Recently, while chatting with a veteran salesperson from a major company, he sighed with nostalgia about the current pace of FMCG work, recalling, "Business was easier over a decade ago; we'd hit our targets in the first half of the month, then sleep in every day for the rest. As long as we met our numbers, the boss didn't bother us." Talking about the "good old days" could go on for days. "Back then, the job was truly free; we'd chat up distributors and the deals were done. Distributors treated us with respect, and big clients would even give us a fat red envelope at year-end—it was common." "Colleagues in the same region helped each other out, covering routes, handing over accounts, sharing shelf-stocking tips. Even with low pay, we enjoyed the work." "The entry barrier was low; there were almost no educational requirements." Indeed, during the golden age of FMCG, the work pace was relaxed and free, with simple assessments. There were no complex reports, check-in photos, or data reviews; the pressure was far lower than today. We must admit that the golden era for salespeople is gone forever. More competitive, yet lower pay And less respect

  1. Miss targets, get no money; even hit targets, pay is low At 6:30 AM, the boss's call comes with a barrage of questions: "How much stock are you planning to order today? What's your schedule?" The sales manager is instantly wide awake, rushes out, heads to the distributor, and discusses the day's order plan. In the evening, there's a reflection meeting to explain why the order plan wasn't met. The sales manager nervously explains the reasons and how they'll catch up tomorrow. "Every month, I just get the base salary, and I have to spend my own money on market visits," the sales manager sighs. "I need a drink every night to fall asleep." Missing targets is now the norm for most salespeople. Even if you hit your targets, your pay might be lower than before. "I hit my targets, but my take-home pay is less than before," a salesperson from a major beverage company said, looking exhausted. The reason behind this is that previously only sales volume was assessed. Now, many process indicators are bundled in: distribution rate, distribution rate for key products, display, plan achievement rate, balanced ordering, image store creation... If any one falls short, money is deducted. With so many assessment items, salespeople become numb. "Hitting the target is key; for the rest, let them assess what they want. If I miss the target, I'm done for." What's more infuriating is that many systems and policies formulated by functional positions seem logical on paper but don't match market reality and can't be implemented. But they don't care because they only consider their own interests and are only accountable to their superiors. Salespeople have a lot of grievances and desperately need an outlet. Many call and vent for one or two hours at a time.
  2. Almost no days off, on call 24/7 "Our annual rhythm is simple: it revolves around four campaigns." As everyone knows, the FMCG industry has four campaigns a year: Spring Battle, Summer Offensive, Autumn Encirclement, and Winter Training, each lasting 90 days. From January to December, every month is critical. The boss says harshly, "You only worry about this month, not next. If you don't meet this month's target, you might not see next month." Especially during holidays, you can't relax for a moment. "When foreign company salespeople rest, that's our chance to boost sales and grab market share. We must seize the market while competitors are off guard," the boss rallied the troops at the holiday campaign. To meet targets, salespeople are forced to be on call 24/7. A salesperson from a beverage manufacturer told me, "For the 1L product to expand into the foodservice channel, the boss requires everyone to do night distribution every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday." So someone asked, "You're so busy, your pay must be high, right?" "High my ass, I get just over 3,000 yuan." I heard that a leader at a major company was still calling to push sales at 3 AM, calling several times before the salesperson woke up, only to be scolded: "You can't even meet your target, and you're still sleeping." Busy and tired, but targets not met. The boss says, "You have no merit, only toil." If targets are met, but you can't explain why, the boss thinks, "This result has little to do with you; the distributor achieved it on their own."
  3. Caught in the middle, disliked by both distributors and the company Now, no matter how hard salespeople try, it's hard to satisfy the company's demands. Performance often depends on luck: if you're assigned a decent market, or one without big pitfalls, and the distributor cooperates, you can survive. But the reality is that the market is full of pitfalls; distributors aren't making money and won't give you a friendly face. "There's still a pile of stock in the warehouse; I'll order when it's sold off." "I don't have money to pay; there's still XX amount of receivables in the market." "The online price is lower than my purchase price; how do you expect me to sell?"... "Every time the manufacturer's salesperson comes, they just push me to pay and ship, but they can't solve any problems," distributors say angrily when mentioning manufacturer salespeople. Similarly, if you can't handle distributors and miss targets, company leaders want you gone. "If you can't do the job I assign, you're not competent. Get out before you drag me down." Why is it getting harder for salespeople? Some veterans who experienced the golden age still fantasize about improvement: company policies will get better and favor salespeople; this year's strict rules might loosen next year; this year's poor performance won't be worse next year... In reality, the salesperson's predicament won't change for a long time. Attendance checks will only get stricter, process indicators more detailed, reflection meetings more frequent, and low pay the norm... What exactly is causing the current predicament? The root cause is capital's extreme pursuit of profit. Capital's appetite grows larger, and when profit growth can't be achieved through normal market operations, a series of actions to exploit employees emerges. Setting ever-increasing performance targets; if you miss them, your pay is cut. Adding more assessment indicators; if you fail, money is deducted. Forcing overtime to meet targets... In the entire value chain controlled by capital, the weaker party gets squeezed the hardest, and salespeople bear the brunt. Let's think: is missing targets really due to poor sell-through? Compared to 10 years ago, sales and profits have likely doubled. So why still say sell-through is poor? Because capital advocates for year-on-year growth, distorting market stability into poor sell-through, and attributing low pay to unmet targets, blaming salespeople's lack of ability and effort. They completely ignore the issue of target setting. How can the market grow forever? That's common sense. Why can't they see it? Because capital is the dominant force with absolute say. If you can't do it, they'll replace you. Let's think again: is low pay really due to lack of effort? You need to make more money for the company. This year you bring in 1 million in profit; next year's target is 1.2 million. If you don't meet it, you won't get this year's salary level. So, it's not that if you work hard, you'll get high pay. To earn the same as last year, you need to achieve more this year. If you don't, your pay will shrink significantly. In FMCG, salespeople's pay is tied to targets, which are set based on last year's actual sales. So, as long as the company insists on annual growth, the pressure on salespeople will only increase year by year. Under growing target pressure, harmful practices like channel stuffing and low-price cross-region dumping will only intensify. When market pressure accumulates to a certain point, it will erupt, the market will collapse, the salesperson gets fired, a new one comes to fill the pit, gets fired too, and after two years of continuous decline... Then another person comes, and things might improve because the target has been reduced to a quarter of its peak, and the salesperson can meet it. The market sees two years of growth. Then it's stuffing → more stuffing, price chaos → collapse, and the cycle repeats. Currently, the entire market has accumulated significant pressure, and the state of salespeople is characterized by faster turnover. Unless the economy suddenly takes off, driving industry growth and making targets easier, but you might be eliminated or quit due to the high pressure and low pay before that opportunity comes. Some might ask, aren't companies afraid of losing workers and losing the market? Even if a batch leaves, the company can just hire new people. Especially for big brands, they don't worry about salespeople leaving at all. "We're brand-driven; changing salespeople won't affect the competitive landscape," a senior leader at a major company said. In other words, salespeople are pawns that can be replaced at any time. If it's a new FMCG company in a rapid growth phase, it might be easier than a mature one, but after two years, when sales growth becomes difficult, it will revert to the same path as mature companies. To some extent, this "difficulty" is unavoidable. Most have no choice but to stay in sales Despite the hardships, the FMCG industry still absorbs the most employment. Those who stay and newcomers alike are mostly driven by the lack of better options. "I've been in sales for nearly 20 years. If I leave FMCG, I don't know what else I can do, especially with the current external environment," a veteran who remains in the industry said helplessly. Being a salesperson now is like joining the Kuomintang in 1949. Yet countless fresh graduates still flood into FMCG sales, mostly because they have no better choice... "I couldn't find a suitable job, so I came to XX company to do sales," a young graduate shared his initial reason. "I looked at various company recruitment online, and all they were hiring for was sales," said Xiao Wang, a computer science major who also squeezed into sales. "I couldn't find a job matching my major, so I'm doing sales as a transition." Since you've chosen this path, you have to grit your teeth and endure, because you have no better option. That's the real survival state of FMCG salespeople.