---
title: "Struggling with Difficult Store Distribution? Here's How Top Marketers Overcome Resistance"
description: "This article addresses the common challenges sales representatives face during product distribution and display in retail outlets. It categorizes different types of retail terminals, outlines typical objections encountered when entering stores and adjusting displays, and provides practical, conversational solutions to persuade store owners to promote products. The goal is to offer systematic guidance for route sales reps and help new employees quickly adapt to their roles."
author: "李庆华"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2017-05-14"
language: "en"
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# Struggling with Difficult Store Distribution? Here's How Top Marketers Overcome Resistance

> This article addresses the common challenges sales representatives face during product distribution and display in retail outlets. It categorizes different types of retail terminals, outlines typical objections encountered when entering stores and adjusting displays, and provides practical, conversational solutions to persuade store owners to promote products. The goal is to offer systematic guidance for route sales reps and help new employees quickly adapt to their roles.

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Product distribution and display are crucial for product sales. However, sales reps often encounter various forms of resistance during the distribution process. Today, this article will discuss solutions and methods in a conversational manner, covering topics such as the composition and characteristics of retail terminals, common obstacles when entering stores, resistance to display adjustments, and persuading store owners to promote products. The aim is to provide a systematic overview for route sales reps at branch offices, standardize terminal management content for existing staff, and offer guidance for new employees to quickly get up to speed.

**1**
**Classification and Characteristics of Distribution Terminal Types**

**A. Traditional Mom-and-Pop Stores** (still primarily counter sales) account for about 10% of total distribution sales. They tend to engage in price wars, but we can largely ignore them as they have little potential for growth; these small shops may be phased out by market developments.

**B. Modern Small Supermarkets** (30-50 sqm, some also engage in wholesale to village supply stores) account for about 50% of total distribution sales. They also engage in price wars, but these stores have high sales volume. The owners are shrewd, flexible, and have good business acumen; they are now starting to demand display fees. They have no brand loyalty—whoever pays the most gets the best placement, and whoever offers the highest margin gets their products promoted (since they essentially act as salespeople). These retail stores are precisely our main sales outlets in the distribution market.

**C. Thousand Village Ten Thousand Store Chain Supermarkets** (about 50-100 sqm) account for about 30% of distribution and township total sales. They have developed into scaled, chained operations with formal management (e.g., Pingquan Fuyuan Distribution). Although they charge shelf fees, they emphasize product diversity and branding, have a relatively high acceptance of leading brands, and their shelf fees are not too high.

**D. Seasonal Grocery Stores:** Account for about 10% of total distribution sales. Characteristics: These food and general merchandise stores sell food during the off-season, but only start stocking suitable products after September.

**2**
**Common Obstacles in Distribution and Solutions**

Distribution includes small supermarkets, but their characteristics differ from large supermarkets; they are more flexible and seek profits faster and higher. Pre-visit investigations should cover the supermarket's area, the date competitors' products were introduced, the opening date of new stores, the layout of the food and beverage section, product mix, the residential population around the store, and street traffic. This helps determine which single item is suitable for the store; recommending a product that sells well on the first try builds trust, and trust is the best weapon for selling products.

**Obstacle 1:** Using "not suitable for sale" as an excuse to refuse product entry. Solution: Cite examples of hot sales in other supermarkets elsewhere and the pull from CCTV advertising.

**Obstacle 2:** The buyer refuses entry on the grounds that the gross margin is below 15 points. Solution: The gross margin for the entire beverage industry is not high; the gross margin for our product already considers the operating costs of supermarkets. The profits from fast-moving products can compensate for this shortfall.

**Obstacle 3:** Using product freshness and shelf life (not exceeding three months) as an excuse to refuse entry. Solution: Deliver smaller quantities more frequently to ensure freshness on the shelf.

**Obstacle 4:** Setting barriers such as requiring in-store promoters, high entry fees, or various festival fees. Solution: Ask about the fees charged to similar competing products.

**Obstacle 5:** Refusing entry due to large competitor inventory and tight cash flow. Solution: Our products sell particularly well in certain stores; CCTV is currently advertising. If customers come here asking for our products and you don't have them, you'll lose customers. "It's not about not making money, but about not having a full range of goods." Besides, a supermarket needs a full range to attract people! Leaving two boxes costs only tens or hundreds of yuan—how can you not have that?

**Obstacle 6:** Using "we have a full range of brands and products" as an excuse to refuse entry. Solution: You have beverages, but you don't have Huiyuan, the number one brand in juice products. Our products can bring you many customers. Why not try a small amount first?

**Obstacle 7:** Refusing entry due to perceived risk. Solution: Start with a few items to see how they sell. If they sell well, bring in more; if not, you can exchange them.

**Obstacle 8:** Claiming that our price is high and that small brands offer lower purchase prices and higher profits, so our products are not profitable. Solution: "You get what you pay for." Product quality is different. Smile and ask, "Would you drink a cheap product?" Yes, you wouldn't, but some people would. However, with the holiday coming, gift-giving should be with our Huiyuan juice gift boxes.

**Obstacle 9:** In summer, carbonated drinks sell better than juice, so they refuse entry. Solution: Huiyuan juice products fill a gap in your beverage range, and Huiyuan is a famous brand. Since you haven't chilled them in the fridge, they might be harder to sell. I suggest you start with a small amount, like red/green tea or the Zhen series. Our Huiyuan Juice & Joy products are "carbonated drinks with added juice—not only refreshing but also nutritious and healthy."

**Obstacle 10:** After a brand raised prices, sales dropped compared to last year, so they use "other products sell better" as an excuse to refuse entry. Solution: Price increases are an inevitable trend. This year, all raw materials are rising, especially white sugar, which has nearly doubled. So juice prices have also increased. Whether a product sells well mainly depends on the store owner's promotion. If you promote it, it will sell. You can start with one box to see how it goes.

**Obstacle 11:** Using "bad taste" as an excuse to refuse entry. Solution: It's best to open a bottle and let the owner taste it. This way, the owner gets free juice and gains more confidence in our product.

**Obstacle 12:** Using "shelves are full" as an excuse to refuse entry. Solution: Small stores often have untidy displays. By tidying up the shelves, you might free up space. When the owner sees your efforts, it's hard to refuse your product.

**Obstacle 13:** Using "the weather is getting cooler" as an excuse to refuse entry. Solution: Juice is actually suitable for drinking when the weather turns cool, so it's the best time to stock up. But often this is just an excuse; chat more to see if there are service issues or other problems causing the owner's reluctance.

**Obstacle 14:** Using "I don't want to introduce new products" as an excuse to refuse entry. Solution: Juice products fill a gap in your beverage range, and our product is a famous brand. New items bring new customers and increase the store's ability to attract customers.

**3**
**Common Obstacles in Merchandising or Adjusting Displays**

Adjusting products from lower shelves to eye-level, moving products from back to front, changing from single-item to multi-item displays, and making merchandising adjustments all enhance our product's sales power. But store owners may not agree and often refuse with the following excuses.

**Obstacle 1:** Product is on the fifth shelf, and we want to move it to the second shelf. "Hey, don't touch it. It's fine there. You'll mess it up." In reality, they worry that you'll only arrange your own products and disrupt the existing neatness. Solution: "Boss, don't worry. I'll arrange the entire shelf neatly for you. I just want to move our product to the upper shelf. Rest assured, I won't mess it up."

**Obstacle 2:** Product is on the fifth shelf, and we want to move it to the first shelf. "Hey, it's fine there. Don't move it. The front shelf is paid for." Solution: "Oh, boss, if the first shelf requires a display fee, we can't pay. Can we at least put it on the second shelf?" Aim to place products next to paid displays; for stores without fees, strive for the first display position.

**Obstacle 3:** Each product has only one facing, and we want to expand to two facings. "Hey, that's fine. Don't move it. It's paid for. Only your products don't pay." Solution: Pretend to be casual, chat while arranging the display, and divert attention to achieve the goal.

**Obstacle 4:** The product has a first display, and the company has issued promotional posters to be placed above it. The owner refuses for aesthetic reasons. Solution: "Boss, we've put our latest promotional materials here. There are only a few in the entire market. Since you sell so well, I applied for these for you. Let's see if they look good." Stick them up while talking.

**4**
**How to Get Products into the Owner's Mind and on Their Lips?**

**Solution 1:** Interest-driven: Offer a sales rebate for each bottle sold.

**Solution 2:** Extract selling points: Identify one or two memorable selling points that convey product features, and repeatedly communicate them to small stores during routine stocking to encourage spontaneous word-of-mouth.

**Solution 3:** Fulfill promised rebates promptly to enhance store owners' awareness and desire for rebates.

**Solution 4:** Stick to the distribution route during stocking, and reinforce the owner's understanding of our products through regular visits, thereby encouraging proactive selling.

**Solution 5:** Offer business advice and ideas for the small store. Once your methods bring them profits, you'll become friends, and they'll be more inclined to promote our products. This aligns with the Chinese mentality of being willing to help friends.

**Source: Food Business**


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