As the Mid-Autumn Festival approaches and the weather cools, the annual traditional sales peak season is about to begin for many food companies, especially confectionery companies. Most of the remaining sales tasks for the year must be completed in these final months. How to successfully complete the annual sales tasks has become a core issue that every frontline salesperson must face and think about daily. Among these, how to genuinely "fill up" the dealer's warehouse (often vividly described as "expanding the dealer's belly") becomes a key part of completing the task. "Pressing inventory" means requiring the dealer to bear inventory levels that exceed actual market demand or even safety stock levels. For dealers, this means bearing both financial pressure and the risk of products approaching or exceeding their expiration dates. Dealers are resistant to this both psychologically and in practice. So, in the actual market sales process, how can we successfully "press inventory" and thereby complete sales tasks?
Select the Core "Inventory-Pressing" Products Once a product has completed the inventory-pressing action, it means the dealer has an unusually high level of inventory. Whether the product can achieve rapid distribution becomes crucial. In a sense, the product determines the sales channel; different products have different sales channels. Choosing which product to bear the main "inventory-pressing" task depends on the product's maturity and the sales channels behind it. From this perspective, the core "inventory-pressing" products should, in principle, be mature products and high-circulation products.
Focus on the Product Mix of "Inventory-Pressing" Products In the actual market sales process, relying solely on a fast-moving mature product often cannot meet the task volume requirements; more products need to be "pressed" to complete the task. How to determine the product mix for "inventory-pressing" becomes crucial. If the product mix is not chosen well, many products may be pressed into the dealer's warehouse but, due to slow turnover, may approach or exceed expiration, creating more leftover problems. Besides mature products, the selection of other "inventory-pressing" products should consider the following factors: whether the product belongs to the circulation product series, whether historical data shows a growth trend, whether the product is a key promotional product for the company, whether the product has advertising support, and what the future market prospects are.
Chain Promotions, Proactive "Inventory-Pressing" Dealers are merchants and interest groups. The only way to induce dealers to proactively press inventory is to make them feel it is profitable. Direct channel promotions targeting dealers are the most effective, such as "buy X get Y" promotions, which is also the most commonly used tactic in our actual sales process. When using this method, pay attention to the following: the promotion design should be continuous, with one step linked to the next, which we call chain promotions. For example, if we want to "press inventory" for products A, B, and C, the promotion design should be phased and product-specific, such as promoting only product A in September, only product B in October, and so on, rather than promoting A, B, and C simultaneously. This ensures that the dealer's actual purchase volume for A, B, and C is maximized.
Seize the Right Timing, "Press Inventory" First Dealers typically represent products from multiple companies. During the peak sales season, their funds are often dispersed, and other manufacturers will also engage in peak-season "inventory-pressing" actions. Therefore, it is crucial to maximize the attraction of the dealer's limited funds. In addition to formulating promotional policies, the timing of "inventory-pressing" is also important. It is essential to complete the "inventory-pressing" action before competitors as much as possible.
"Inventory-Pressing" Through Relationship (Guanxi) Although dealers are interest groups and their primary consideration is profit, China is, after all, a society of personal connections, especially in the north. Therefore, "emotion" often becomes an effective sales weapon. Many frontline salespeople use this to complete their sales tasks, which we call "relationship-based inventory-pressing." The key to using this method is to control the frequency and not use it too often. The essence of "relationship-based inventory-pressing" is that the dealer is pressured by "face" (mianzi), but they cannot always give you "face." Therefore, use this method only at the most critical moments.
Develop Distribution Policies to Relieve Dealers' "Worries" Regarding the manufacturer's "inventory-pressing" action, the dealer's biggest concern is not actually funds, but more about whether the pressed-in goods can be sold in time, leading to products approaching or exceeding expiration. Therefore, before "inventory-pressing," the manufacturer should formulate practical distribution policies and anticipate potential problems with targeted policy solutions. After the "inventory-pressing" action is completed, the manufacturer's sales personnel should proactively assist dealers in distribution and promotion. After filling the dealer's warehouse, it is more important to push the goods further into the warehouses of secondary distributors or distributors, into terminal retail outlets, and help dealers complete the "inventory transfer" action.
In summary, the "inventory-pressing" action is a double-edged sword. If operated well, it can ensure sales completion and squeeze competitors out of the market. If operated poorly, it can create many leftover problems. In the actual market sales process, frontline sales personnel must pay high attention to this.
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