Dealer Development: New Situations and New Approaches

The distributor is the first customer of the company, especially the small and medium-sized enterprises, the brand is not enough to generate enough pull on the market, and the promotion of the distributors on the sales has become the key to the products occupying the market. Just as the formula proposed by the sales manager of a winery:

First-class products + first-class distributors = super-class market.

First-class products + second-tier dealers = second-rate markets.

Second-rate products + first-class distributors = first-class market.

Choosing the wrong dealer equals the beginning of failure. Many problems in the cooperation of manufacturers today, such as poor product promotion, poor cooperation with distributors, inadequate implementation of manufacturers' strategies, and counterfeiting by dealers, are all related to errors in the selection of dealers.

The mistakes made by salespeople when choosing a dealer are rashness and ignorance. Recklessness refers to the fact that there are no dealers' selection processes and standards and they do not know much about dealers. Ignorance means that the salesperson does not know exactly what type of distributor is a good dealer.

The market is changing faster than marketing. Today, the traditional concept of developing distributors is being challenged. For example, in the past, dealers were required to have a sound sales network. However, today some dealers developed by enterprises start from scratch, and they still do a good job in the market; some companies The dealers are required to have strength, but Yanghe Wine's selection of the first standard of distributors is his social relations resources because the market development strategy of Yanghe Wine Group is to enter the market from group purchase.

Practice shows that the most important criterion for selecting a dealer is to choose a distributor that can promote the development of our business.

After more than 20 years of baptism of the market, China has created a large number of outstanding distributors, and it is a cooperative partner that companies should rely on. I recommend the following 11 types of dealers to companies:

1, by the peer respected dealers

Case:

When a salesperson of a famous brand develops a dealer in the market, he first comes to the terminal to see which product has the highest distribution rate in the local market. Lively best? After finding out this product, the salesman asked the terminal business: who bought the product from? Are you satisfied with their service? If everyone has a good impression of this dealer, the salesman will go directly to this dealer: Act for our products!

2. Dealers with monopoly power in the region

At present, a group of powerful distributors have emerged in the market and monopolize the local market resources. This is a dealer that the company has to find.

Monopoly dealers are divided into the following types:

(1) Market monopoly. The distributors have a sound network in the local market, strong promotion capabilities and a high market share.

A cosmetic distributor in Linfen, Shanxi Province boasted: “In Linyi, what cosmetics do I sell and what cosmetics are sold well.” The reason is that he monopolized more than 60% of the cosmetics business in the area.

(2) category monopoly. Distributors monopolize most of the brands in a certain category on the local market.

A condiment distributor in one place monopolizes shelves of about 70% of Shang Chao's condiments.

(3) Channel (terminal) monopoly.

Dealers have an absolute advantage in certain channels (terminals) and occupy a considerable share.

A wine dealer in a place monopolizes more than 80% of sales in the local night market.

(4) Promotion monopoly. Some dealers buy out the terminal's promotional rights. Without such a distributor, you will not be able to carry out promotions on these terminals.

3. Dealers who can provide good services to downstream customers

Services not only refer to sales services, but more importantly, guide services.

The common characteristics of these dealers are: advanced management awareness and strong management capabilities. When they cooperate with downstream customers, they can provide them with guidance, training, and ideas, so that downstream customers can keep pace with the development of manufacturers and become the spiritual leaders of downstream customers. In this way, the quality of the network will be greatly improved and the development of channels will be facilitated.

For example, Lou Xiaosheng, chairman of Henan Fluffy Food Co., Ltd., relied on consultant-style services to let downstream customers loyal to him. When he manages the wholesaler, he starts with the concept guidance. He said: “The road that the distributors have followed is the way that the second batch of merchants has not passed. Therefore, the general distributor has the responsibility to indicate to the second batch of suppliers which direction to develop.” Therefore, when he visited the customers, he told them Instill new marketing ideas and help downstream customers develop new year development goals every year.

Use "five" to manage customers:

(1) Branding: Arming wholesalers with factory brands. Some wholesalers no brand awareness, what business model is to sell products to sell, what products are cheap to sell, what products to sell promotional efforts. Every time he visits wholesalers, he persuades wholesalers to run brand products to promote their own development through communication.

(2) Specialization: Assist downstream customers in product brand integration and brand portfolio, including identifying flagship products, profitable products, image products, and competitors' products, so that dealers’ brands can play one plus one. The role of two.

(3) Personalization: He always believes that each downstream customer has his own short board, and then conducts targeted guidance according to each customer's specific situation.

(4) Humanization: Provide personalized and personalized services to customers and make friends with them.

(5) Knowledge-based: He always thinks that the second batch of businesses should play the role of “five members” (staffler, deliveryman, communicator, salesman, administrator), and then conduct targeted training.

Dealers operate products and sell services. The dealer's sales network is the manufacturer's sales network, and dealers can't cultivate the loyalty of downstream customers through the service. Then, the network established by the manufacturers will not stand the test of the market.

4. Dealers who can provide strategic opinions

The common characteristics of these dealers are: they have rich experience in market operations, are familiar with the local market conditions, consumer characteristics, channels, and competing products, and can offer effective promotion programs to represent our products.

A company sales manager warns the clerk: If the dealer you find is not powerful but has ideas, we can support him. In turn, if a distributor has strength but no ideas, it is to give him greater support, and it is difficult for him to sell our products well.

5, dealers with strong market expansion ability

Dealers have a strong sales team and have strong execution capabilities.

6, dealers with network advantages

Dealers have special advantages in one of the channels we are going to enter.

For instance, Yanghe Wine Group has entered the market with group purchases. Therefore, they choose the standards of the distributors, do not look at their strength, and only look at their social resources.

7. Choose the largest competitor in the industry

Sun Tzu’s Art of War talks about: "Together, to Qisheng." Many companies have found the best competitors in the industry when they develop their dealerships.

The selection of competing distributors is further divided into several situations:

(1) Find distributors who are the largest or well-established competitors in the industry. When Sofitel Cosmetics enters the market, the company's slogan is: Follow the path of P&G. When the Liuyang River developed its distributors, it first chose the dealer of “Jinliufu”.

(2) Receive dealers who have given up due to changes in competitors' strategies. In 1999, Master Kong instant noodles implemented access intensive farming plans, canceled distributors' distribution rights, and Hualong Group took the opportunity to take over its network. There are many similar cases.

(3) Dealers who are dissatisfied with competing products, services, ideas, or strategies. For example, the addition of soy sauce to the Henan market can be successfully promoted in a very short period of time. In addition to the market operation of the Canadian and Canadian companies, another important reason is the strong management of the soy sauce brand soy sauce in the Henan market, which caused the distributors. With great dissatisfaction, they turned to Gaga.

8, dealers from large company sales staff

This is the type of distributor that is newly created in the corporate world. Such dealers are very good dealers. On the one hand, they have received training in modern marketing concepts and methods at large companies, and have strong management and management capabilities. Second, they have learned from manufacturers and know the requirements of manufacturers for distributors. Therefore, they can well cooperate with manufacturers.

9, there are potential second batch of businesses, especially the second batch of competing products.

10, the new generation of dealers. The young distributors around the age of 30 are characterized by a common concept of novelty, good at learning, strong pioneering ability, and success. For example, when the dark beer industry of the beer industry grew up, it found a young distributor.

11. Units and individuals with strong cross-industry strength

Wong Lo Kat herbal tea encountered a lot of resistance when it was promoted across the country. A real estate businessman in Wenzhou sold it in a hot pot restaurant and a seafood restaurant to play and satisfy consumers' special stimulating effects in special channels. It has achieved significant improvement and provided a model and demonstration effect for Wang Laoji to go to the country.

When Procter & Gamble recently adjusted dealerships, many of the newly-developed dealerships were engaged in real estate or other industries. The 100-year-old wine chose this type of dealer for the year and achieved better results. Such distributors are now valued by companies, and even Wuliangye, Maotai and other famous wines have started to regard such distributors as the focus of development and selection. Such dealers do not have experience in the industry, but they are successful in other areas and have strong capabilities. An old saying "interlacing is not reasonable", and today, the successful experience of the industry will often limit people's thinking. Cross-industry operators do not have the experience of the industry in their minds, but are more likely to succeed.