go into the store and do odd jobs, help sweep the floor, serve dishes, wipe tables, build relationships... I had one person guarding one street. I didn't believe I couldn't win!
**In this way, they specifically targeted tourist outlets, stationed heavy troops, and fought annihilation battles. They managed to carve out a small base in enemy-occupied territory.**
Please Think
What is the significance of this case? Can it be replicated?
Are there many tourist cities like this in Shandong?
So what to do? Call back the office directors and sales office managers from these tourist cities for a meeting, go to Rizhao to learn. After learning, return to your cities and change the visit routes, station heavy troops at tourist outlets. Then: first, lock onto targets; second, organizational support; third, promotional support; fourth, raise standards; fifth, management advancement... (omitting 5000 words).
Source: Teacher Wei Qing (weiqinglaoshigongsi)
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