---
title: "How to Improve the Effectiveness of Distributor Team's Market Coverage?"
description: "This article discusses how to improve the effectiveness of new product distribution through distributor teams. It emphasizes the importance of motivating the distributor's sales team, setting clear standards and incentives, and actively participating in the field to ensure successful market coverage."
author: "刘雷"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2015-01-16"
language: "en"
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# How to Improve the Effectiveness of Distributor Team's Market Coverage?

> This article discusses how to improve the effectiveness of new product distribution through distributor teams. It emphasizes the importance of motivating the distributor's sales team, setting clear standards and incentives, and actively participating in the field to ensure successful market coverage.

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Relying on the distributor's sales team for new product distribution, if their enthusiasm cannot be mobilized, the new product promotion will fall into a deadlock.

When manufacturers cooperate with distributor companies, the market coverage work for new product launches is particularly important. Distributor companies typically distribute multiple brands. If the push for new product launches is not strong, it is likely that the distributor's personnel will not be interested in the new product, thus not fully completing the market coverage, affecting the progress of the new product launch. Therefore, how to mobilize the sales enthusiasm and pace of the distributor's sales team becomes crucial.

**Case Study:**

In a certain market, Mr. Lu, the owner of a distributor company, had just taken on the agency for a pesticide company's products, becoming the regional distributor for the local market. The manufacturer's sales representative, Xiao Zhang, was responsible for managing and maintaining this client.

After the first order arrived, Xiao Zhang and Mr. Lu jointly formulated a market coverage plan and then passed it on to the distributor team. Xiao Zhang visited the distributor's office every two days, asking, "How is the market coverage going?" The distributor owner always replied, "We're working on it." Half a month passed, and the market coverage results were far from satisfactory. The distributor had 1,200 sales outlets, but only 120 had been covered, and the order quantities were very small.

When Xiao Zhang communicated with the distributor again, the owner was full of complaints: "Your products are not good. During our coverage, our salespeople said: low brand awareness, high price, packaging not up to standard, stores have stock and don't need it now, policies are not as good as competitors', product quality is not good enough..." The owner also said, "You see, I've allocated 5 vehicles specifically for covering your new product, but because of your product's own issues, I can't do anything." As a result, the market coverage failed, causing the distributor to lose confidence, and Xiao Zhang's work fell into a passive state.

Looking closely at the above case, it's not hard to see that Xiao Zhang made several serious mistakes: he only provided a simple price system, did not familiarize himself with the market, there was no incentive policy for the distributor's sales team to push the new product coverage; he did not go to the market with the distributor's salespeople, nor did he provide guidance and help for the coverage work, let alone systematically summarize the gains and losses during the coverage process and replicate successful experiences.

In fact, in any sales process, products will encounter various rejections and temporary non-acceptance reasons from terminals. Finding the deep-rooted reasons will surely lead to flexible solutions. The worst thing is when no one digs into the real reasons or summarizes and implements solutions.

Below are some suggestions for new product market coverage:

**1. After in-depth communication with the distributor, reach a consensus and transmit it to the sales team.**

The distributor owner is responsible for purchasing, and the sales team is responsible for selling. With the owner's instructions and the manufacturer's full cooperation, the sales personnel can cooperate better. First, through a sales meeting, together with the distributor owner, publicize the importance of selling the new product. From the significance of the distributor carrying the new product and the manufacturer's requirements for market coverage, convey the "hard orders" item by item to increase the whole team's attention to new product coverage.

**2. Jointly formulate sales standards and requirements with the distributor, quantifying indicators.**

Based on the actual operating conditions of similar products in the local market, develop a market coverage strategy that combines the product's own competitive advantages. The manufacturer's representative should work with the distributor to formulate a comprehensive coverage plan, including time periods, cycles, number of outlets, item requirements, display requirements, etc., broken down in detail, so that the distributor team can "see" how to do it. Only with standards can there be good execution; non-quantified requirements are just "floating clouds," and you will be confused when tracking and reviewing. Doing this work before coverage will reduce many unhealthy market risks later and leave the distributor team with the impression that the manufacturer has requirements, standards, values, and is professional, which is conducive to the execution of standards.

**3. Rewards and assessments are essential; new products need new tricks to mobilize the sales team.**

With standards and requirements but no reward and punishment mechanism, it is difficult to truly mobilize the team's enthusiasm. As the saying goes, "No reward, no effort." The manufacturer's representative should work with the distributor to specifically formulate a special assessment and incentive policy for new product coverage, using a "high incentive" that exceeds other products in the short term to mobilize team enthusiasm. For example: a 5% commission for coverage within one month, with a 3% difference for normal maintenance later; for single-store full-item first-time purchase, with a purchase quantity of 20 pieces and prominent effective display, give a 20 yuan incentive per excellent developed store.

When the manufacturer's representative and the distributor formulate the pricing strategy, these costs should be calculated. For both the manufacturer and the distributor, to ensure effective early coverage, they should both provide some practical phased policies and support, not just showy gestures, because without successful coverage, it benefits no one.

**4. Collaborative coverage, being on the front line, providing feedback and correction during the process.**

After completing the above planning work, enter the field coverage stage. The manufacturer's representative must visit and cover the market together with the distributor's sales personnel, providing on-site guidance and collaborative sales. During this process, you can learn the real information from the front line, and professional collaboration will also increase the enthusiasm of the distributor's salespeople. If you don't go to the front line, it's hard to distinguish the truth of the information reported by the distributor's personnel, and their work progress and status are also difficult to gauge.

**5. Maintain good relationships with salespeople, and have the proper attitude expected of a manufacturer.**

As a manufacturer's salesperson, you should maintain a good state in front of the distributor's sales personnel: neither humble nor arrogant, neither impatient nor rash, maintaining approachability but not losing authority, understanding the difference between work friendship and personal friendship, and keeping communication simple, mainly guiding. These brothers on the front line are not easy; don't be stingy with your praise and encouragement. For those who don't do well, mainly point it out, and don't easily complain to the distributor owner. "He who wins the people's hearts wins the world." If you are someone who works hard on the front line, your state will infect them. Never just command without participating in the battle.

**6. Communicate business progress with the distributor owner, highlight the strengths of excellent salespeople, and spread positive energy.**

After work in the evening, when talking with the distributor owner about your collaborative coverage process, be sure to comment on the outstanding members of the team and express dissatisfaction with underperformers in a subtle way. Don't take credit in front of the distributor owner and the sales team; give the credit to the distributor's sales team. They need satisfaction and a sense of honor, which will increase their drive, and the manufacturer's personnel will also have a higher image in the distributor company. This helps unite people and work together to complete the early coverage work.

**7. Hold business summary meetings, set rankings, find reasons, and let excellent salespeople share their experiences.**

Regularly hold coverage summary meetings to identify reasons for poor coverage, summarize effective methods, evaluate the routes and areas with better coverage, and let the responsible sales representatives share their experiences to drive learning and reflection among all. At the same time, set up a coverage progress ranking to enhance everyone's competitive awareness and sense of honor and shame.

Originally published in "Sales and Market Growth Edition"

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