---
title: "If You Can't Help Distributors Make Money, You Have No Right to Boss Them Around!"
description: "Manufacturer sales reps often flock to big brands for easier sales and perks, but this breeds arrogance and neglect of distributors' interests. The key to successful distributor management is helping them profit—only then will they cooperate and market performance follow."
author: "朱志明"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2015-08-21"
language: "en"
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original_source: "https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/KcHhpE4GFdRH5RCjRQarrA"
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---

# If You Can't Help Distributors Make Money, You Have No Right to Boss Them Around!

> Manufacturer sales reps often flock to big brands for easier sales and perks, but this breeds arrogance and neglect of distributors' interests. The key to successful distributor management is helping them profit—only then will they cooperate and market performance follow.

Nowadays, manufacturer sales reps all seem to flock to big-name companies. Why? Because big manufacturers offer the following benefits: 1. Strong brand, sales are less strenuous. Distributors take you seriously; as soon as you arrive in their territory, it's meetings! If a distributor isn't enthusiastic enough, you can make things difficult for them, and expense claims get stuck without negotiation!
2. Notice how these salespeople, when back at the company, act like meek little lambs, obedient and submissive to their leaders. But when they visit clients, their tone and style are so high-profile! They often say things like: "You see, no problem with the target, right? If you can't meet it, say so early! Many clients are waiting to take over!" They demand good hospitality venues, acting like regional bigwigs.
3. If targets are easily met, they report to leadership that a client is hard to manage and the market needs adjustment; if a client doesn't show proper respect, they might replace them for extra income.
4. If targets are tough, they apply for expenses for clients who are good at cross-region dumping to keep sales up and avoid losing their job.
5. Working for a big manufacturer, moving to a new house or holding a celebration brings in cash! I personally know of a distributor for a well-known brand who lost their agency because they didn't attend the regional manager's housewarming party that other distributors attended. This is not a story!
6. Big brands generally offer higher compensation; if targets are easy, you can rent a place, buy extra train tickets when traveling, and basically handle everything from home with phone calls! I've seen all these situations many times! This is definitely not news! I'd like to remind senior management: some salespeople are reluctant to transfer regions for reasons related to the above. No wonder Coca-Cola requires a transfer every two years! Good systems produce good talent! Not giving salespeople the chance to make mistakes is also a necessary condition for retaining core sales staff. If these salespeople were all corrupt like corrupt officials, training them for high positions would lead to bankruptcy, right? Let's stop talking about negative salespeople and discuss how to do a good job in manufacturer sales!
First, let me state my view: As a manufacturer salesperson, if you can't leverage the distributor's resources to achieve company sales, you're not capable!
If you can't help distributors make money, you have no right to boss them around! Manufacturer salespeople often complain that distributors don't cooperate. But have you thought about why they don't cooperate?
First, analyze the reasons for non-cooperation!
Any problem or conflict arises under certain historical conditions and has objective reasons. We can try to analyze from two aspects: First, look at ourselves.
A distributor with little strength would be eager to chase well-known brands and hot products, so why wouldn't they cooperate? This only means the brand has little influence locally, sales are average, or the manufacturer has shortcomings in cooperation; the root cause is the distributor isn't making money. Then we must put ourselves in their shoes:
1. Delayed expense reimbursements, improper financial dealings between salespeople and distributors, etc., make distributors resentful.
2. Poor handling of product quality issues, delayed shipments, empty promises from salespeople, excessive inventory, and slow promotional policies from the manufacturer all cause dissatisfaction.
3. Due to wrong approaches, multiple large-scale marketing campaigns fail, and the manufacturer lacks market support, so distributors lose confidence in the product.
4. Regional managers are too high-profile, act like bosses, look down on small distributors, hurt their pride, and make them resentful.
Second, identify key problems within the distributor:
1. Cash flow issues, can't pay for goods.
2. Poor attitude, don't value our products, represent multiple similar products, or are being courted by competitors.
3. Internal management chaos, inconsistent market efforts.
4. Limited by their business mindset, the market remains stagnant, and business is struggling.
5. Poor service awareness, bad channel network relationships and reputation.
6. Taking chances by violating company rules, dumping goods to other markets at low prices, intercepting company expenses, etc.
7. Weak sales team, poor execution, etc.
Purpose and methods of distributor management
What is the purpose of manufacturer managing distributors? To make them obedient? Wrong! Managing distributors is just a means; sales and market are the goals!
What is the distributor's business purpose? Profit.
What is the regional manager's work goal? Performance.
The art of our regional managers lies in unifying the sales market, operational benefits, and performance goals, aligning them with market fundamentals and consumer awareness and purchase, mobilizing various resources to capture market share.
So we can conclude: The regional manager's job = helping distributors make money. As long as you help distributors make money, all management problems will be solved.
Some may argue: "My distributor makes hundreds of thousands or millions a year from our products, but they are very arrogant and don't even respect me, let alone cooperate!"
Then I ask: "What promotion and guidance have you provided for your distributor's operations and market management? Have you mastered the channel? A regional manager who relies only on smooth talk, relationships, and a bossy attitude, without real skills, and just uses the company's strength as a backup, has no room to survive!" To take, you must first give. To get distributors to cooperate, first meet their needs—making money.
Now I'll share a personal case—a distributor who was weak, resentful, lacked market confidence, violated company rules, distrusted manufacturer staff, and was unwilling to cooperate. I'll explain how I turned around their attitude, changed their business approach, helped them grow through market fundamentals, and revived a dying market. I hope this gives readers some inspiration.
**Historical background and market status**
I used to be a regional manager for a well-known domestic beverage company, responsible for developing the Jiangxi market. Before I took over, many distributors came seeking to represent our products, but the company hadn't formally developed the region, and there was no dedicated management. So, as long as they paid, we shipped goods, without verifying distributor strength or caring if they made or lost money, leaving many legacy issues.
Competitors entered early, with strong brand appeal, establishing first-mover advantages and high defensive barriers. Although our product was a national famous trademark with heavy advertising, brand awareness in Jiangxi was low. Additionally, some guerrilla-style distributors had operated irresponsibly, hurting product reputation, and high entry barriers made recruitment difficult in many areas.
To break through quickly, we had to leverage existing distributors and create a few model markets to give hesitant distributors hope, while also radiating to attract distributors in surrounding areas.
Under these conditions, I went to the HF market to visit local distributors. HF is a county-level city with over 800,000 people, with a decent economy in Jiangxi, but our product sales were only about 20,000 yuan per month—basically a dying market.
**The distributor's woes—understand your distributor**
I met HF distributor Boss L. After brief pleasantries, I could tell he was a simple but talkative person. He invited me into his shop but didn't even offer a seat before starting to complain:
1. The company gives no market support—no people, no expenses—and competitors are so strong that it's impossible to work.
2. The manufacturer is irresponsible; no one has visited in six months.
3. The manufacturer's sales manager made empty promises; last time, a manager came, took a quick look around, and had me spend over 10,000 yuan on market expenses, but sales didn't change. When I asked for reimbursement, they said that person had left and without company approval, it couldn't be reimbursed. Damn it, my 10,000+ yuan went down the drain.
4. At the end of last year, the company forced me to stock up, and I still haven't sold that batch! It's about to expire!
5. Last year, a batch had quality issues, and the company did nothing; I had to recall and destroy it myself. They promised compensation, but after half a year, still nothing.
6. Neighboring BB city keeps dumping goods into my area; I've reported it many times but no one listens.
7. In recent months, every shipment is missing what I need; they send me the slow-moving items and often run out of stock. You're killing the market yourselves!
I saw Boss L was getting more agitated and using profanity, so I quickly changed the subject. I asked, "Boss L, you represent many products, mostly new brands, right? I haven't seen them before." He said, "Yes, they're all generic brands with little sales, but high margins, so I just sell them along."
I asked, "What's your total monthly sales now?" He hesitated, "About 50,000 yuan!" "50,000?" I was stunned. I said, "With 50,000 in sales, you support 3 salespeople, two vehicles, a storefront, a warehouse, plus other expenses—can you make money?" He said, "Costs are low here, and with high margins on generics, I barely break even."
Then Boss L continued complaining: the market is getting harder, competition is fiercer, terminals are more powerful, fewer people come to the wholesale market, operating costs are rising, and profitable products are fewer... He asked if the minimum order of 50,000 yuan could be lowered.
I told him, "It's not that the product is bad, but you haven't done well. Across the mountains in Anhui, a small county town with a few hundred thousand people sells over 600,000 yuan a month. If the market isn't doing well, don't just find excuses; find methods! Last year, Anhui sold over 200 million, while Jiangxi only sold a few million. The company's past neglect is a main reason, but you also need to look at yourselves. Starting this year, Jiangxi is officially launched—this is a great opportunity!"
Boss L said, "I dream of doing well with your product, but I can't find the right methods! I'm envious of distributors elsewhere making money! Your salespeople just come and talk nonsense; the company's market plans don't fit my market; they're made behind closed doors. They don't solve market problems and just demand sales."
I checked my watch; we'd been talking for nearly two hours, and it was past noon. Boss L didn't offer lunch, and I was hungry after a 20-hour train ride the day before.
I realized further conversation wouldn't yield valuable info, so I took my leave. Boss L half-heartedly invited me to stay for lunch, but I politely declined and returned to the hotel.
**Back at the hotel, I organized my thoughts from the morning's talk:**
**Analyzing the problem**
1. Boss L saw our product's success in most markets and believed it had high potential locally, so he still had high hopes.
2. Due to past cooperation issues, Boss L was dissatisfied and distrustful of manufacturer staff, with a resistant attitude.
3. Boss L wanted to improve the market, but limited by his own business approach and resources, plus objective reasons, the market hadn't improved, and his confidence was severely shaken.
4. Boss L's funds, logistics, personnel, and channels could temporarily meet market development needs, especially his salespeople who were quite capable, but lacked proper guidance.
**Finding countermeasures**
1. Under these market conditions, replacing the distributor is difficult; even if we found a strong one, they might not push the product. The strategy is to support Boss L; if he's truly hopeless, we'll look for alternatives later.
2. First, establish credibility with Boss L, make him believe in my market operation skills, and understand I'm here to help, not just pass through.
3. Help Boss L resolve legacy issues, make commitments for past shortcomings, set deadlines, and draw a line to eliminate his dissatisfaction.
4. Clearly tell Boss L that Jiangxi is now officially developed, with advertising and market investment plans in place, and the market prospects are bright. If he wants to continue and make money, he must correct his attitude and change his approach.
5. Rebuild Boss L's confidence in the company and motivate him.
6. Personally visit the market to identify problems and develop a market development plan.
**No investigation, no right to speak**
After lunch, I went to the city to visit stores for a preliminary market survey. I found the following issues:
1. Boss L often resold other merchants' products for quick profits, dealt in some three-no products, and had poor after-sales service, so his reputation among terminals was bad.
2. He had a "leftist" tendency; competitors entered early and dominated KA, so it was unwise to confront them head-on in KA when our market foundation was weak.
3. Boss L's human, financial, and material resources were very limited; all expenses went to KA, leaving circulation channels without policy support, so progress was slow. Competitors' heavy spending on terminal displays and order meetings made business even more passive.
4. He ignored key channels like schools, internet cafes, restaurants, and KTV.
5. The township market, with huge sales potential and weaker competitor defense, remained undeveloped.
6. In a newly opened KA store, I found a batch of products with tampered production dates and dirty packaging, as if dug out of a garbage heap. This infuriated me; this is how markets get killed.
**Using the incident to establish authority—correcting attitude**
Back at the distributor's, I slammed the "illegal products" on Boss L's desk and asked what was going on. He casually said, "There are over a dozen cases of expired stock; it's a shame to throw away, and the factory doesn't care, so I found a way."
I patiently explained the harms, but he showed no reaction. His indifference made me lose patience, so I said, "If you don't resolve this immediately, you won't represent our products anymore." I then called the company leadership and the marketing department to stop shipments.
My decisiveness surprised Boss L. He got scared (after all, his business relied on our brand for prestige, and he hoped to profit from it!). Only then did he realize the seriousness and admitted his mistake, wrote a guarantee as I required—promising no similar issues, obeying manufacturer staff, strictly following market regulations—signed and stamped it, then bought back all "illegal products" at retail price and destroyed them in front of me.
**What backward distributors need most is intellectual support from the manufacturer—changing mindset**
After resolving the "illegal products," I offered suggestions for market development and business approach:
1. Abandon all generic brands and focus solely on our product.
2. Pause KA investment; with limited funds and a strong enemy, don't fight a war of attrition.
3. Strengthen terminal displays, focus on campus stores, breakfast spots, internet cafes, bus stations, and some C/D stores to build advantageous channels.
4. Elevate township market development to a strategic level—leverage price advantages, surround cities from rural areas, and quickly capture rural markets.
In short, put all eggs in one basket, concentrate strengths, start from competitors' weak points, and develop gradually—that's our path to victory.
Before I finished, Boss L slapped his thigh: "Ah, we're on the same page! I've been thinking about this too, but I was too close to see it."
"I haven't been in business long, and I don't know much about corporate culture and market models. I dream of doing well but don't know how. I heard you used to be a distributor too; this time you must help me 'brainwash' me, teach me successful experiences and advanced methods from other markets."
"I'll follow the company; as long as I make money, I'll execute without hesitation. I have complaints about everyone, but not about money!" Boss L looked at me expectantly. So I discussed good methods and growth stories from surrounding markets with him. Seeing him go from confusion to understanding to confidence, I knew the communication was effective.
Ideas alone don't create value; the key is implementation—setting plans, standards, efficient execution, and goal management—details determine success or failure. The next day, I brought the designed plan to Boss L, who simply said: **"Tell me what to do, and I'll do it—as long as we can make the market work and I make money."**
**I. The execution level of frontline sales staff determines market work quality; the key to breaking through is building a passionate and capable sales team.**
1. Team motivation: I gathered the distributor and salespeople to discuss market development and internal management issues. I incorporated many suggestions, acknowledged their achievements, raised salaries and commissions, and decided to allocate some market funds as bonuses for outstanding performance. Finally, I talked about the company's strength and the upcoming aggressive market development, aiming to become the local number one brand. After the meeting, the salespeople's listlessness vanished; they were eager to act.
Passion without goals is blind; goals without methods are dangerous.
2. Team training: I trained salespeople on product knowledge, distribution techniques, display standards, and relationship maintenance. Sharpen the spear before battle!
3. Leading by example: After a day of training, the salespeople were still confused. I knew there's a gap between theory and practice, and "standards" and "examples" are the best ways to achieve unity of knowledge and action. So I personally took several salespeople to distribute, restock, adjust displays, and negotiate with buyers, telling them that success can't be copied, but experiences and methods should be learned; everyone must develop their own sales techniques based on the target's characteristics, product selling points, and personal strengths.
4. Follow-up guidance: Newly trained salespeople can't absorb everything immediately, so follow-up is crucial—correct mistakes and reinforce standards.
5. Practical training: You can't grow a towering tree in a greenhouse, nor can you cultivate excellent salespeople in three days. Sales is a highly practical job; skills improve only through practice.
**II. Successful regional market development requires not only an excellent sales team but also scientific market strategy guidance and feasible promotion plans.**
1. Segment sales channels: KA hypermarkets, B-class chains, C/D convenience stores, restaurants, hotels, nightclubs, internet cafes, bus stations, newsstands, cold drinks, campus stores, wholesale markets, township second-tier distributors, township direct-supply supermarkets, rural mom-and-pop stores, etc.
2. Collect and organize terminal information: customer data, consumer feedback, competitor info and promotions, current product status, consumption environment and trends, analyze competitive environment and landscape, etc.
3. Based on market research and competitive analysis, Boss L and I identified the following breakthrough strategies:
A. Target township markets with lower competition, focus on key supermarkets, create model stores, and attract strong township second-tier distributors.
B. Quickly enter township markets, establish second-tier channels, use higher product margins and low loyalty of second-tier distributors to poach from competitors, achieving deep distribution.
C. Establish incentive sales systems to encourage second-tier distributors to quickly enter rural markets, forming a rural-surrounds-city sales pattern.
D. In urban areas, fight hard in channels with low entry barriers and high returns, such as bus stations, campuses, internet cafes, beverages, breakfast, and fast food.
E. Select high-volume C/D retail stores for special displays, light boxes, and store signs, create community model stores, and gradually increase small store coverage and survival rates. Ensure cash-on-delivery, displays superior to competitors, POP materials, and regular route visits for service and relationship maintenance.
F. Pause KA and hotel investments; put eggs in one basket. After achieving phased victories in other channels, with expense support and a stronger team, then compete with competitors in KA.
**III. After determining the overall strategy, Boss L and I developed detailed promotion plans, execution schedules, and assessment methods.**
**Motivating the distributor**
When we finalized all plans and calculated costs, the distributor's face turned sour again! The manufacturer's expenses were a drop in the bucket for such a "systematic project," and the distributor didn't have enough working capital for stocking, hiring, promotions, and terminal credit.
At this point, I said nothing—you can't make bricks without straw! Boss L and his wife went into another room and argued for a while. He came out red-faced, hesitated, then slapped the table: "I'm all in! I'll mortgage the house for a loan; don't worry about funds. The key is: what's the success rate? When will I recoup the investment? I'll follow you!"
I said, "We've already analyzed these issues! Don't ask me again; the key is whether you believe in yourself, dare to challenge yourself, and want to change your current situation?" The distributor didn't hesitate and squeezed out two words: "Let's fight!" I said, "Only by being in a desperate situation can you survive; this battle must be won!"
At the end of the month, I returned to the company, and the assistant handed me the monthly sales report. When I saw HF's sales, I smiled—150,000 yuan, a 650% increase from last month, higher than the total for the first half of last year. I immediately congratulated Boss L and reminded him that this sales figure was just moving goods from his warehouse to terminal shelves, not real sales! Boss L said, "Yes! Many places are paying the first order, and the second order is settled together; I'm under a lot of cash flow pressure now!" I said, "We must strike while the iron is hot; promotions must follow; success or failure hinges on this." Two months later, I saw sales reports of 150,000/130,000/180,000—HF's market fundamentals were showing results.
**Reflections on distributor management**
1. Looking back at my experience, good distributor management boils down to one sentence: Attitude determines everything, mindset determines the way out, and details determine success or failure.
That is, use corporate culture to arm distributors' thinking, correct their attitudes, assist in market planning and streamline work approaches, help improve management, train their sales teams, use sales profits and policies to motivate proactive market work, supervise implementation of market policies and promotions, and use company regulations to manage and constrain distributors.
For distributors, an excellent regional manager is both a strategist and a teacher!
2. To manage distributors well, don't constantly talk about "management"! Often, distributors have more social experience, age, and achievements than us, and they care about face. Instead, use words like "communication," "cooperation," and "win-win."
3. A reminder to all regional managers: Don't measure distributors only by payments; first reflect on whether your work is done well. If market work is done, payments will come to you; if not, you'll be chasing payments!
4. Don't just focus on the "little money" in distributors' pockets; look further—sub-distributors, second-tier distributors, terminal customers. Only when consumers are willing to spend at the terminal will your payments be guaranteed!
5. Implement the "Three Represents" and "One Unity": Represent the company's interests by completing sales tasks and market targets; represent distributors' interests by helping them make money; represent your own and salespeople's interests by exceeding sales targets and ensuring they earn. Unify the interests and resources of all three parties into specific market work.
6. The company is the "Party," regional managers are "Party representatives," distributors are "the masses," and market competition is "revolutionary struggle." To win the "revolution" and achieve "communism," we must "come from the masses, go to the masses," "represent the fundamental interests of the broadest masses," and let the "masses" live well! **The way to do market work and complete sales tasks—help distributors make money!** **The way to get distributors to cooperate—help distributors make money!** **The purpose of managing distributors—help distributors make money!**
**Source: Internet. If there is any infringement, please contact the editor for timely handling!**
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