As the year draws to a close, at about this time every year, sales personnel generally need to arrange distributors' shipping plans for the Spring Festival in advance. Only by paying and shipping early, and stocking up adequately, can distributors and sales personnel enjoy a happy New Year. Every year before the Spring Festival, pushing a batch of goods into distributors' warehouses is almost routine. First, it's for performance needs; second, it's for market needs (to avoid stockouts, which is crucial); third, it's to occupy distributors' funds and inventory. Of course, inventory pushing isn't only done during the Spring Festival; for many sales personnel, it's a monthly task—basically done once at the end of each month. Within a month after the Spring Festival, it will be the peak period for inventory pushing. I won't elaborate on the reasons; sales personnel must be well aware of them. Currently, the impact of the internet and mobile internet on traditional marketing has almost made us marketers forget concepts like distributors and channels: Do we still need distributors? Do we still need channels? In fact, we shouldn't overcorrect. No matter how the internet develops, distributors and channels will not disappear. Just like when we talk about the O2O model, it's not simply online or offline; it will move towards deep integration. In this article, the focus is not on how to push inventory or the techniques of pushing, but on three insights and experiences about distributor management. First sentence: Inventory pushing is the first standard to test 'customer relationship' Whether your 'relationship' with a distributor is good or not isn't determined by a few drinks or meals, or by chatting and bragging all day. Don't妄想 to become friends with distributors in this way. (In many cases, apart from business, it's hard to become friends.) Instead, it's when you need to boost performance during 'special' times and face performance pressure, such as calling him on the evening of the 29th, and on the 30th he pays and ships several truckloads of goods. What is this? Just a good 'relationship'? Of course not. This kind of 'customer relationship' stems from the customer's recognition, respect, and even awe for you and your company. If a salesperson is at a loss on how to complete the month's sales with a few phone calls at the end of the month, I can be sure he hasn't gained the customer's recognition. Then, no matter how many meals and drinks with the customer, it's useless, and there's no 'customer relationship' to speak of. 'Customer relationship' comes from your value in the distributor's eyes, meaning you must be helpful to his business. The most direct reflection is that your products help his sales, business, and marketing network. Don't let distributors feel your products are dispensable. In many cases, we create this situation ourselves. Give distributors pressure, continuously push them forward, and even force them to keep up with the company's pace. There are no eternal friends, only eternal interests. When you continuously push them to progress and profit, even if they feel pressure or some dissatisfaction, they will be grateful to you in their hearts, at least objectively. How is gratitude reflected? It's when you're in trouble, and then your inventory pushing gets a response. To a large extent, the quality of your relationship with customers can be tested through inventory pushing. Second sentence: The market is seized The market is not bought, nor is it slowly cultivated! When I first started in sales, some veteran salespeople often told me: The market is slowly cultivated and built up. Later, I found this was nonsense; don't believe it. After years of experience, I suddenly realized: In fact, the market is seized. Why do I say this? Products in the market are not pushed out and succeed for no reason. Of course, we don't rule out that a new product is launched without research and somehow succeeds, but this kind of success also caters to consumer needs. For most products, two aspects are important: one is customers—where are our customers? The other is competitors—where are our competitors? Many times, we're not looking for customers because we can't produce entirely new products; we already know where our customers are! The remaining aspect is only competitors: Where are competitors? Where our customers are, what should we do? Now it's clear: we need to seize the market from them! Lead by example, and together with the team and distributors, seize the market. If distributors are unwilling, disagree, and don't become a 'gang' together, such distributors definitely can't do well with your company's products, that's for sure! Such distributors are better off without! Third sentence: 'Obedient' distributors are good distributors If you see the above title, frown, shake your head and say: Look, this is your only skill, narrow-minded... Then I can say you're still too naive. If distributors don't listen to you, execute with discounts, negotiate conditions when doing market work, haggle over every detail, and only focus on immediate gains, they definitely can't do the market well, nor can they ensure long-term healthy and rapid market development. 'Obedient' doesn't mean blindly following sales personnel, but rather following the manufacturer's and office's market judgment, market plans, and comprehensive cooperation in sales work, while leveraging their own advantages and actively cooperating with marketing efforts. Making distributors 'obedient' isn't difficult; it's two words: interests. How to achieve interests? First, stand from the market's perspective, be more familiar with the market and more professional than distributors; second, do things well, actively offer suggestions, have no selfish motives, and do things well so you can gain recognition and value; finally, and most importantly, let distributors make money! How to make money: short-term sales increase, stronger channel control, better brand and product portfolio, broader network... In the long run, gain competitive advantages, long-term healthy development, and enhanced influence and image. From the perspective of sustainable market operation and healthy development, distributors who don't align with the manufacturer, don't cooperate, and aren't 'obedient' are not good distributors and should be replaced as soon as possible. Source: Sales and Market -END-