---
title: "The Five-Character Scripture for Dealer 'Small Bosses': Nurture, Support, Activate, Stabilize, Adapt"
description: "A stable team of small bosses is key to the success of a partnership model. Only by continuously delegating distribution rights can the initiative of frontline workers be fully unleashed, which is the only way to address both symptoms and root causes in today's competitive environment."
author: "高级研究员 海游"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2023-07-17"
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---

# The Five-Character Scripture for Dealer 'Small Bosses': Nurture, Support, Activate, Stabilize, Adapt

> A stable team of small bosses is key to the success of a partnership model. Only by continuously delegating distribution rights can the initiative of frontline workers be fully unleashed, which is the only way to address both symptoms and root causes in today's competitive environment.

**Introduction**: A stable team of small bosses is key to the success of a partnership model.
**Author** 丨 Hai You
**Review** 丨 Gou Gou
**Layout** 丨 He Wen
Only by continuously delegating distribution rights can the initiative of frontline workers be fully unleashed. In today's increasingly competitive environment, this is the only way to address both symptoms and root causes.
In the future, dealer businesses will inevitably move towards a partnership entrepreneurship model. Encouraging these individuals to leave their comfort zones and join the entrepreneurial ranks requires support from the start to the finish; otherwise, they may easily give up halfway. Today, we discuss the "Five-Character Scripture" for the survival and development of "small bosses" in entrepreneurial teams.

**The First Character: Nurture (Training)**
Training is crucial for entrepreneurial teams, especially for professional salespeople who have just left corporate jobs. Their roles change, and their functions change accordingly. Adaptation takes time, and the process requires training.
For example, in a corporate job, a professional salesperson is like a cog in the machine, responsible only for a specific task. Over time, their thinking becomes rigid, and they may overlook the importance of team coordination.
Those in sales focus solely on sales, and those in marketing focus solely on marketing. Once they start their own business, they must take on multiple roles and think holistically. Therefore, training is the foundation for "nurturing" an entrepreneurial team—it helps them psychologically prepare for the entrepreneurial process and goals.
It is recommended to start training from the following aspects:

**1. Understand what to do?**
Specific training content:
a. Introduction to the partner company's history
b. Introduction to the brand's products and differentiation
c. Introduction to the partnership model
d. The team's value and function within the system

**2. Learn how to do it?**
Specific training content:
a. Clarify job responsibilities at all levels
b. Learn to use the company's digital terminal system
c. Understand the logic and methods of product sell-through
d. Familiarize with the team's daily workflow

**3. What to gain in the process?**
Specific training content:
a. Introduction to income targets, salary structure, and assessment items
b. Improvement of professional skills

**4. What results to achieve?**
Specific training content:
a. Breakdown of annual income blueprint
b. Intangible assets such as business network and reputation
c. Becoming a competitive dealer

Summary: The above training content must focus on the immediate interests of the entrepreneurial team. Through training, the team should understand what cause they will fight for, how to fight, and what they will gain.
The form of training should fully consider: format, venue, organization, and cost.
Three recommended forms:
a. Regional training: organize training by adjacent regions
b. Independent training: organize training by province
c. Combine with dealer巡回 small meetings, where adjacent provinces can participate together

**The Second Character: Support (New Store Expansion)**
Distribution points are the foundation of sales and profit. Without distribution points, there is no sales. Therefore, the first key and difficult point for an entrepreneurial team is new store development. At this time, the partner brand should provide sufficient support, ensuring both the speed of new store expansion and the quantity and quality of new stores.
It is recommended to combine the terminal system for personnel incentives, starting from the following aspects:

**1. Distribution point entry: Reward A yuan per point for entering benchmark product distribution points**
First, define the channel attributes and benchmark products for your product's entry. For example, if your product can only be sold in campus channels, only entering campus channels will earn rewards. Additionally, you can require that campus channels must have benchmark products (if your product is a beverage retailing at 5 yuan, the benchmark product is the best-selling campus outlet for local 5-yuan beverages [define "best-selling" clearly: set standards for shelf space, cold storage, case cutting, and visual merchandising]).

**2. Product introduction: Reward for introducing products to target distribution points**
a. If the entrepreneurial team introduces products through their own relationships, reward: B yuan per point, with an additional C yuan per point if display requirements are met. For example, for beverages: achieving in-store + display (cold cabinet display + shelf display + case cutting display) can earn B+C yuan.
Product introduction requirements: standards for cases, SKUs, etc.; display requirements include shelf space, cold cabinet layers, case cutting requirements, etc.
b. Leverage strong brand business: Reward strong brand business with 30%-50% of the first order amount (requiring cash on delivery). The entrepreneurial team's staff reward is 50% of the original reward. Alternatively, the reward for opening a store can be fixed, and the "small boss" and strong brand business personnel can negotiate the distribution amicably.

Here are some reminders to avoid the brand's expenses not achieving the expected results:
1. The reward for strong brand business personnel can be calculated at 30 yuan per store, with a cap per store (to prevent malicious overstocking).
2. The reward for entrepreneurial team staff can be increased, but must be tied to a time limit for introduction.
3. Develop detailed processes to avoid risks, such as entrepreneurial team staff selling products at reduced prices to get rewards, or strong brand business using rewards to overstock and increase sales.
4. All rewards are based on the development of target channel distribution points and those with benchmark products, which can be defined as entry distribution point development rewards.

**The Third Character: Activate (Product Sell-Through)**
For an entrepreneurial team to operate healthily, product sell-through is key. Besides the product's own attributes, human effort is an important factor affecting sell-through. It is recommended to start from these four aspects:

**1. Target distribution points**
Definition of target distribution points: including business area, channel attributes, and benchmark product structure.

**2. Standard display**
Definition of standard display: focus on category-related displays based on sell-through principles, and visual merchandising based on product differentiation.

**3. Regular visits**
Definition of regular visits: precise segmentation of contracted areas, route planning, and definition of visit frequency.

**4. Product sell-through**
Definition of product sell-through: product turnover system monitoring, consumer promotions, and follow-up methods for promotional activities.

It should be noted: For an entrepreneurial project to "survive," sell-through is key, but sell-through takes time—time to build consumption scenarios and time for consumer awareness. Therefore, during this period, the "small boss" needs to "survive" first.
I suggest two points: First, within 6 months, guarantee a minimum income of 4,500 yuan (basic living security for personnel without vehicles) and 6,500 yuan (basic operation security for personnel with vehicles, 26 days, covering vehicle and person). The assessment only includes process indicators, meaning that as long as process indicators are completed, the minimum income is guaranteed (at this time, non-performing personnel are replaced). If actual performance + commission exceeds the minimum, the actual income is paid.
Second, after 6 months, operate under the "small boss" contract model, with income structure: no base salary + allowance + performance + incentive + profit sharing.

**The Fourth Character: Stabilize (Break-Even)**
Mutual benefit is the guarantee of business longevity, and the break-even point is the foundation of that guarantee. The following three points must be achieved:
1. Calculate the break-even point and profit distribution model.
2. Set the minimum daily sales and conduct weekly break-even assessments.
3. Ensure that the costs of the entrepreneurial leader, entrepreneurial staff, and partner are all satisfied.

It is worth noting that achieving break-even cannot be done overnight; it must follow the laws of FMCG development, and there should be no "killing the goose that lays the golden eggs" situation.

**The Fifth Character: Adapt (Sudden Resignation)**
The early stage of entrepreneurship is a test of endurance. Not every entrepreneur has the perseverance to stick to the end. Of course, the entrepreneurial team also needs to self-adjust and promptly replace unsuitable personnel. This process involves personnel resignation issues. Market competition is fierce, and personnel may be intermittent, but terminal distribution point services cannot be interrupted.

How to handle "changes"? It is recommended that the enterprise take the lead, with the entrepreneurial team as support, and do the following four points:
1. Personnel reserve: If grassroots personnel are missing, the leader can temporarily manage; if the entrepreneurial leader is missing, suitable candidates should be reserved in advance to take over.
2. Resignation requirements: Report at least 45 days in advance (15 days for specific handover work, 2 rounds of customer visits to check for any market issues). Those who do not cooperate will have their previous month's income deducted.
3. The entrepreneurial leader should make identifying market talents a daily task, always prepared for survival of the fittest. One element of entrepreneurial success is strong alliances; in hiring, sometimes choice is greater than effort, so bring market elites under your wing.
4. Resignation audit: Any personnel leaving the entrepreneurial team must be audited by a designated person, auditing all sales distribution points and partner account transactions to ensure no issues remain before salary is paid.

**Final Thoughts**
The "Five-Character Scripture" for the survival and development of "small bosses" in entrepreneurial teams is: "Nurture," "Support," "Activate," "Stabilize," and "Adapt." FMCG entrepreneurs should always think around these five characters, and they will surely avoid many detours.

But finally, I want to tell FMCG entrepreneurs: Entrepreneurship is not easy, and not everyone is suitable for it. Life does not necessarily require entrepreneurship to prove one's worth.
Entrepreneurship is a high-risk life step, especially now. You will encounter all kinds of troubles on the entrepreneurial path. But no matter what, once you choose entrepreneurship, you should firmly believe in your ideas and actions. Persist even when it's difficult. Only by groping forward in persistence can you see the rainbow after the storm.

**Further Reading**


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