---
title: "Moderate Distribution Is an Opportunity; Deep Distribution Is a Crisis!"
description: "If the purpose is unclear, the manufacturer ultimately pays the bill. Strategic management scholar Weisman said: The solution to a problem always depends on a higher level adjacent to the problem. That is, the problem can never be solved at the level where it appears."
author: "土拨鼠跟我走"
publisher: "New Distribution"
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published: "2018-03-07"
language: "en"
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# Moderate Distribution Is an Opportunity; Deep Distribution Is a Crisis!

> If the purpose is unclear, the manufacturer ultimately pays the bill. Strategic management scholar Weisman said: The solution to a problem always depends on a higher level adjacent to the problem. That is, the problem can never be solved at the level where it appears.

If the purpose is unclear, the manufacturer ultimately pays the bill!
Strategic management scholar Weisman said:
The solution to a problem always depends on a higher level adjacent to the problem.
That is, the problem can never be solved at the level where it appears.
When doing frontline terminal sales, the term "distribution" is often mentioned, because in terminal sales, distribution is an eternal topic.
To what extent is distribution appropriate?
This is hard to say; different industries have different standards; even within the same industry, different brands have different distribution requirements. You must not rigidly apply or copy mechanically; everything should be based on the actual situation of the enterprise.
It's easy to say, but some enterprises are superstitious about the magic weapon of deep distribution, diving headfirst into the deep water of distribution. Due to insufficient "oxygen supply," they eventually "float" up.
At this point, we cannot blame the distribution problem, nor can we blame the deep distribution problem. Ultimately, it is the enterprise's own management problem; to forge iron, one must be strong!
Deep distribution is something every manufacturer has to do reluctantly.
If you don't do deep distribution, market competition is fierce, and your own territory is full of crises;
If you do deep distribution, the overall market growth rate is slow, and the sales expenses caused by distribution are constantly in deficit, making your heart bleed.
In addition, the scale is large, the management span is larger, and retailers are fragmented, making deep distribution a big pit for many enterprises.
**To do sales, you must have both forward thinking and reverse thinking; both are indispensable.** Specifically:
**The universal law of things is forward thinking.** For example: Can birds fly? Everyone knows this question; it is a universal question.
**The essential law of things is reverse thinking.** For example: Why do birds fly? I guess few can explain the essential reason.
Deep distribution: if the foundation is not solid, the earth shakes and mountains move.
**1. Rushing headlong into action**
The manufacturer takes a telescope, glances at the market, and finds opportunities everywhere in the distance, with too many "gold mines" of blank retail stores waiting for you to develop.
In addition, the manufacturer believes that its products can be all-encompassing, with a rich product line suitable for everyone. There is a sense of "one for all, all for one" product strategy.
Then, the manufacturer launches distribution actions, with heavy burdens on everyone's shoulders and targets on everyone's head.
The typical routine is as follows:
First, the manufacturer sets an inspiring sales target.
Then, it calculates how many distribution stores are needed to achieve this great goal, and then determines how many distribution stores each region needs.
Finally, each region is further subdivided, assigned to each salesperson, layer by layer, included in assessment, and punished if not completed!
The manufacturer starts a "great leap forward" in nationwide distribution, and grassroots sales personnel are enthusiastically expanding territory.
Regardless of everything, first achieve the distribution quantity; this is a political task.
**2. Surface work**
Sales personnel deliver goods to retail stores, subconsciously think distribution is complete, and then move on to the next store. They simply cannot attend to store maintenance, display, promotion, training, etc.
The next visit may be months away, and the quality of distribution stores is uneven and chaotic.
Due to lack of management and maintenance, retail stores feel they are being "played" by the manufacturer. Market cross-regional selling and price chaos are everywhere, and later cooperation is fraught with hidden dangers, greatly damaging brand reputation!
Normal store visits should, in principle, be conducted twice per week per store.
But some manufacturers are confused: when distribution increases, the number of sales personnel remains unchanged.
In some regions, there are hundreds of retail stores, and the stores each salesperson is responsible for exceed capacity, leading to perfunctory visits. The quality of visit work can be imagined. Then, they use the "ancestral skill" of sales to create false data and cope with inspections.
Over time, during store visits, they often face disdain and questioning. Sales tasks grow larger and larger, and they can only sigh, unable to turn the tide.
Ultimately, the distributed stores become nominal, management is wasted, and zombie stores—what's the point!
**3. Bubble market**
When doing terminal sales, never look at surface phenomena; the gorgeous exterior often wraps the dirty interior!
The surface phenomenon is: slogans are loud, promises are made with chest thumping, but the result is often anticlimactic.
Sales generated immediately after distribution are not true sales!
To truly see the distribution value of a store, you must look at sales data for at least half a year after distribution.
For those who use sales data of less than half a year to claim credit, it's all bubble market!
**4. Increased costs**
Distribution seems like a sales action, but the supporting resources accompanying this action are numerous; the increase in expenses is only part of it.
For example, your logistics costs increase because there are more retail stores to deliver to. If delivery is not timely, mutual accusations arise.
The number of sales personnel increases; even if you recruit immediately, they may not be able to start work right away.
Channel inventory increases; if sales personnel do not visit properly, products lie in store warehouses.
Promotional resources increase because there are more stores. Lack of market support to stores leads to complaints at any time.
Market management costs increase, and cross-regional selling and price chaos follow.
In summary, if supporting measures cannot keep up, after half a year, when you calculate, you thought the distributed stores would lay eggs for you, but instead, more chickens, fewer eggs.
The manufacturer blames the sales personnel for being ineffective and lacking ability;
Then it recruits more people, leading to increased salary and training costs;
The grassroots sales team is unstable, execution is broken, leading to sales complications.
With such back-and-forth turmoil, the market cannot be "intensively cultivated." When the tide recedes, sales decline, sales personnel sigh, jobs are at risk, and people leave.
On the team side: one bad apple spoils the bunch; one bad general leads to a bad army.
The frontline terminal is far from headquarters, and supervision is beyond reach.
"The general outside may refuse orders from the king"—this saying is simple: in ancient times, generals on the battlefield could adapt and sometimes disobey the king's orders.
But on closer thought, it's not reasonable. Why?
Because that was ancient times, not modern times.
In ancient times, communication relied on beacon fires and horse relays; by the time information arrived, it was days or months too late.
In today's society, with rapid internet informatization, there is almost no communication that cannot be done remotely.
Some supervisors like to say "the general outside may refuse orders from the king," making themselves seem capable.
They turn a deaf ear to headquarters' policies and rules, or ignore them completely!
This leads to local markets deviating from the manufacturer's market strategy, making management difficult.
**1. The three-minute supervisor**
Leadership turnover is too high. Of course, I'm not saying one should sit in a management position for ten or eight years, wearing out the bench!
My suggestion is that frontline sales positions should be rotated or transferred after 3-4 years; otherwise, the manufacturer will breed "local emperors"!
Below this duration, it's basically too much turnover. To do a market well, you need time accumulation and practical precipitation.
"Three-minute supervisors" have a great negative impact on the team. Management styles vary from person to person; how can there be tacit understanding with the team? Where is team cohesion? Not to mention combat effectiveness!
If all supervisors are recruited externally and change positions frequently, it worsens the manufacturer's corporate culture and business philosophy, making the sales team a "miscellaneous army"!
At the same time, customers are confused about who is responsible for the region. What will customers think of the manufacturer's management? Then each leader has different sales policies, varied and numerous.
Thus, "the current leader does not settle the previous leader's accounts," leading to messy accounts, tense customer-manufacturer relations, and affecting cooperation.
**2. Result-oriented supervisor**
It's not that result orientation is bad, but you need a "degree"!
Result orientation must be coupled with "process traction"! If you don't have this traction, you only want eggs and kill the chicken, and in the end, the chicken flies and eggs break!
Such sales managers are good at pressuring inventory, dumping goods, cross-regional selling, falsifying data, etc. They move to another region and do the same thing! Such people have the mindset of "one person fed, the whole family doesn't worry," focusing on cheating the company. Don't expect them to cultivate excellent special forces!
Note it's "process traction," not "process management." One word difference, a world of difference!
For example: You win a battle and deserve celebration, but the company takes out the "process management" token and starts "impeaching" you, saying you used one extra shell during the battle, and they start "elevating" the discussion about that extra shell.
Such "elevation" can dampen morale to freezing point! How can there be combat effectiveness in the future? This is the rigidity of "process management"!
Generally, those who elevate issues are mostly "eunuchs or courtiers" of the manufacturer. They don't go to the frontline but spend time scheming about frontline brothers.
Therefore, we should do "process traction." Simply put, it's a "process review and replay" of winning battles, guiding everyone's standard actions. The only goal is "winning the battle"! This is an eternal theorem!
**3. Armchair strategist supervisor**
Armchair strategists in sales have these characteristics: divorced from reality, idealistic, not understanding business, focusing on reports...
Today I'll talk about "report-type supervisors."
In sales, without sales data, you can't work!
If you immerse yourself in sales data every day, you are an armchair strategist!
This plunges grassroots sales personnel into the sea of data statistics, leaving no mind for frontline combat. In the end, everyone agrees that doing reports well means doing sales well. Isn't that sad?
Data + analysis + field visits make effective reports.
Take visit rate, for example. Many supervisors don't pay close attention to this. If sales personnel don't visit properly, how can there be sales? How can there be customer relationships? With eyes wide shut, it's blind command!
They bury themselves in "desk data" all day, convene meetings, and devise seemingly "novel" promotional plans that look good but are useless.
Such supervisors are good at surface work and flattery. When leaders inspect, they report only good news, set "ambushes" for leaders, and create a false prosperity.
In sales, you must have sales logic. It's a chain of links, decreasing layer by layer. Follow your feelings, and you'll be eliminated by the market sooner or later.
**4. Indecisive supervisor**
Doing things in a dragging, hesitant manner—such people are not suitable for sales.
We often say that people in sales walk with a sense of wind. In other words, they are vigorous and resolute!
Problems in the market should be solved immediately; otherwise, complications arise.
"Let's talk later," "wait a bit," "you decide"—these are closely related to the supervisor's personality.
In market sales, most problems will not wait to be solved at the level where they appear.
To solve a problem, we must think and analyze from a higher level and from various angles.
Therefore, first there is a premise of philosophy or practical theory, and then methods and tools.
Deep distribution: grasp these two key points
I can't say these two key points will make you an instant success, but at least they'll save you some worry.
The manufacturer should build a "dam" for deep distribution, keeping the "waterline" of distribution under control, thereby enhancing sales competitiveness!
Generally divided into:
**Red light mechanism.** Precise implementation based on sustainable research facts, spending money on the blade!
Timely and accurate feedback on frontline information to avoid competitors taking advantage.
Customize planned and methodical action plans. Don't rush headlong; carry out deep distribution without affecting normal sales. Proceed step by step from multiple dimensions such as distribution, inventory, visits, promotion, maintenance, and order, so retailers gain confidence in the brand.
**Execution mechanism.** Publicize the benefits of deep distribution, reduce inventory links, lower risks, and improve distribution efficiency.
Emphasize steady gains from distribution, not pulling seedlings to help them grow. Continuously strengthen customer relationships, improve distribution stability and survival rate.
Cultivate a professional sales team, from establishing offices and fortresses, personnel recruitment and training, to organizational structure and job responsibilities.
Then quarterly, sort and inspect regional distribution retail stores, understand distribution quantity, distribution dynamics, customer sales growth analysis, create customer profiles, and optimize visit routes and logistics routes.
Emphasize that every link ultimately serves customers and creates value for them. Form a dual drive of product sales and brand promotion.
Finally, top management must agree with the entire strategy. We are all in the same boat; everyone rows to move the big boat!
**Finally**
Let me tell you the story of three people:
Because they didn't understand the purpose of the revolution, the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom failed;
Because they didn't know the purpose of the revolution, the Xinhai Revolution also failed;
Knowing the purpose of the revolution—overthrowing the local tyrants, distributing the land, overthrowing the old society, and leading a group of brothers—finally achieved the revolutionary goal.
These three people are: Hong Xiuquan, Sun Yat-sen, and Mao Zedong.
So:
The ultimate purpose of deep distribution is to enhance terminal sales. This is the core, not completing the task of distribution quantity. If the purpose is unclear, the manufacturer ultimately pays the bill!
Source: 土拨鼠跟我走, 简书经管专栏优秀作者 https://www.jianshu.com/u/9c5672a94a6d
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