---
title: "Practical Guide | Eight-Step Visit Process + Digital Tools: A Complete Visit Checklist for Frontline Sales Reps"
description: "This article analyzes the daily visit process of a frontline sales rep, identifies eight key issues affecting efficient visits, and demonstrates how digital management tools can transform the visit process, improve efficiency, and enhance data-driven decision-making."
author: "邢仁宝"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2019-12-05"
categories: "Distribution & Channels"
language: "en"
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original_source: "https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/yCIhBvPAwKVnlC6DZg2JYA"
translation: "https://xinjignxiao.com/zh/articles/%E5%AE%9E%E6%88%98-%E6%8B%9C%E8%AE%BF%E5%85%AB%E6%AD%A5%E9%AA%A4-%E6%95%B0%E5%AD%97%E5%8C%96%E5%B7%A5%E5%85%B7-%E4%B8%80%E7%BA%BF%E4%B8%9A%E5%8A%A1%E5%91%98%E5%AE%8C%E6%95%B4%E6%8B%9C%E8%AE%BF%E6%B8%85%E5%8D%95%E8%A7%A3%E6%9E%90-28aaa73f.md"
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citation: "邢仁宝. “Practical Guide | Eight-Step Visit Process + Digital Tools: A Complete Visit Checklist for Frontline Sales Reps.” New Distribution, 2019-12-05. https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/practical-guide-eight-step-visit-process-digital-tools-a-complete-visit-28aaa73f/"
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---

# Practical Guide | Eight-Step Visit Process + Digital Tools: A Complete Visit Checklist for Frontline Sales Reps

> This article analyzes the daily visit process of a frontline sales rep, identifies eight key issues affecting efficient visits, and demonstrates how digital management tools can transform the visit process, improve efficiency, and enhance data-driven decision-making.

**-01-**
**Starting with a Case: A Day in the Life of Sales Rep Xiao Zhang**
**Scenario 1: Leaving the Office**
After the morning meeting, sales rep Zhang Lei hurriedly rode his electric bike to visit customers, but his first stop was actually a breakfast shop—given the pressure, he needed to fill his stomach first.
Today's targets set by the supervisor were: visit 35 outlets as planned; sell 100 cases of mature product A (target group: ages 15-35) with at least 15 active outlets; achieve distribution in 10 outlets for new product B (target group: ages 5-12) with sales of 30 cases; and sign contracts with 5 checkout counter display stores.
While eating, Xiao Zhang pondered which customers to visit to meet his targets, but the more he thought, the less confident he felt. He immediately called his colleague Xiao Li, "Where are you?"
"How's it going today? What's your target? My 100 cases are tough; any second-tier distributor recommendations?"
"Help me out. You're lucky—you have schools nearby, so new products aren't a problem..."
"That's it. The supervisor insists we follow the route and gives us so many targets. Ugh! Old Wang's place has volume; I'll check there first. Gotta go." (Nearly an hour had passed since leaving the office.)
**Scenario 2: First Store, Time in Store: 4 Minutes**
"Morning, Brother Wang," Xiao Zhang said while glancing at the shelves and noticing that two facings of product A were empty.
"Our products are selling well, right? How about ordering more?" He lit a cigarette and sat down on a stool in the store.
"You were just here two days ago. Why are you back? I'll order when these are sold. I still have a few cases," said Boss Wang.
"There's a promotion today, Brother Wang: buy 10 get 1 free. How about stocking up a bit?"
"When are you going to deliver my display award?" Boss Wang changed the subject.
"Soon. I'll push them when I get back. The marketing department is too slow!"
"Brother, don't take this lightly. I've helped you a lot," Wang said, a bit displeased. "You have two facings in the fridge and three on the shelf. I still have 5 cases in stock. It's year-end, and I'm stuck with this year's stock; next year it won't sell."
"The shelves and fridge are almost empty, Brother Wang. How about 10 cases of A and 2 cases of B? Otherwise, my supervisor won't let me go home today."
"Your B product doesn't sell. Every time you come, you ask me to stock it. Old Yang's tobacco shop on the street ahead—you gave him some, and he still has half left after three months," Old Wang complained.
"There are no kids near them. B is for kids. Look, there's a kindergarten next to your store," Xiao Zhang defended. Old Wang interrupted, "Enough, enough. Come back next time. I have a customer."
Old Wang didn't order, and Xiao Zhang was upset but managed to say goodbye and leave.
**Scenario 3: Third Store, Time in Store: 25 Minutes**
This store was Xiao Zhang's showcase store. Because it was at a crossroads, the supervisor required Xiao Zhang to pay special attention to the display and relationship. So Xiao Zhang invested a lot of effort and money: a store sign with the company logo, a full end cap, a checkout counter stack display, posters, banners, and price tags—almost everything was done to the extreme, and the relationship was good.
When Xiao Zhang entered, the owner, Zhao Qiang, greeted him warmly: "Welcome, Manager Zhang, for your guidance!"
Xiao Zhang chuckled, "How much have you sold? Why don't you call to reorder proactively?"
"Manager Zhang, my location is good, but there are few repeat customers. Most come in to buy cigarettes. Look—" As Zhao spoke, a man came in, grabbed a pack of cigarettes, and while waiting for change, noticed a triangular stand on the counter reading "Open the cap to win, 100% prize," and asked, "What kind of drink is this?"
"It's XXX. There's a promotion now, and it tastes good," Zhao replied.
"I'll take one, try my luck," the customer paid and left with the drink and cigarettes.
"Looks like the checkout counter is a good spot," Xiao Zhang said, taking a few A products from the shelf and placing them on the counter.
"Manager Zhang, I told you before: you could design a small shelf for the counter. This placement is unprofessional," Zhao gestured. "This spot does attract attention; even if customers don't buy, they'll notice."
Xiao Zhang nodded thoughtfully and brought the topic back: "I'll report this to my boss. How many of A and B can you take this time? The promotion is strong this time. B is loved by kids, and if you put a couple of cases next to the A stack, they'll sell."
Boss Zhao looked a bit helpless, "I'll take two cases. Can I exchange them if they don't sell?"
"Of course. If they don't sell, I'll swap them for you," Xiao Zhang guaranteed. Seeing the new product was being distributed, his mood improved. "Let me change your poster. How many A products do you need?"
"Let me sell more first. I'm short on cash now, brother," Boss Zhao pleaded.
Xiao Zhang took out his order book and pen, wrote an order for two cases of B, tore off a copy, and gave it to Zhao. Then he pulled a new poster from his bag, tore off the old one torn by the wind at the door, and put up the new one.
"Alright, alright. You can restock later. I'll deliver the new product tomorrow. Remember to display it," Xiao Zhang said, moving aside three competitor bottles mixed into the end cap, and left after saying goodbye.
The fourth store: the owner had a bad temper, so Xiao Zhang didn't dare enter and skipped it.
......
Visit ended.
In the afternoon, after finishing his visits, Xiao Zhang submitted his daily work report as required by his supervisor:
**Daily Execution** | Visited 31 stores today: 26 within the route, 5 outside the route (including 3 phone visits). Active stores for A: 8, sales: 65 cases. Distribution for B: 4 stores, sales: 8 cases. Display store contracts signed: 5. Posters posted: 10 stores.
**Self-Summary** | **Problems Faced** | 1. Too many planned outlets, with long distances between some, wasting time; 2. Terminal customers in the area are unwilling to stock up; current promotions are not attractive enough, and there's a lack of confidence in new products; 3. Products move slowly, and competitors are taking over our paid display positions.
**Solutions** | 1. Adjust promotion plans; 2. Add small gifts to improve relationships; 3. Improve the efficiency of display award distribution.
**-02-**
**Eight Key Points Affecting Efficient Visits (Case Analysis)**
The above case reflects a common state of terminal visits by sales reps from various manufacturers. Based on the problems in the case, the analysis is as follows:
**1. Lack of Time Management Discipline**
After leaving the office, Xiao Zhang spent nearly an hour eating; later, during the day's visits, time in stores ranged from 4 to 20 minutes, with big differences. He chatted longer where relationships were good and orders were placed, and even skipped stores with poor relationships. He only completed 26 of the planned visits, missing 9. Due to sales pressure, he also made out-of-route visits and phone calls.
It's clear that **the rep severely lacks time management awareness and overall planning for the day's visits.**
Different channel types should have different time allocations, but this should be based on in-store actions, planned in advance, to ensure all planned visits are completed.
**2. Lack of Planning in Scheduled Visits**
From the case, the company has already required planned visits, which is an important step in efficient visits—it's the foundation for providing terminal services, but it's only the foundation.
Under sales pressure, Xiao Zhang didn't follow the plan, focusing on high-volume stores and good relationships, artificially providing differentiated service to outlets in his area. Phone orders also lacked planning. In principle, if reps follow planned visits, the delivery area is relatively concentrated when the distributor delivers the next day; each phone order increases delivery costs.
**3. Lack of Communication Skills**
In the case, when faced with terminal owners' issues like display award payment, refusal to order, and reluctance to take new products, Xiao Zhang was passive and unprofessional, which was a major reason for the day's poor performance.
Communication is key to building relationships. Knowing what different terminals care about, the real reasons for not ordering, and effectively resolving customer objections are basic qualities of a qualified terminal rep.
**Supervisors or companies should prioritize training on visit skills, practice basic scripts, and record feedback from terminals during each visit, providing timely responses on the next visit.**
**4. Lack of Evidence-Based Order Suggestions**
When discussing orders with store owners, Xiao Zhang habitually mentioned promotions and begged for a few cases. He only asked about sell-through data without proactively tracking it. If he can't know the product sales better than the owner, how can he convince them to order?
For new products, Xiao Zhang didn't persuade terminals from the perspective of profit or in-store appearance. Only by making the owner feel that you're providing professional advice from their perspective, backed by credible data, can you win them over.
**5. Lack of Standards for In-Store Execution**
In terms of hands-on execution, Xiao Zhang's performance was unsatisfactory. Apart from posting posters, he rarely took initiative, possibly due to a lack of assessment requirements and standards.
It's unrealistic to expect terminal owners to restock promptly. When a rep visits, the owner generally thinks it's about ordering, but reps shouldn't have that mindset. They should have a service attitude: upon entering, first tidy the product on the shelves, clean, restock, arrange, put price tags, post posters... Show the owner that you're diligent, practical, and strong in execution.
**Don't underestimate this—it's a shortcut to winning the owner's trust. Many orders, including in other industries, start with the owner's recognition of the person.**
Of course, execution must have standards: how many facings for regular shelves in different channels, requirements for paid stacks, how many layers in the fridge, where and how many posters to post—all should have standards that reps can see directly, with quantitative assessments to encourage hands-on work.
**6. Lack of Awareness for Opportunity Mining**
Terminals are the final link in product circulation. Facing diverse consumers, products sit in stores waiting to be "chosen." **Why do consumers choose competitors? Why do they pick from the fridge first? Why do owners deliberately recommend a certain brand? Why do stack displays attract so much attention during holidays?** ...
These in-store opportunities are endless, waiting for reps to observe and mine. If they can gain insights from each store visit, such reps are likely to be lucky.
**7. Lack of Passion in Mindset Management**
From departure to the end-of-day summary, Xiao Zhang's overall state was negative. He lacked confidence in targets, was unsure about the area's outlets, was lazy in stores, and didn't deeply analyze reasons for unmet KPIs. He also called colleagues to see if he was the worst.
How can such a mindset achieve results? A superficial visit makes terminal owners lose confidence in the products he sells. Sales require passion, and performance needs immediate feedback. The carrot and stick should always be present in every rep's mind.
**8. Lack of Data in Terminal Management**
Looking at Xiao Zhang's case, the company's channel management is still relatively crude, relying on manual reports, pressure-based management, and reps' initiative and skills.
There's a lack of data on each store's historical orders, sell-through, and inventory, competitor sales, and rep in-store behavior assessment. These data could greatly enhance reps' scientific judgment on outlets, their own behavior, and order management. The company also has many management gaps in terminal visit focus points. The complete focus points should be as follows.
**-03-**
**How to Achieve Efficient Visits with Digitalization**
**Facing the eight dilemmas affecting efficient visits, how can we quickly solve them and achieve a leap?** The answer is: leverage terminal visit digital management tools.
We should realize that in any job today, you need to use data to manage your work, not rely on feelings. Only with data can you make correct judgments and decisions. Let's continue with a case to see what changes Xiao Zhang experiences after leveraging these tools.
Note: First, let's clarify the concept: terminal digital management tools, in the mobile internet era, use network technology to digitally collect terminal visit behaviors, comprehensively improve visit efficiency, and quickly achieve analysis of terminal sales data, execution assessment, and sales potential mining.
**Scenario 1: Full Preparation Before Visits Using Digital Tools**
After the morning meeting, Xiao Zhang took out his phone with the terminal visit client, entered his username and password, and entered the operation interface (which is user-friendly, set up according to the daily visit process). He clicked on the pre-visit preparation module.
**Material Preparation (Bring All Materials Without Omission):**
Based on the day's visit route, it shows the materials and quantities needed: 15 posters, 20 price tags, 10 explosion tags, 10 promotional KT boards, 1 cloth, 2 pens, etc.
**Route Overview (Know the Route Clearly):**
After clicking, an electronic map appears with today's outlets marked. Next to the map, the suggested visit time is clearly displayed: depart at 9:00, arrive at the first store at 9:20, arrive at the last store at 17:15, and finish visits at 17:30.
**Focus on Core (Stay on Track):**
Here, the day's core tasks from the morning meeting are pushed: pay attention to the age of stock for distributed new products, and ensure display execution at fee-based outlets.
**Goal Achievement (Know the Gap to Protect Income):**
Clicking here, Xiao Zhang can see his current gap to targets and other KPIs affecting salary: A product sales reached 800 cases, 73% of target; B product distribution reached 60 stores, 88% of target; active outlets 78, 40% active rate; estimated bonus achievement 80%, amount 1,400 yuan.
**Scenario 2: Reasonable Time Management Using Digital Tools**
After full preparation, Xiao Zhang clicked "depart" on the phone system and left the office.
**Route Planning (Optimize Route for Efficiency):** At this point, the system backend plans an optimal visit route based on the rep's location, covering all outlets for the day, set according to the "right-hand rule" for electric bikes, avoiding wrong-way or zigzagging. Xiao Zhang can open the system and use the route management module for navigation—this is the most time-saving route for the day.
**In-Store Time (Reminder for Overtime):**
Following the system's suggested route, Xiao Zhang arrived at the first outlet. A pop-up showed: suggested visit time for this store: 15 minutes; an alarm will ring if exceeded.
**Route Visit Completion Rate (Score Uploaded for Strong Execution):**
After completing the day's route visits, the system gives a completion rate score, calculated as actual visited outlets / planned outlets, and shows the rep's ranking in the team. This data is transmitted in real-time to the supervisor, serving as a key evaluation indicator of execution.
**Scenario 3: Terminal Information Collection Using Digital Tools**
**Handling Customer Objections (Resolve Issues to Maintain Relationships):**
After clicking "enter store" on the phone system, a pop-up shows unresolved issues from the last visit.
Xiao Zhang saw: "Owner needs timely display award payment." Before the owner could speak, Xiao Zhang explained, "Brother Wang, I've urged my colleagues about the display award you mentioned. It will be paid by Thursday." Boss Wang gave a thumbs up and said, "A rep who really gets things done is like you."
**In-Store Display/Inventory/Competitor Status (Know the Situation with Confidence):**
Next, Xiao Zhang used his phone to take photos of product displays and also of key competitors. The system used VI technology to quickly identify the number of facings and upload the data. Then Xiao Zhang went to the warehouse, took photos of inventory, and the system quickly calculated current stock. This data is crucial; VI technology greatly saves inventory counting time.
**Scenario 4: Terminal Data Analysis Using Digital Tools**
**Dynamic Sales/Display/Competitor Changes (Know Yourself and the Enemy to Show Professionalism):**
After entering data, Xiao Zhang immediately received an analysis chart for the current store in the terminal analysis module. By filtering time periods, he could see changes in ordering, distribution, and display, allowing him to be prepared in advance.
**Product Profit Model (Clear Calculations for Persuasion):**
In this module, Xiao Zhang could clearly see the profit comparison between his products and competitors, know that new product B has a higher profit margin than mature product A, and see target groups, consumer purchase reasons, retail share big data, etc., fully preparing him for the next order suggestion.
**Scenario 5: Reasonable Order Suggestions Using Digital Tools**
**Professional Order Suggestions (Professional Service Shows Style):**
Compared to his previous performance without the system, Xiao Zhang was more confident and calm in the order suggestion stage.
The system had already provided suggested orders based on historical data. Xiao Zhang only needed to explain the logic to Boss Wang: Distribution data is rising sharply; combined with climate characteristics, you need at least twice the sell-through volume in stock. Competitors' sell-through is worse, and their profits are lower. We should have more facings to quickly increase store profits.
**Scenario 6: Standardized Action Execution Using Digital Tools**
**Work Hard on Facings (Strong Execution to Be the Best):** At this point, the key step in in-store execution is hands-on work, which is the most important reflection of efficient visits. Photos of the display were taken upon entry; now, optimization must be done according to company standards.
Take products from the warehouse, clean, arrange, align facings, stick price tags, posters, banners—each step is executed according to standards, photographed, and uploaded to the system. Each step also gets a score based on standards. After the day's visits, the system totals the scores for completed stores.
This score serves as another process indicator, in addition to the route completion rate, for team ranking, letting each rep know their execution level. Of course, a better approach is to use process indicator scores for performance appraisal or immediate incentives.
**The application of digital management tools greatly reduces the blindness and disorder of daily visits, making rep actions targeted while also building a sales big data system for the enterprise, laying a more solid foundation for precise decision-making and healthy, rapid development.**


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## Citation metadata

- Publisher: New Distribution
- Author: 邢仁宝
- Published: 2019-12-05
- Canonical: https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/practical-guide-eight-step-visit-process-digital-tools-a-complete-visit-28aaa73f/
- Original source: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/yCIhBvPAwKVnlC6DZg2JYA

## Copyright and AI use

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