Recently, Lee Kum Kee held its national channel partner conference in Guangzhou, with the theme 'Win at the Point of Sale, Win with Lee Kum Kee,' highlighting the company's determination to elevate terminal operations to a strategic level. From the content shared by business leaders at the conference, one could deeply feel Lee Kum Kee's confidence in winning at the point of sale. Among the attendees were many distributor partners who have performed exceptionally well across various channels. The author had the privilege of meeting a distributor from Henan, Xinxiang Zhihua Changwang Trading Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as Zhihua Trading), and traveled to Xinxiang for a face-to-face interview with the company's general manager, Mr. Ma, to discuss their 'market expansion story' in Xinxiang. Manufacturer and Distributor Joining Forces, Development Advances with Momentum 'Lee Kum Kee has truly achieved 'visible and available' in Xinxiang, allowing consumers who love Lee Kum Kee to buy the condiments they desire. This is a source of pride for our trading company and a true reflection of Lee Kum Kee's brand power.' Mr. Ma spoke about Lee Kum Kee's performance in the Xinxiang market with a happy smile on his face, enthusiastically explaining to the author: Zhihua Trading officially partnered with Lee Kum Kee in 2008, and they have been cooperating for 16 years now. Back then, Lee Kum Kee was not as ubiquitous in Xinxiang as it is now, visible everywhere and available everywhere. Instead, it was a well-known brand that many consumers had heard of but had never used. Through conversations with industry peers, we learned about the reputation of Lee Kum Kee's product quality and its corporate values such as 'Thinking of Others' (思利及人). We felt that Lee Kum Kee was a trustworthy brand. So, even though we faced uncertainties about Lee Kum Kee's development in the Xinxiang market and concerns about whether we could succeed as a distributor, we still firmly chose to become a Lee Kum Kee distributor. We started with annual sales of less than 500,000 yuan for Lee Kum Kee, and now we have exceeded 10 million yuan in sales, maintaining rapid growth every year. Doing the right but difficult things, a single spark can start a prairie fire! Speaking of the cooperation history between Zhihua Trading and Lee Kum Kee, as well as the changes and growth in the Xinxiang market over the years, Mr. Ma was deeply moved. While admiring the ultra-fast development of Lee Kum Kee in the Xinxiang market, the author couldn't help but curiously ask: 'What has enabled Zhihua Trading to grow Lee Kum Kee's sales in Xinxiang from less than 500,000 yuan to over 10 million yuan?' Mr. Ma beamed and said: At the end of the day, it comes down to doing one thing right: doing the terminal well. Currently, Zhihua Trading covers more than 1,000 terminals, all of which are active, with monthly active terminals accounting for no less than 90%. It is by increasing the number of covered terminals from few to many, expanding from urban areas to suburban counties, deeply penetrating into townships, and solidifying everything from product placement to active sell-through that Zhihua Trading has gradually increased Lee Kum Kee's sales at the terminal, making it one of the most preferred condiment brands among consumers. Of course, doing the terminal well does not rely solely on Zhihua Trading's efforts; it is through joint efforts with Lee Kum Kee, leveraging each other's strengths, that the terminal foundation has been truly consolidated, providing a stable base for the brand's business to grow year after year. In the condiment industry, the common practice at the time was to go through circulation channels, i.e., placing products in wholesale markets. Even now, some distributors still follow this approach. This method was somewhat effective back then, being relatively effortless, but its drawback was that sales were somewhat inflated and not realistic. It was also susceptible to price undercutting in wholesale markets, resulting in a lot of goods being shipped but with no profit. Zhihua Trading also operated in this 'sitting merchant' mode, and the frustration of 'losing money but gaining applause' troubled them for a long time. Fortunately, Lee Kum Kee's sales staff showed us a way out of the predicament: doing the terminal, with distributors directly serving the terminals. In this way, distributors firmly grasp their livelihood, and their shipments are both prestigious (local market influence) and profitable (margins). Under the guidance and leadership of Lee Kum Kee's sales staff, Zhihua Trading began to genuinely focus on the terminal: We equipped dedicated salespeople and delivery vehicles for terminal visits, and even introduced a terminal data management system. Lee Kum Kee's local sales team helped us by dividing responsibility areas and planning routes for our salespeople, coaching them on terminal visits, and designing activity plans that meet terminal needs, among a series of guidance and empowerment. At the same time, Zhihua Trading leveraged its own strengths in relationships, timely delivery, and financial capacity. Lee Kum Kee's rich product line and high quality met the needs of various consumers. The coverage of Lee Kum Kee products in Xinxiang's terminals has grown from a single spark back then to a prairie fire today, making it one of the most beloved condiment brands among local consumers. Under the Big Tree, Enjoy the Shade Daily Refinement Leads to Dominance Mr. Ma said excitedly, 'Lee Kum Kee not only helped Zhihua Trading transform from a 'sitting merchant' in circulation wholesale to a 'traveling merchant' intensively cultivating terminals. Now, Lee Kum Kee is increasing brand communication investment, market activity investment, and various forms of terminal investment, providing comprehensive and multi-dimensional support to help distributors better expand the market and operate terminals, truly helping distributors become masters of the local market.' The author also learned from Lee Kum Kee: Now and in the coming years, Lee Kum Kee will not only help existing distributors efficiently expand and operate terminals; it will also advance the 'Thousand Cities Development Plan,' targeting a large number of potential blank counties. Lee Kum Kee will allocate ample resources and look forward to more excellent distributor partners joining hands with Lee Kum Kee to create a bright 'future of taste' in the seasoning industry. Terminal is King, 'Future of Taste' is Promising Based on years of observation of the condiment industry and interviews with distributors of multiple brands, the author found that distributors who survive in regional markets are invariably those who settle down and work solidly on terminals, achieving intensive cultivation. Those distributors who are highly active in the market and achieve counter-trend growth have further shifted their terminal expansion strategy from simple intensive cultivation to deep operation. Terminals face consumers directly and are the window for brands to reach consumers. Those distributors who ignore terminals and are unwilling to invest effort have long been eliminated by the market tide, or are on the path to elimination. Distributors who understand the market and consumers, and firmly grasp the terminals, achieve sustained business growth. For distributors to intensively cultivate and even operate terminals, it is inseparable from the brand's emphasis on and substantial investment in terminals. At Lee Kum Kee's distributor conference, the author also learned that Lee Kum Kee stated it will unwaveringly continue to invest in terminals, more vigorously drive terminal consumption, and brand reinforcement will persist. The author also believes that in the coming years, Lee Kum Kee will surely write a more splendid 'future of taste' together with its distributor partners.