---
title: "Practical Tips | A Complete Visit Checklist for Frontline Sales Staff!"
description: "A new salesperson's first job is often as a frontline salesperson, visiting small shops in the streets. This seemingly ordinary position actually requires deep skills. At a morning meeting, Manager Chen announced that new products must achieve 70% distribution coverage on the day's route. While others were worried, Xiao Wang was confident. By 4 PM, he had completed his task on time."
author: "林峰"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
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published: "2018-03-11"
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# Practical Tips | A Complete Visit Checklist for Frontline Sales Staff!

> A new salesperson's first job is often as a frontline salesperson, visiting small shops in the streets. This seemingly ordinary position actually requires deep skills. At a morning meeting, Manager Chen announced that new products must achieve 70% distribution coverage on the day's route. While others were worried, Xiao Wang was confident. By 4 PM, he had completed his task on time.

**Introduction**
A new salesperson's first job is often as a frontline salesperson, visiting small shops in the streets. This seemingly ordinary position actually requires deep skills.
At the routine morning meeting of the sales department, Manager Chen announced that new products must achieve 70% distribution coverage on the day's route. The salespeople whispered among themselves, but only Xiao Wang appeared confident.
At 4 PM, the sun was still scorching, and Xiao Wang had completed his task on time...
At the routine morning meeting of the sales department, Manager Chen announced that today was the launch day for the new product Xiao Ming Tong Xue, and issued the requirement that all sales representatives must achieve 70% distribution coverage on the day's route. As soon as the order was given, many sales representatives exchanged glances secretly. Such a high requirement for the first round of distribution was indeed a bit unexpected.
Among the representatives, only Xiao Wang smiled, looking confident. For this new product launch, Xiao Wang had familiarized himself with the product's selling points and policies a few days earlier, and had mentally reviewed all the customers on his route. In other words, Xiao Wang had already rehearsed N times, just waiting for the order.
Half an hour later, the morning meeting ended. Colleagues gathered in twos and threes to discuss the new product's price and distribution rate targets. Xiao Wang quickly packed the necessary items for customer visits, such as advertising paper and price tags, put samples into his work bag, and went out to start his electric bike.
After 20 minutes, Xiao Ma's cigarette shop was in sight. Although Xiao Ma's shop mainly sold cigarettes, due to its good location, Xiao Wang had suggested half a year ago that he also sell beverages, and now the beverage business was very good. Recommending new products to such a customer was as easy as pulling a scallion from his own backyard. Sure enough, as soon as Xiao Wang started, Xiao Ma said, "Stop the nonsense, it's just a new product, two boxes is enough, right? How much?" Xiao Ma was like that, quick and direct, accepting any new product Xiao Wang recommended.
After leaving Xiao Ma, Xiao Wang thought: if only all customers were like Xiao Ma. He gave Xiao Ma a nickname with local characteristics: "backyard-type customer." On Xiao Wang's daily route, there were several similar customers. They were the ones he cultivated carefully, with very good relationships and stable sales. When there was a distribution task or handling near-expiry products, they would take the lead without hesitation.
While daydreaming, he arrived at Sister Li's shop. Sister Li's shop was located at the entrance of the residential area, across the road from Uncle Chai's shop. Although the two were neighbors, they had a falling out over business, which made it difficult for Xiao Wang. Usually, he would consciously balance the order of visits to avoid favoring one over the other. But this time, Xiao Wang decided to visit Sister Li first. Sister Li was a typical "small favors type customer," and many middle-aged female shop owners were of this type. Sure enough, after promoting the relevant selling points, Sister Li still refused to stock up, citing the small size of her shop and not needing too many products.
"Sister Li, this product is currently being advertised on TV, endorsed by a celebrity, and it's rich in tea polyphenols. Especially for someone as young and beautiful as you, drinking it will make your skin elastic."
"Stop it! I'm not falling for that anymore. Young and beautiful? No." Sister Li was pleased inside, but her mouth didn't budge, and it seemed a deadlock was approaching.
Fortunately, Xiao Wang was prepared. He said gently, "How about this: you've always complained that the bottle openers on the market are of poor quality. This time, I specifically reported your situation to our manager. Manager Chen specially found a few advertising bottle openers for me to give you. Manager Chen really pays attention to your shop. You can do me this small favor, so I can report back to Manager Chen."
"Is that Manager Chen who came last time? He still remembers me?" Sister Li's face beamed with joy: "Alright, alright, since you're so thoughtful, I'll take one box."
"Hey, Xiao Wang!" Sister Li called out to Xiao Wang as he was about to leave, counting the bottle openers: "If you can't sell them, you have to take them back."
It was the same bottle opener, but when given by the manager, it seemed more valuable. Xiao Wang was proud of his little trick. Last time, he gave Sister Li a few pens, and she complained they were of poor quality and didn't write smoothly. Well! For such customers, you not only have to consider what gift to give, but also how to give it to maximize its effect.
After cleaning and updating the advertising paper outside Uncle Chai's shop, he stepped inside. Uncle Chai pretended not to see Xiao Wang coming from across the street: "Oh, Xiao Wang! You're here again. I was just about to order. How about it? My sales here are among the best in this area!"
After exchanging pleasantries and ordering the regular goods, Xiao Wang took out a sample: "Uncle Chai, this is a new product from the company, specifically targeting young consumers. There are so many new-generation people in our community, and just the renters in the computer market across the street are quite a few. Sales won't be bad."
Uncle Chai held the sample and weighed it repeatedly, saying nothing.
Xiao Wang knew that Uncle Chai was in a hesitation period. At this point, a little push would move him in a positive direction; otherwise, he might lean toward refusal, as most people have a natural resistance to unfamiliar things. Xiao Wang knew that Uncle Chai was a very competitive person, belonging to the "competitive type customer," and especially his rivalry with Sister Li across the street was something Xiao Wang had planned to use.
"By the way, the one across the street has already stocked up."
"Oh!" Uncle Chai looked up from the product, staring at Xiao Wang: "How much did she stock?"
"Not much, just one box, after all, it's a new product."
A victorious smile appeared at the corner of Uncle Chai's mouth: "How much can she stock? You know her. I've said it before, I'll cover all her sales. You didn't believe me."
Uncle Chai again subtly tested Xiao Wang's intention, but Xiao Wang remained noncommittal.
"The price is still a bit high, otherwise I could take 10 boxes without a problem!" Uncle Chai concluded with a very affirmative tone, then added: "How about I start with two boxes to try?"
"Of course, I know your capability, Uncle Chai. You're the most straightforward! But two boxes are enough. When they sell well, you can order more. Thank you!" Xiao Wang always flattered Uncle Chai. After all, for this type of customer, the key was to prove their ability, and once that was satisfied, things were much easier.
After a few customers, he arrived at Boss Zhou's shop. Boss Zhou was in his early forties, and his small shop was well-organized. Xiao Wang usually had a good relationship with him, but he felt that Boss Zhou had a strong resistance to new products and generally didn't easily stock new items. Xiao Wang classified him as a "fortress-type customer."
But Xiao Wang had already thought of a strategy. He didn't directly recommend the new product to Boss Zhou, but instead recommended the lemonade he had recommended last month, launching a feint with strong recommendation. Boss Zhou fell for it and used all his "defensive" firepower to resist, from the product being too expensive to fierce competition and tight cash flow... After 20 minutes, Xiao Wang felt both sides were tired, so he changed the subject and began to attack the main point.
"Boss Zhou, you're absolutely right. As a friend, I agree with your point of view. Okay! I won't push the lemonade on you, since we're friends!" Xiao Wang deliberately emphasized their friendship, then said in a very decisive tone: "How about this: you take one box of Xiao Ming Tong Xue cold-brewed tea! Although this product hasn't been on the market long, it's selling well in other stores. I haven't recommended it to you before because I thought you'd accept it more easily after it sold well."
After 20 minutes of defensive work, Boss Zhou was dry-mouthed and his mind was completely relaxed and unguarded. Suddenly, Xiao Wang launched a new attack, and Boss Zhou obviously couldn't concentrate to counterattack effectively. Besides, he had a good relationship with Xiao Wang and recognized the young man's work. Having just refused the lemonade, he felt embarrassed to refuse again, so he had the idea of doing a favor.
This subtle change in feeling was precisely captured by Xiao Wang. It was an obvious signal of closing the deal, and Xiao Wang wouldn't miss such an opportunity. He decisively sealed the deal: "Thank you, Boss Zhou!" While thanking, he was already registering it on the customer card.
In a flash, it was noon. The restaurants along the way were full of diners, but Xiao Wang deliberately didn't eat because his next customer was Aunt Song. This old lady was a vegetarian and devout Buddhist. Beggars who came to her door never left empty-handed. Xiao Wang classified her as a typical "charitable type customer" and planned to use a sympathy trick.
Sure enough, as soon as they met, Aunt Song showed concern: "Oh, you're still running around at noon. Have you had lunch?"
"Not yet, sigh! The task isn't finished yet." Xiao Wang wiped the sweat from his forehead.
"What task is so important that you skip meals? If you young people don't eat on time, you'll ruin your health."
"No choice. For the new product distribution, we can't go back to the company until we achieve 70% coverage." Xiao Wang took a cloth from his bike and started wiping the dust off the company's beverage bottles on the shelf while speaking.
"Amitabha! It's really not easy to have a job these days. Come, come, what new product? Let me help you share the burden."
"It's this one." Xiao Wang patiently introduced the product's selling points and sales methods: "When the goods arrive, put them here so everyone can see... Remember to put this price tag on the bottle neck... When young people come, recommend it more... You have a kind face, so everyone will trust you..." To be honest, for such customers, although Xiao Wang would play some sympathy tricks, he paid special attention to after-sales service, unlike some company salespeople who took advantage of the old lady's kindness to stuff goods. Xiao Wang always felt he had to live up to Aunt Song's care and trust, which was more important than anything.
Xiao Wang had lunch at Brother Liu's place. Brother Liu and his wife ran a small restaurant of about 50-60 square meters with two floors: the ground floor was the hall, and the upper floor had private rooms. The wife was in charge of ordering and billing, while Brother Liu greeted guests and handed out cigarettes to acquaintances. By this time, the ground floor business had passed, and Brother Liu was relatively free. Xiao Wang usually ate at Brother Liu's when running this route. One dish and one soup cost only 15 yuan, which was economical and affordable. However, Brother Liu's restaurant only sold a fixed few beverages and didn't accept others. This time, Xiao Wang didn't plan to include Brother Liu in the 70% target.
During the meal, knowing that Brother Liu liked football, Xiao Wang casually brought up last night's game. Unexpectedly, mentioning it opened Brother Liu's floodgates of chatter.
Seeing Brother Liu getting more and more excited, his face turning from green to red, Xiao Wang finished his meal and went out to start his electric bike. He found that Brother Liu had unexpectedly come out to see him off, so he asked on a whim: "Brother Liu, how about a box of the new cold-brewed tea to try?"
Brother Liu seemed still immersed in the pleasure of venting his feelings, obviously not wanting to spoil the mood. He said with lingering enthusiasm: "Let's talk next time. Take care! The drinks can be delivered tomorrow."
On the way, Xiao Wang thought, unexpectedly, he had achieved success by accident. It seemed that for "impulsive type customers" like Brother Liu, it was really useful to use hobbies and interests as an entry point, and then strike while the iron was hot.
Aunt Gu stood behind the counter, still hesitating after listening to Xiao Wang's introduction. Xiao Wang opened the customer card and showed it to her: "Everyone has stocked up. See, I'm not lying to you! If everyone accepts it, you can rest assured!" Aunt Gu was a "follower type customer." Seeing that everyone had stocked up, she happily accepted.
Uncle Han, the owner of the small shop inside No. 2 Middle School, was classified by Xiao Wang as a "rational and calm type customer." It was useless to be sentimental with him; he considered things purely by numbers, and his obvious characteristic was an excellent memory for numbers.
At that moment, classes were in session, so Uncle Han had time to listen to Xiao Wang's "profit story."
"Indeed, Uncle Han, you're right. The ones we've sold are all our beverages, so it doesn't matter to us." Xiao Wang took out a calculator: "But for you, it's a big difference! Look, at the price you mentioned, for every bottle of Xiao Ming Tong Xue sold, you earn 0.5 yuan more than others. Even if only 10% of students buy it. No. 2 Middle School has about a thousand people. Look, the customer card shows you sell over 600 boxes a month, nearly 15,000 bottles. If you use Xiao Ming Tong Xue, with the same sales volume, you'd earn an extra 500 yuan, and in a year, at least 4,000 yuan more."
Uncle Han looked at the numbers on the calculator and was clearly wavering.
"How about this!" Xiao Wang waved his hand and played his trump card. Xiao Lin from the company's marketing department was Xiao Wang's fellow townsman. Every time a new product launched, there were always some resources. Xiao Wang had already secured some "heavy weapons" to "break through the city walls" at critical moments. "Anyway, there are no city inspectors to bother you at school. I'll have my colleague from marketing put up a big spray-painted advertisement at your shop, which will definitely attract the kids' attention. Then the number might not be what I just said."
Xiao Wang multiplied the number on the calculator by 3 and showed it to Uncle Han again. This time, Uncle Han was completely tempted. After learning when the spray-painted advertisement would be in place, he decisively placed an initial order of 20 boxes.
"Oh, what are you guys trying to sell this time?" Brother Xiao Xu teased Xiao Wang again. Brother Xiao Xu ran a medium-sized internet cafe and was never seen before 3 PM. Perhaps out of boredom, he liked to make fun of salespeople from various companies. Xiao Wang had long classified him as a "troublesome type customer." Because he was particularly difficult to deal with and often not there early, Xiao Wang deliberately scheduled his visit as the last stop on the day's route, even if it meant a detour, to have enough time to handle him.
"What's the policy this time? Buy 1 get 2 free, right? Come on, give me 10 boxes first." Brother Xiao Xu tossed a cigarette to Xiao Wang, lit his own, and then handed the lighter to Xiao Wang.
In the past, Xiao Wang's approach was to counter each move, but he found that this made Brother Xiao Xu even more excited, and several times Xiao Wang was at a loss for words and embarrassed. Although he usually accepted new products in the end, it wasted a lot of time. Now Xiao Wang had changed his strategy. Whenever Brother Xiao Xu made a move, Xiao Wang would remain noncommittal and smile at him foolishly. Gradually, Brother Xiao Xu lost interest and started talking business.
Sure enough, after a few moves with no reaction, Brother Xiao Xu took the cigarette Xiao Wang offered again, pointed to the girl at the counter, and said, "Go find Ahui and see how much stock is left."
It was already past 4 PM when he left Brother Xiao Xu's place. The sun was still scorching, but Xiao Wang felt relaxed and refreshed. Today's plan was completed on time. Now he had to hurry back to the company to place orders and fill out the daily report. In the evening, as usual, he would write in his diary, summarizing the day's gains and losses, and strive for good performance tomorrow. Xiao Wang believed that as long as he kept working hard, he would eventually have his own piece of blue sky in this beautiful city.
A new salesperson's first job is often as a frontline salesperson, visiting small shops in the streets. This seemingly ordinary position actually requires deep skills.
Source: Marketing Library
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