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It is common to see salespeople approaching dealers with products, and their pitches are basically from the manufacturer's perspective. They talk about product features, company strength, young boss, sales director hired from a foreign company, and so on. In fact, in the eyes of dealers, this is all nonsense, not a single word hits the dealer's heart. To put it bluntly, I don't care about your product features, your company's strength has nothing to do with me, and what if the boss is young? That's not what I want. What I want is:
1. Is the product easy to sell?
Dealers don't distribute your product for their own use, but to exchange for benefits and value. Whether the product sells well is the first thing they care about. What kind of product sells well? What kind doesn't? A product that sells well immediately hits the consumer's heart, grasps the key points of turning a product into a commodity, and is not just produced for the sake of manufacturing. Take tissue paper as an example: the intrinsic quality is basically the same, so everyone competes on brand awareness, price, and packaging. Packaging is the most important; it's about whose packaging can move consumers more and make your product stand out on the shelf. But many companies haven't truly realized this. They think if a set of packaging costs more than 10,000 yuan, it's not worth considering, but they never think that investing one yuan in packaging can increase the product's value by 5 yuan at the terminal. The second point is that manufacturers basically don't know what makes good packaging. I think the only criterion for good packaging is whether it sells well, whether it can fetch a high price, and whether consumers will come back for more. These are the three crucial points.
So, in front of dealers, salespeople must give a clear answer: your product is definitely easier to sell than competitors' or will become a bestseller. How to make dealers feel your product sells well? Smart marketers start from one point, build model stores and create model markets, and use facts as examples to convince dealers that your product truly sells well.
2. Are the profits high?
Dealers distribute products to gain greater profits. Without profit, you can't move a dealer, even if your product could bloom flowers or sing. What I mean by high profit is whether the product can bring high profits to the dealer, not that high product prices bring rich profits. Whether a product can be sold at a high price is not up to you; it's largely determined by the market. What kind of product brings dealers generous profits? Of course, the product must have fast turnover, stable quality, and timely supply. But the most important thing is that the manufacturer must guarantee the dealer's interests. Many manufacturers fail to guarantee this. Profit distribution is the most important link. Wahaha recognized this and thus achieved a miracle. Guangdong Liby ensured dealer profits were no less than 12%, so it could forge ahead in the daily chemical industry and stand out. To guarantee this income for dealers, Liby made detailed divisions in regions and product sales, and also implemented strict measures to control cross-regional sales and punish violations to ensure dealers' independent operations.
3. Does the company give dealers a sense of security?
Dealers have shifted from blind emotional selection to rational analysis and investigation. So, they are afraid that manufacturers might give up halfway in market development, whether they are willing to jointly develop the market, share costs, and share market risks. Besides examining the manufacturer's strength, they also focus on whether the boss has a long-term vision for market development, and whether the marketing director has successful market cases. For example, they might directly discuss distribution matters with the manufacturer's boss. This is taught by manufacturers because they often change salespeople, and many manufacturers don't keep their word. Especially for companies newly entering the industry, dealers are even more cautious. Last year, I saw two companies that had just entered the tissue paper industry, and both replaced four marketing directors within just one year. Each director came up with a plan shortly after taking office, one plan today, another tomorrow, leaving dealers at a loss. In fact, almost every director, upon taking office, sees that market performance isn't improving, immediately changes salespeople or sales plans, which is also caused by many bosses' eagerness for quick success. Then, salespeople reselect dealers, and just when dealers have mobilized their manpower, material resources, and network to push the market, the manufacturer immediately takes back the market or introduces a new plan. In fact, stability is paramount!
What methods can make dealers believe that manufacturers can invest steadily and develop the market?
First, invite dealer friends to visit the factory. The purpose is to let dealers feel the corporate culture, management, and strength. Whether a company has strength is better felt by dealers themselves than a hundred times what salespeople say. Many dealers no longer trust with their ears but use their eyes and brains to analyze and discern whether the manufacturer is consistent in words and deeds.
Second, the boss should come forward to explain the company's philosophy. The company's development plans are basically in the boss's hands. In China, only the boss's words carry weight; what professional managers say might be overturned by the boss tomorrow. So, dealers look more at whether the boss can give them a reassurance.
Third, use contracts to guarantee. Although most current contracts are one-sided and unequal, they are the only written basis manufacturers give dealers and are an essential step. Many disputes with dealers arise because terms are not clearly stated in the contract or not clearly expressed in writing.
4. Is there a suitable marketing system to support it?
A brand must be supported by a suitable marketing system; any product promotion cannot be separated from the marketing system. But now many companies' marketing systems are not suitable. What I mean by suitable is that the marketing system is determined by the needs of enterprise development, and it changes with the shift of corporate goals. It should differ depending on the specific enterprise, specific time, and specific resource allocation.
Marketing systems are usually divided vertically into planning system, execution system, service system, monitoring system, and handling system, and horizontally into product system, price system, channel system, and promotion system. Every enterprise needs to establish a system to support its strategic goals.
How do dealers distinguish whether a marketing system is suitable? Usually, they ask questions, for example, they ask about new product promotion plans to see if they are detailed and suitable for market operations, whether they are truly implementable. They ask in detail, such as product selling points, product features, product packaging, product technology, product display, product shelf life, differences from competing products, after-sales service, supply period, whether supply is timely in peak and off seasons, etc. They also check if your quotation is competitive in the market, comparing with competing products. They see if your personnel are professional, whether what they talk about is fanciful, superficial, and whether they make dealers feel the professional quality of a professional company. They filter the detailed content of the contract one by one. In short, they are more professional than many salespeople because many big companies teach them how to distinguish excellent companies and products with potential.
The above four points should give dealers sufficient reasons to sell your product. Of course, each reason can be further subdivided into more convincing reasons. This subdivision should be the specific work each enterprise should do, and this work can only and should be left to each enterprise's marketing personnel to grasp.
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