When salespeople face a new market, they often inherit a "bad market" with numerous problems. How should we face such a market? Through research and summary of problem markets, we found that almost all problem markets commonly have the following issues:

  • Many leftover problems from previous market issues
  • Products not adapting to the market or price undercutting
  • Market chaos and weak foundation
  • Intense competition and lack of brand influence, leaving no foothold for the brand
  • Uncooperative customers or many problems, with a severe lack of mutual trust
  • Paralyzed marketing team If any of the above problems exist, the market you are about to take over can be identified as a problem market. If the regional market you are to take over has multiple or all of the above problems, then your market is extremely bad. At this point, a "positive attitude" is the foundation for solving problems, because "confidence is often more important than gold." Only by "adjusting your mindset, facing it positively, conducting comprehensive research, applying targeted solutions, and seeking support" can you solve the above problems. Facing such a bad market, we must have two mindsets:
  1. A calm mind—don't put too much pressure on yourself.
  2. A positive mind—take the initiative and integrate various resources to solve problems. Step 1: Conduct a comprehensive market survey. A comprehensive market survey is the foundation for solving problems. Every problem has its root cause; finding the root cause is the basis for solving it. Creating a detailed and comprehensive market survey report is the primary action to solve the worst markets. A comprehensive and detailed survey should be carried out from the following aspects: 1. Analysis of current market situation: Project | Content Basic data survey of the regional market | Including administrative division, population, consumption level, various economic indicators, number of various terminal customers in the market, sales and proportion of each channel terminal, etc. Historical sales data analysis | Including year-on-year sales growth analysis, analysis of item growth by product price band, analysis of sales data between channels, analysis of sales data between regions, etc. Analysis of regional market characteristics | Including analysis of consumption structure, purchasing habits (product color, packaging material, size, etc.), purchasing power, etc. 2. Analysis of market competition landscape: Project | Content Analysis of competitive situation | Including analysis of market operation strategies, marketing methods, and degree of competition adopted by our products and competitors in the current market, etc. Analysis of competitor situation | Including analysis of competitors' specific market conditions in product portfolio design, price positioning, channel strategy, promotion methods, etc. Analysis of major competitors | Including analysis of major competitors' market competitive advantages and disadvantages, historical sales data, specific channel involvement, product portfolio strategy, price strategy, promotion strategy, etc. 3. Analysis of market development trends and market potential: Project | Content Analysis and forecast of overall market development direction | Including analysis and forecast of changes in overall market demand, changes in consumption habits and purchasing habits, etc. Development trends and forecasts of major market segments | Including development forecasts of various sales channels in the region, development forecasts of consumption structure, etc. Forecast and discussion of our product's market development | Including prediction and discussion of market adaptability of product portfolio, market rationality of product price positioning, rationality of channel planning, and targeting of promotion strategies. — Purpose: to seek the causes of market problems and tap market development potential. Through the above market survey, we can have a general understanding of the causes of problem markets; the rest is to fundamentally solve the specific market problems faced by the problem market through effective means and measures. Step 2: Seek support Seeking support is an effective means to solve problems. The reason the market has become bad must be multifaceted. At this time, relying solely on your personal efforts is difficult to improve the market in a short time. The most effective means to solve problems is to seek support from multiple aspects; internally: your predecessor, various departments of the company, and current colleagues (including superiors, peers, and subordinates). Externally: customers, your old colleagues, and industry friends. All of them will become the targets for you to seek support.
  • Your predecessor and leaders can help you effectively analyze the root causes of market problems and provide constructive suggestions for solving them.
  • Gaining effective cooperation from various departments of the company can help you obtain more sales policies and authoritative influence support, promoting the rapid resolution of market problems.
  • Customers are the booster for solving market problems; every step they take forward will have a huge impact on your work.
  • The market cannot be changed by one person alone. Only by winning your colleagues to fight alongside you can the problem truly be solved. This is the fundamental solution. Step 3: Take targeted market operation measures Since the market is bad, there must be root causes. To find problems and solve them, we must apply targeted measures. 1. How to face leftover market problems? Attitude is more important than resolution Leftover market problems often arise from poor communication, empty promises, and artificial delays. To solve previous leftover problems, we should follow the following process: Your attitude towards solving leftover problems directly affects the degree of resolution; your attitude towards leftover problems is more important than the final degree of resolution. When facing leftover problems, we must maintain a work attitude of integrity, communication, and full effort, striving to minimize the damage of leftover problems. At the same time, in the process of handling leftover problems, we should demonstrate our ability and attitude to solve market problems, gain attention and recognition from all sides, and establish prestige for later market operations. 2. How to face products not adapting to the market?
  1. Reverse thinking: The reason products are unsalable and not adapting often has deep-seated problems. At this time, we need to reverse-reason from the results of our products' poor sales and competitors' best-selling products to find the root cause.
  2. Product segmentation strategy based on market research: Through market research, develop and explore suitable product combinations or product items.
  3. Implementation of product promotion strategies based on regional market characteristics: According to market consumption structure, consumer purchasing habits, etc., divide product promotion channels and implement corresponding promotion and promotion strategies. 3. How to face a "chaotic market with weak foundation"? Regional market chaos is often due to problems in price and channel management. The weak market foundation is mostly due to poor product movement, insufficient brand image building, lack of necessary market promotion measures, and poor brand influence. To solve the current situation of market chaos and weak foundation, we should start from the following aspects:
  • Establish good price positioning and plan a good price system.
  • In product management, strictly control the channel flow of products; segmenting product channels is an effective way to solve market chaos.
  • Use necessary market operation methods and measures to carry out product promotion and marketing momentum in the region, promote the ultimate increase in sales, and ultimately enhance the product's regional brand influence, thereby effectively improving the regional market foundation. 4. How to face the situation of "fierce market competition preventing our product from entering the regional market"?
  • Do a good job in brand positioning and attack planning. That is, before the product enters the regional market, first plan the product's own positioning and the upcoming attack strategy to avoid blindness in the attack.
  • Implement a blue ocean strategy. Through the establishment of brand positioning, find blank markets and strategic blank points in the region to avoid premature vicious competition for resources.
  • Conduct market segmentation, find market breakthrough points, launch concentrated attacks, and achieve breakthroughs at market points, ultimately using points to drive the whole area and achieve a comprehensive counterattack. 5. How to face the "negative state of uncooperative customers"? The reasons for regional customers' non-cooperation are generally as follows:
  • Low profitability from brand operation
  • Leftover market problems
  • Insufficient brand influence
  • Many brands operated, so insufficient attention to our brand At this time, the regional manager can "handle" customers through the following means:
  • Integrity: Seriously help customers solve market problems.
  • Hope: Give customers hope, that is, by handling one or two market problems or carrying out market operation measures, make customers see the hope of solving leftover problems and the possibility of improving product profitability.
  • Pressure: Put pressure on customers to push them to change their negative state of non-cooperation.
  • Cold treatment: When all operational means fail, you might as well use low-key and time delay to dilute the problem; respond to changes with constancy, thereby turning passivity into initiative. 6. How to face a "paralyzed marketing team"? Facing a paralyzed marketing team, dismissal and effective incentives are effective means to improve the current team; while recruiting new people to inject fresh blood into the team, establishing a complete team training and performance appraisal system is the guarantee for continuous team improvement. Through the implementation of the above steps, the new regional manager can already handle problem markets with ease and resolve market crises. Finally, I would like to emphasize the six abilities that an excellent regional manager who can face problem markets must possess:
  • Ability to work under pressure
  • Ability to let data speak
  • Ability to integrate resources
  • Ability to coordinate customer and market problems
  • Ability to use necessary market operation tactics
  • Ability to quickly build a marketing team -END- Content Selection Reply with the following keywords to query and read related articles: Sales Supervisor, Second-tier Management, Regional Manager, Distributor Management, New Channels, City Manager, Competition, 2015, Manufacturer-Dealer Game, Product Unsaleable, Terminal Visit Management, Route Management, Deep Distribution, Internal Management, Sales Skills, Profit Improvement, Recruitment, Distribution, Daily Management, Team Motivation, Trade Promotion, Sales Misunderstandings, New Product Launch, Township Market, New Product Pricing, Sales Target Achievement, Forcing Orders, Market Visit Inspection, Baijiu, Beer, Sales Increase, Agency Products, Cross-region Sales, KA, Terminal Merchandising, New Market, Market Operation, Learning, Book Recommendations, Inventory Management, New Salespeople, Consumer Promotion, Execution, Old Products, Expired Product Handling, Model Market, Investment Attraction, New Media, Distributor Development, Performance Appraisal, Assessment, Annual Planning, Shopping Guide, Morning Meeting, Display, Transformation, Stock Pressure, Festival, Distributor Cost Control, Channel Operation, Marketing Theory and Laws, Brand Truth, Order Meeting, Team Management, Training, Work Report, Work Report.