---
title: "Practical Tips | Successful Distributors Do Market Development Like This!"
description: "As the industry shifts back to physical retail and companies focus on lower-tier markets, county-level distributors are becoming increasingly important. This article explores how distributors can break through in county markets, covering product strategy, rapid distribution, attacking competitors' weaknesses, and stabilizing profits."
author: "New Distribution"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2019-03-02"
language: "en"
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# Practical Tips | Successful Distributors Do Market Development Like This!

> As the industry shifts back to physical retail and companies focus on lower-tier markets, county-level distributors are becoming increasingly important. This article explores how distributors can break through in county markets, covering product strategy, rapid distribution, attacking competitors' weaknesses, and stabilizing profits.

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**As the industry shifts back to physical retail and companies focus on lower-tier markets, county-level distributors are becoming increasingly important. Today, we look at the overall county-level city perspective to see how distributors should break through!**

**Product Breakthrough: Coordinating Leading Products and Breakthrough Products**

Many distributors fail to quickly break into county markets because they carry too many products. They stock as many varieties as the manufacturer produces, mistakenly believing that with so many products, if one doesn't sell well, they can switch to another. This leads to unclear product focus, and trying to sell everything well results in selling nothing well.

So, in a specific county market, when selecting products, distributors should ensure clear prioritization and a reasonable structure.

**1. Highlight Leading Products:** No matter how many products the manufacturer has, only one or two may suit the distributor's specific county market.

**2. Define Breakthrough Products:** Once leading products are selected, consider breakthrough products.

**3. Target Competitors with "Strike Down, Press Up" Strategy, and Price Leading and Breakthrough Products "One High, One Low":** Price leading products higher than existing competitors to allow room for promotions and to suppress rivals. Price breakthrough products roughly at parity or 5-10% higher to directly compete on price.

**4. Coordinate Leading and Breakthrough Products to Attack Competitors' High-Volume Stores One by One.**

Breakthrough products, with lower prices, move quickly and satisfy store owners, so first use them to gain recognition, then leverage leading products to generate profit and build brand image.

This pincer movement forces competitors to cut margins, leads them by the nose, and eventually drives them out.

Of course, no tactic is foolproof. Distributors must also note: always keep breakthrough product prices consistent with competitors. Low pricing is a competitive tactic, but during terminal battles, never cut prices across the board.

**Rapid Distribution: Manufacturer-Dealer Collaboration to Seize Time and Space**

Distributors are familiar with distribution, which is one of the simplest steps in marketing, but it hides significant complexity—so much so that "success or failure hinges on distribution."

While serving a company, I visited a distributor who had stocked products for nearly eight months but sales remained poor. He said, "We work hard, driving out early every day to distribute, but consumers just don't accept our products. We can only keep plugging away."

Many distributors face this issue. Why? Because they distribute for the sake of distributing, so all effort is in vain.

The best way to solve problems is to prevent them. How to distribute effectively?

**1. Manufacturer-Dealer Joint Teams:** Form distribution teams with the manufacturer taking the lead and the distributor assisting. Specifically, jointly organize teams and delivery vehicles, with at least 6 people and 3 vehicles. The manufacturer's personnel should be the sales reps responsible for that market or those with management and distribution experience.

**2. Focus on One or Two Areas for Rapid Distribution:** Each vehicle should have at least 2 people; for township markets, use at least 2 vehicles and 4 people. With sufficient vehicles and personnel, consider simultaneous distribution in several locations.

**3. Leverage Secondary Distributors for Speed:** Since manufacturers or distributors are unfamiliar with township markets, the best approach is to have secondary distributors lead the way, first distributing along their channels, then expanding to unfamiliar areas. Initially, secondary distributors may be reluctant, so offer extra subsidies or create several model areas to show potential.

**4. Specialized Division of Labor:** Assign roles in advance—who negotiates, posts POP, unloads, collects payments, signs agreements, arranges displays, and builds customer files—and rehearse to speed up distribution.

**5. Create Hype and Publicity:** Distribution is also a great promotional opportunity. For example, gather vehicles together, play music or promotional materials via loudspeakers to boost effectiveness.

**6. Plan Distribution Routes:** Map out detailed routes to avoid detours. Contact customers in advance or send someone to communicate, ensuring time efficiency and success rates.

**Piecemeal Attack: Targeting Competitors' Weak Points**

In real market operations, if we observe carefully, we can easily find many weak points in competitors. For new brands, a piecemeal attack strategy is advisable.

First, choose attack targets clearly:

> 1. In a county market, select areas where competitors have poor or no after-sales service.
>
> 2. Choose markets where competitors previously sent sales support but have withdrawn.
>
> 3. Some areas have high sales but competitors haven't entered yet.
>
> 4. Avoid competitors' strongholds as much as possible. If you do, limit to 3-5 areas.

Second, attack methods should be highly "lethal":

> 1. Offer high margins to terminals to incentivize active selling.
>
> 2. Poach competitors' top salespeople with high salaries, turning their markets into yours.
>
> 3. Recruit competitors' sales staff with attractive wages.
>
> 4. Implement big rewards with high win rates to outcompete rivals and attract store owners' interest.

**Core Tasks: Stabilize Profits and Consolidate Market**

Many distributors have effective methods here.

**1. Lock in Core Customers:** Set monthly and annual sales incentives or points-based rewards, using rebates or cumulative points by product and time period to retain customers.

**2. Capture Consumers:** Offer prizes, insert red envelopes in boxes, attach scratch cards, run periodic promotions, and tasting events.

**3. Focus on Displays:** Offer rewards for display durations—one month, one quarter, or one year—with increasing rewards over time.

**4. Invest in Advertising:** Either don't advertise or go all-in. Use a single format (e.g., wall ads, painted door signs, or in-store KT boards) but make it thorough, extreme, and explosive.

**5. Engage Consumers through Exclusive Promotions:** Common examples include zodiac collectibles (12 animals) with rewards for completing sets; Water Margin 108 heroes cards with travel or material rewards; and restaurant coupons like "Spend 100, Get 50"—all effective ways to lock in consumers.

In summary, there are many ways to retain customers. Only by capturing both customers and consumers can companies and distributors lock in profits, solidify their position in county markets, and lay a solid foundation for true market breakthroughs.

New Distribution will hold the **2019 (5th) FMCG + Internet Conference** during the Chengdu Spring Sugar and Wine Fair from March 15-18. This conference will focus on the theme **"Breakthrough"** , with in-depth discussions among brand owners, supply chain service providers, distributors, and retailers.

Compared to previous conferences, this summit will be fully upgraded. In addition to original topics like **channel innovation, city distribution logistics, and distributor transformation** , we've added parallel forums on **new marketing cases, IP + FMCG empowerment, community group buying, and innovative retail** . Through three days of ten high-density, high-quality expert sharing sessions, we believe every brand owner and distributor can learn the latest business models, expert insights, and actionable methods to find new tools and approaches for their 2019 breakthrough and return to high-speed growth.

Review of Previous Conferences

**-END-**


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