How to Stop the Slide in Sales Performance

In recent years, the liquor industry has faced adjustments, and declining sales have become a pain point for owners and managers. However, adjustments always pass, and this year the industry is gradually entering a recovery period, with major companies' performance basically recovering steadily. So, what should we do to stop the slide in sales performance?

As managers and business operators, we care most about performance, company development, and sales volume, especially those responsible for marketing.

First, we need to clarify what constitutes a decline in sales performance. Many people lack awareness, perception, and insight.

Definition of sales decline: If your sales are not growing, or even flat, that is considered a decline. Some say, "We're about the same as last year, sales are equal," but that is also a form of decline. By the time you realize it, it may be too late.

We all don't want sales to decline, so what should we do?

Brake Method 1: Insight of the sales team. Marketing personnel must be aware of market changes and the fierce competition. If the marketing team still feels complacent, repeating the same routines day after day without change or innovation, the results will be disastrous. They need a sense of urgency in their thinking and action; otherwise, they'll be wearing new shoes but walking the old path—doomed.

We can hold a symposium with employees to discuss the current market economic situation and familiarize everyone with the company's sales performance.

Brake Method 2: Persist with simple marketing methods, repeat them. Many marketing team members lack patience nowadays, thinking, "We've been doing this method for a long time, and customers are already annoyed." I ask, "Is this method effective?" They say, "Yes." If it's effective, why not persist? Often, customers hear about your product once, twice, three times, and may not buy. We need to make customers unable to forget us, appear frequently in their minds, constantly stimulate their purchasing nerves and desires, even to the point where they feel like vomiting when they see you. Marketing should make customers love you or hate you. Marketing that leaves no impression is useless. Many marketing teams worry about customer reactions and give up persistence. But if you persist a little longer, customers will come back.

Brake Method 3: Cut off negative-energy employees. Nowadays, many companies have employees with negative energy. Scenario: Teacher Jiang Meng visited a company, and an employee complained, "Working hours are too long, too tiring, every day is hard, no rest. Salary is too low." Others complain, "Work is busy, wife doesn't understand," and similar remarks.

They spread such messages daily like believers. This is very harmful to the team. If a team is full of such employees, we need to reflect on our management. If only a few are like this, we should take corrective measures. If you have several very negative employees, you really need to assess and supervise them, because they have become liabilities, not assets, to the team.

Brake Method 4: Increase workload. Once, when teaching in Shenzhen, someone said, "We have to work overtime every day; without overtime, the company has no benefits. The workload is much heavier than before."

The sales team is no different. We have no reason not to work hard, only for those expectant eyes.

So, on the basis of our original effective methods, we can slightly increase the daily volume to potentially boost sales. For example, if we used to make 60 phone calls a day, now increase by 20. If we used to distribute flyers, now increase the quantity and contact more customers. Quantitative changes lead to changes in sales volume.

Brake Method 5: Deeply mine existing customers. Developing an existing customer is definitely easier than developing a new one.

What to develop from existing customers?

Develop their purchasing potential: they might buy more, or buy other products from the company. We can guide them through promotions, service, maintaining contact, and proactive marketing.

Develop resources around customers: existing customers have new customers around them. Let existing customers help guide new customers, because new customers referred by existing customers have a higher closing rate.

In summary, there are three pathways to increase sales:

First: Increase the number of customers;

Second: Increase the purchase amount per customer;

Third: Increase customer return rate.

Brake Method 6: Let the team PK to stimulate internal potential. If your marketing team lacks fighting spirit, conduct internal PKs, competitions, and set reward and punishment measures. Let capable people move, let lazy people feel urgency, and let those who can't adapt be eliminated automatically. The more idle employees are, the more they complain about the company; the busier they are, the less time they have for wild thoughts.

Example: Xiao Wang and Xiao Zhang PK.

What reward does the winner get? What punishment does the loser face? If both fail, how to punish? If both succeed, how to reward? Rewards and punishments don't need to be large; punish what they fear.

If you are a national company, marketing teams can PK across provinces and regions; competitors at the same level compete, like boxing matches where same-weight-class fighters compete.

Brake Method 7: Explore channels not yet fully utilized. Often, we always do the channels we are good at, but there must be some channels we haven't used, possibly due to capability or funding issues. If our existing channels are stable or very poor, we can try new channels. But everyone must understand that any new channel has its difficulties and peculiarities. If you start, persist; if not, make the existing channels solid.

Source: Sugar, Tobacco, and Alcohol Practitioners Club

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