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1. One Plan Every promotion should have a clear mission from the outset—whether it's to boost sales, launch a new product, expand influence, or enhance brand awareness. In short, every promotion is designed with a specific purpose in mind. More and more suppliers are realizing that promotions are not just about increasing product sales; they can also bring diverse additional benefits to the company. The true value of a promotion lies in the sum of sales and these added values. I call this the "comprehensive value of promotion." The key factor that enables this comprehensive value is whether the manufacturer carefully plans each promotion and designs multiple forms of benefit for it.

2. Two Negotiations For distributors, negotiating with powerful retail buyers is like sparring with an opponent several times stronger—it requires finesse. How can you "deflect a thousand pounds with four ounces"? There's a lot of skill involved. Here are some questions distributors must clarify before negotiation:

Who to talk to?—Find the right person Many distributors rush into promotion negotiations without even knowing who they should be talking to. This can create obstacles and losses. Different topics may require different people—whether it's the purchasing staff or the store salesperson—should be determined in advance. Different retailers may have different internal management requirements and authority divisions. Approaching the wrong person not only fails to get things done but can also offend people, so be careful. Therefore, before promotion negotiations, distributors must first "find the right person."

How to talk?—Do the right thing Negotiation requires strategy and method. In general, distributors should grasp this principle: make the other party understand that this promotion is valuable, and that promotional resources are limited. The reason you chose this store or retailer is because of your good relationship and as a special favor. Use the scarcity of activity resources to attract them. From a psychological perspective, people's assessment of value is not only based on their needs but also on whether the item is a scarce resource. Even if they don't need it much, if it has scarcity, they will try to get it.

3. Four Implementations Many distributors simply hand over promotional policies to the terminal and then do nothing, or at best send two people to stand in the store. These are all inadequate. To ensure the promotion is executed exactly as planned, every link must be implemented properly. Many grand-looking promotion plans end up with mediocre results, mainly due to inadequate preparation. Specifically, distributors should focus on the following aspects to implement the promotion plan:

  • Special Price Preparation: Is the promotional price attractive to consumers? Does it "match" the scale and form of the activity?
  • Gift Preparation: Are the gifts attractive? Is the timing of gift arrival and the allocation to each store scientific and reasonable?
  • Stock Preparation: What is the inventory of promotional products? Is replenishment needed? During the promotion, is there the ability to transfer and deliver goods in a timely manner?
  • Props Preparation: Are the relevant props made and scheduled to arrive on time? Are professional installers available to set them up? Are the props functioning properly?

4. Two Executions The success of any large-scale promotion depends on strong execution. Without it, planning is just "paper talk" and may even backfire. The execution of in-store promotions requires coordination both internally and externally.

  • Internal Execution: This involves inter-departmental cooperation and staff training. For a promotion to be effective, the company must have unified concepts, be united, act consistently, and reduce internal friction. This lays a solid foundation for the smooth completion of the activity.
  • External Execution: On one hand, it's the process of the company continuously adjusting according to market conditions while following the execution plan; on the other hand, it's the client's execution status. External execution is what truly turns the promotion plan into reality.

5. Five Evaluations Distributors should analyze the promotion using the following evaluation indicators:

  1. Daily Sales Tracking During Promotion: Track sales in real-time, including recommendation frequency and selection rate, especially summarizing and analyzing failed recommendations to adjust sales scripts in real-time.
  2. Target Achievement Calculation: Calculate the progress toward the sales target based on daily sales.
  3. Cost-Sales Ratio Calculation: Calculate the ratio of promotional expenses to output in real-time.
  4. Shipment and Inventory Calculation: Daily statistics of sales and inventory to ensure the smooth operation of the next day's activities.
  5. Exception Handling: Handle unexpected events promptly to ensure the promotion proceeds smoothly.

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