With the Dragon Boat Festival approaching, manufacturers and distributors are holding several order conferences before the holiday. I recall that seven or eight years ago, a single order conference could collect payments for at least a quarter's worth of goods. As long as there were promotional incentives, it was simple and crude: invite key clients to a meal and the job was done. Order conferences serve three purposes: first, they facilitate rapid market distribution of new products; second, they quickly secure channel funds; and third, they provide an opportunity to thank long-term retail clients. It's a win-win-win situation. However, as competition in the stagnant market intensifies, manufacturers and distributors are holding order conferences on a larger scale. Downstream clients have limited funds, so the effectiveness of collecting advance payments is diminishing. In recent years, the voices of manufacturers and distributors who hold grand order conferences have grown quieter. Distributors believe that holding an order conference is just about eating and drinking with clients, offering little value. They think the money spent on meals would be better used as promotional expenses, giving clients tangible benefits. Is that really the case? Recently, I visited a dairy distributor in Henan, Mr. Jia, to see how he conducts order conferences to collect 4 million yuan in sales payments for a quarter. -01- Step 1: Conduct Preliminary Visits and Research To run a successful order conference, comprehensive research is essential. The market is changing, but many distributors run their conferences on autopilot, following old habits without innovation. This is the root cause of failed collections. 1. Fully understand the regional network situation: The boss, manager, and key sales representatives should personally visit key clients to learn their needs regarding promotional policies, meeting formats, program requirements, gift suggestions, etc. For example, for the Dragon Boat Festival order conference, you could choose high-quality folding recliners as gifts, because the midday heat makes store owners need a place to rest, but they often lack suitable options. 2. Fully understand the regional competitive situation: Find out whether competitors are holding order conferences, their promotional intensity, and the timing, location, format, gifts, and strategies of their conferences. 3. Fully understand the overall industry situation: Determine whether other brands or categories are holding order conferences during the same period and their order intensity. At this point, you should not limit yourself to conventional competitors; any product that competes for your clients' funds is a competitor, because terminal stores have limited funds. Analyze the impact of industry order conferences on terminal store funds. -02- Step 2: Set Clear Goals and Determine Conference Content 1. Set overall order targets and assessment mechanisms: Without clear goals, there is no clear direction. Based on the same period last year and growth factors, set sales requirements for this conference (note: sales targets should be broken down to each terminal store to avoid blind ordering that leads to large-date products and profit loss). Break down targets (number of participating stores and order quantities) and assign them to regions and salespeople, with corresponding incentive policies. For example: number of key clients invited, number of key clients ordering, total order volume from key clients, collection targets, and delivery progress. It must be emphasized that all conclusions should be based on data-driven, systematic analysis of the same period and current situation. 2. Determine sales policies: Order policies include two aspects: channel promotion policies, which should have broad coverage so that 80% of clients can participate (multiple tiers, packages, and coverage), with flexible product combinations highlighting new and high-margin products; and display support policies, such as increased display support during the Dragon Boat Festival to ensure display position and area. 3. Identify target clients: First, clearly define target clients (annual sales, cooperation, capital, warehousing, etc.); then invite all target clients comprehensively and treat them equally; then focus on locking in: target the top 20% of clients by sales, strong competitor terminals, and high-volume stores, with dedicated follow-up to ensure attendance; finally, quantify invitations: by region and client, assign responsibility to individuals, and follow through completely. 4. Determine the time, location, and format of the order conference: a. Time should be ahead of competitors (announcement, collection, delivery, warehousing, and display all take precedence). Start collecting advance payments one week before, inform terminal store owners of the specific time and location three days before, keep the process confidential, and consider weather or other special events. b. Choose the location carefully, considering parking, transportation convenience, hotel reputation, and sufficient indoor space for product display and scene setup. c. The format should be based on the number and type of participating clients. It is recommended to hold small-scale conferences, dividing clients into batches. For example, hold a 100-person circulation channel conference today and a 100-person special channel conference tomorrow. This optimizes service and provides sufficient manpower for order follow-up and closing. -03- Step 3: Pre-Conference Preparation and Responsibility Common oversights in order conferences include unexpected situations, lack of responsibility, inefficient communication, and unsystematic on-site setup. 1. Comprehensive training: During the conference, the actual situation can be chaotic. All personnel must have standard scripts and actions, so training is essential. Before training, develop an execution manual, including but not limited to invitation scripts, product knowledge (especially new products), order policies, profit analysis, communication skills, and common client questions and answers. During training, focus on communication drills, using role-playing to repeatedly practice invitation, policy promotion, and closing scripts. 2. Clarify responsibilities at all levels: Sort out the details of the overall conference execution and assign them to individuals. For example, on the day of execution, who is responsible for client guidance (sign-in, gift distribution, seating, payment location, etc.)? Who is responsible for policy promotion and atmosphere guidance (policy presentation, interactive games, what to do if the room goes quiet)? 3. On-site setup and material preparation: On-site setup includes external setup (rainbow arches, banners, display stands, directional signs, etc.) and internal setup (sign-in wall, product and prize display areas, stage and backdrop, brand promotional videos, and host coordination). Material preparation includes: team appearance (uniform work clothes), promotional materials (coordinate with advertising company in advance and inspect for quality), prizes and gifts (fashionable, high perceived value, and every guest should receive a souvenir), and essential tools (order forms, POS machines, safes). All of these need systematic planning, brainstorming, and striving for perfection. -04- Step 4: Key Tasks on the Day of the Conference 1. Promote well and create a good atmosphere The key to a successful order conference is promotion and atmosphere. Promotion should include looping advertisements and promotional videos before the meeting and during breaks. The host can ask simple questions about the videos during games to enhance the promotional effect. Additionally, the entire company should speak and act with gratitude. Atmosphere is even more important, especially maintaining the momentum of ordering. Therefore, the host must be professional, skilled in both hosting and business, with fun interactions and surprises. The interior setup should highlight new product awareness and experience. Service should be attentive and enthusiastic, with one salesperson per table, and each table should have a boss who has already paid a large order in advance to set an example. 2. Follow up on orders and promote new products "He who receives a gift is at the giver's mercy." The conference is the best time to secure orders. Continuously promote policies (have the distributor boss share personal experiences with simple, passionate, and relatable language) to increase on-site orders and reorders, while being prepared to answer questions. The conference is also the best time to promote new products. Ensure terminal store owners have hands-on experience, good displays, and clear introductions of differentiated selling points and profit analysis. -05- Step 5: Post-Conference Follow-up The end of the conference may just be the beginning of large-scale collections. Currently, the FMCG industry is sluggish, and terminal store owners may hesitate longer, so post-conference collection efforts should not be relaxed. First, clearly extend the policy period, inform everyone, cast a wide net and focus on key catches, and then reduce intensity after the period ends. Second, ensure supply, delivery, and product shelf life. Finally, do a good job of display setup and promotional pull to help terminal stores sell products quickly, leaving no issues, enhancing relationships, and building a foundation for lasting cooperation. Final Thoughts: A successful order conference requires careful planning before, during, and after the event, with clear responsibilities for everyone and every task. For certain categories, order conferences are still very effective in essence. The market environment is changing from incremental to stagnant competition, so order conferences need to be upgraded. However, most distributors still have a fixed mindset, treating order conferences as a time to treat clients to meals and drinks and collect money, without systematic, data-driven analysis of the market and terminal store owners. Failure is inevitable. I hope this article can provide some inspiration to distributors. If you wish to communicate with the author