Promotion of goods in retail chains. How to negotiate supplies with a retail chain. How to supply your product to the VkusVill retail chain: four tips

From this article you will learn:

• How to offer products to stores
• How to offer products on social networks and by phone
• How to properly offer a product to a sales representative

The domestic economy has recently embarked on the path of market relations; from now on, each of the sellers asks a fundamental question: how to offer a product or service so that the buyer is interested. Let's consider the key aspects of this issue.

How to offer a product so that people buy it

Of course, the success of a business depends largely on sales volume; this is perhaps one of the most important factors. Production capacity can be increased quite quickly, but market capacity does not always provide the opportunity to realize the inherent potential. Advertising budgets can be 20–50% of production costs, and firms do everything possible to outperform competitors.
All these factors indicate that the entire distribution chain - marketing department/sales department/store - is important. The answer to the questions: “How to offer a product correctly” and “How to sell a product to a client” is the solution to the buyer’s needs.
Recommendations for a marketer:

1. Before offering a product to a buyer, thoroughly study all the issues related to it. The more extensive and in-depth information you have about a product (operation, scope of application, availability of options and their differences, etc.), the more convincingly you can convey to the buyer why he needs it.
2. Pay very close attention to the psychology of a possible client. You need to clearly understand who is in front of you: a student or an intellectual, young or old, man or woman. Having an idea of ​​the character of a potential client, it will be easier for you not only to offer him a product, but also to build a productive dialogue with him, to establish a competent strategy in the buyer-seller relationship.
3. When offering a product, do not forget about the emotional component: let the potential buyer feel like the owner of a product that has not yet been purchased. Show what the product is like in action, let them touch, feel, smell it. Create all the conditions for making a purchase so that the client wants to purchase this particular product right now.

How to offer goods wholesale

There are several simple rules on how to sell goods in bulk. In this case, you need to focus on the future, that is, on the constant search for a customer. The volume of deliveries depends on the scale of the client company (whether these will be large orders or small ones). Categories such as delivery, price, terms are a temptation for the buyer and a big plus for the supplier.
Hence:

• do everything possible to “feed” the client from the very beginning with low prices for delivered orders and low logistics bills;
• monitor compliance with the terms of the contract - never violate them;
• deliver on time and regularly;
• Remember that wholesale is a peer-to-peer sale.

How to properly offer a product to a buyer in a store

The most important problem that retail chains, including large ones, face is the problem of recruiting staff, since the employees of most stores are not ready for effective sales (residual effects of Soviet upbringing). But there is another side to this - retailers themselves often do not pay enough attention to training and motivating salespeople, treating them as a third-rate “labor force” that is constantly changing. This attitude leads to a lack of necessary training. The seller does not offer the product to the buyer very effectively, because he does not know how to do it. But trained employees with proper motivation may well be the key to the success of any retail outlet.
A successful salesperson is someone who:

• easily identifies client problems;
• can assess consumer priorities in the context of solving these problems;
• can and strives to help buyers find solutions to these problems in the most convenient, effective, innovative and timely way, and at a price that is adequate for the buyer.

Most often, if the seller is able to identify the fundamental problems for the client, the client will be willing to pay to solve them.
The key to success can be knowledge of methods for promoting your problem-solving abilities to potential buyers. This is necessary so that clients are aware of what you can do for them and what benefits they will receive from using the solutions you offer.
Leading salespeople don't just focus on how to offer a product (or how to sell it), but they expand the horizons of what their customers can do. To become a sales leader, you need to periodically answer the following questions:

• What customer problems am I solving?
• What is the buyer's perspective on these problems and my proposed solutions?
• How does a buyer prioritize solutions to these problems?
• What other buyer problems can I solve?
• What hidden or future problems are buyers unaware of?

The buyer comes with a huge number of problems. Your task is to point out them and give them a detailed description, but not from your point of view, but from the client’s position. Focus on those problems that need to be solved first, and for this you need to formulate the right questions and listen carefully to the buyer’s answers. And after that, offer your solutions (= offer a product).

3 tips on how to talk to a buyer when offering a product
Experts share useful tips with sellers on how to talk with customers in order to achieve success, and how to offer a product as effectively as possible.

1. Product knowledge.

Despite the fact that we have already mentioned this fact, we will repeat it again: you need to start preparing for trading even before the sales themselves, in particular, we are talking about getting all possible information about the product. What it could be: before offering a product, check the nuances of different manufacturers, the specifics of use, price ranges for wholesale/retail, at different retail outlets and in the place where exactly you will sell. However, the psychological aspect can be called much more significant.
The task of any seller is to offer a product, while providing answers to all questions that arise. Such a seller inspires confidence; the buyer understands that he is a professional and not an amateur. There is another point: if the client receives a comprehensive answer, he begins to feel obligated, and in some cases this may influence his decision to purchase the product here, from this seller. However, in the opposite situation, when the seller answers without enthusiasm, at length, the consumer understands that he is not a professional working with him.
The only exception: the buyer, due to some circumstances, has information about the product, for example, he took part in the production of similar goods. Then you need to offer the product more carefully, you should not go too far: it is important to show your competence in this matter and respect the knowledge of your interlocutor, and maybe even ask him something, ask some questions. This model of behavior will increase the importance of the buyer in his own eyes and at the same time increase the assessment of the seller.

1. Good mood.

In fact, the salesman's mood is a working tool, since he is an actor who cannot afford an arbitrary mood. His task is to “keep face” regardless of what is in his soul. After all, the buyer immediately catches the seller’s mood and reacts to it: a good mood is conveyed, but also a bad one. If the buyer came to the store in a good mood, and the seller spoiled it, then the buyer subconsciously (and maybe consciously) will want to take revenge on the seller without buying anything from him.

1. Respect for the buyer.

Respect for the buyer is manifested in respect for his desires and choices.
That is, if a buyer wants to buy tea, then you should not try to sell him lemonade. Of course, it is permissible to offer a substitute product, but “selling” it is fraught with consequences. The buyer is increasingly psychologically savvy, and often he also has a good understanding of the product. Therefore, the fact that instead of a substitute product they begin to very persistently offer him something completely different, even when such a replacement seems appropriate to the seller, causes irritation and negativity. This is regarded as manipulation, and its disclosure should be followed by punishment: and this is already the loss of the client, because he is unlikely to ever return to the place where he was deceived or tried to deceive.
Trading is somewhat similar to fishing: it is impossible to force fish to bite, but you can attract them with high-quality bait. The buyer likes quality service, and respect is an important component. And even in the case when you do not have a certain product, directing the buyer to the place where it is available will also have a positive effect on your assessment by the buyer, and there is a high probability that he will return to you.
You need to respect not only the buyer’s problems and his desires, but also his refusal. You are unlikely to see a customer who has been rude or rude after a refusal in your store again. And even if there was no obvious rudeness, a sharp change in the seller’s behavior (from fawning/attentive to indifferent/negative) will also shock the buyer, and he is unlikely to come to this store.
More recommendations for a store seller on how to offer a product:

• under no circumstances talk about the negative nuances of the product, so as not to spoil the positive;
• Even if you know how to market a product correctly, if you don't know the rules of ethics, it will be difficult to succeed. Be charming, friendly, respectful - this will help sell the product, but avoid familiarity and familiarity, maintaining the required distance.

How to offer a product to a sales representative

A novice sales representative always faces refusals, this is explained by the fact that retail outlets are against working with new suppliers or new products - the shelves in the store are already overflowing with goods. However, there are good principles in sales and good methods of how to offer a product to unfamiliar customers.

1. Make an illustrated catalogue.

If it is the woman who decides whether to work with you or not, then there is one useful method: creating a catalog with illustrations. This is relevant for women, since women are usually inclined to choose goods from catalogs: this form of shopping inspires confidence in them. Offering a product in this way is a more advantageous option: viewing a catalog takes less time than looking at a price list, and looking at pictures is more pleasant than looking at numbers.

1. Visit all retail outlets in your assigned territory.

Be prepared to be rejected in most places when you offer a product, but this should not worry you: it is normal for the psychology of the seller to test the new person (will he appear again and how persistent is he?). Don't be upset if you are rejected. Just let them know you'll come back another time when something interesting comes up. The seller is unlikely to refuse this. Focus on finding your first client - it's difficult, but doable.

1. Return to stores located near your first customer.

Come back after a while with a message that you have news. In the conversation, refer to the first client and tell him that your product will be presented in his store. Buyers notice everything: if one store offers your product, but this one does not, they will come to the store with new products more often. And this is an important criterion for many.

1. Collect statistics and reviews.

Contact customers with questions about how things are going with your product at their point of sale. Don’t let their answers fall on deaf ears – record and pay attention to it.

1. Visit the remaining stores.

Let them know that your product is already available in 15 stores. But don't lie, tell it like it is. Voice the words of customers who are satisfied with your product. This may be the impetus for them to start working with you. You want to work with successful people; it’s easier to offer a product to people who are this way.

How to offer your product to stores
This question is always asked by newcomers, because the managers of retail outlets refuse new products, arguing that the stores are already overflowing with goods. Therefore, there is one peculiarity in how to offer a product to a store: you need to offer not only a product, but also something more, for example, better service than competitors, a better solution to work issues. Your job is to offer a product while convincing the client that they won't waste their time if they start working with you.
To sell your product successfully, you need to have an idea of ​​all stages of a customer visit:

• Preparation;
• approach to the outlet;
• presentation;
• make a deal;
• merchandising;
• visit analysis.

There are a number of important tips on how to offer a product:

1. Remember that store managers perceive a new supplier as new problems. This is due to past negative experiences of contacts with unreliable suppliers, for example. Therefore, they perceive any new proposal with caution. Don't forget this: there are two parts to selling a product: first you have to "sell yourself" as a good business partner, and only then do you focus on how to offer the product and sell it. If you look at the situation from this position too, then it will be easier for you to negotiate and find the right words.
2. When you go to a store to offer a product, focus on a slightly different goal: find out about the problems of your potential partners. Tell them that you are planning to work in this market, but you came today to find out what problems the store faces when working with suppliers. Pay attention to the responses you receive and tell them you will come back when you can offer a solution to these problems.
3. Analyze this conversation: identify weaknesses in the work of competitors, create a service plan for a retail outlet that will surpass the offers of competing suppliers. Focus on demonstrating this difference as effectively as possible to store managers when you begin offering the product.
4. Organize another negotiation, but again do not talk about your products, focus on how comfortable the buyer will be in working with your company.
5. Receive your first purchase order. Let it be small - after all, this is a kind of test, but clearly state what the minimum order volume should be in the future.

Remember: competitors will immediately pay attention to the decrease in sales that is associated with your entry into the market. The rivals' response may be, for example, to improve the quality of service. Your task is to return to the steps listed above from time to time and repeat them.

Important advice:go to the sales area after the delivery has been made and find out if everything is fine. The fact that you care about your partner– this is an additional bonus that will work in favor of working with you.

How to offer a product on social networks

SMM, or social media marketing, is now increasingly gaining momentum. There is not a single company that does not understand the importance of promotion on social networks. At the same time, not everyone knows how to offer goods here correctly and as productively as possible.
Statistics show the following: for example, specialists from GfK Ukraine conducted an analysis of what goods, where and how often Ukrainians purchase via the Internet. Here are the results: in 2016, more than 39% of Internet users bought goods or ordered services using social networks. And, let’s say, in 2013, only 12% made purchases through social networks.
The most popular products: clothing, accessories, gifts, shoes, cosmetics and perfumes. Most of the buyers are, of course, women.
Such statistics once again emphasize that you can really sell on social networks.
But how to do this?
It’s not that complicated, you just need to take into account important factors:

• the audience of your company coincides with the audience of the social network;
• there are no barriers to purchasing your product through a social network (no additional registrations, requests are processed slowly, etc.);
• you are really developing your community: there is the right content, a sufficient number of participants and you were able to reach a medium or even high level of involvement;
• users trust you (for example, due to high-quality feedback);
• You realize that selling online takes time (minimum 3 months).

When you can put a plus next to each item, then you are really confidently moving in the right direction: you can safely offer your product.
Here are a few more guidelines to ensure you can offer and sell your product as effectively as possible.

1. Please indicate the current price.

Don’t create unnecessary barriers on the buyer’s path to purchasing your product: let him see the price right away. Do not doubt that potential customers for whom the price you named will be unsuitable will in any case refuse to purchase the product.

1. Simplify the ordering process as much as possible.

It is necessary to offer goods in online stores in such a way that the client has the opportunity to buy the product he likes almost instantly, without unnecessary manipulations of going to the site, registrations, etc. The more difficult it is to place an order, the greater the chance that the buyer will change his mind. Your task is to make sure that the customer understands the scheme for purchasing the product, and this scheme should be simple.

1. Update your assortment regularly so that the buyer has the opportunity to choose.

Remember women's craving for shopping: hours of walking around shopping centers, the opportunity to choose, the understanding that one of these things will sooner or later become their property. The same principle should apply to social media: users should have choice. These can be albums with goods, where you can see everything that is available, compare, and then purchase. Plus - the more assortment you offer, the more customers (and their needs) will be satisfied.
Remember about such a factor as the relevance of the product. Let you have an “In stock” album, which will be regularly updated and replenished, do not forget to periodically offer products from this album. Because often refusal to purchase is provoked by the need for a long wait for the goods to arrive or their absence at all (despite the fact that it is presented in the album/website).

1. Follow trends and play with them.

Trends are a great way to earn money quickly and a lot. Pay attention to what users are talking about on the Internet, what is happening around, what is interesting to people. Apply what you've learned to market your product. Items that are on trend are usually more popular than the standard assortment.

1. Update your community information regularly.

It is important for you to convey to your customers the fact that your products are constantly being updated. However, you don’t need to do this too zealously, otherwise there is a risk of being banned (in the news feed). Do this in moderation so that when a user needs something you sell, they immediately think of you.

1. Respond promptly to comments.

Timely responses to comments increase the likelihood of making a purchase. Slowness can lead to the buyer leaving for competitors.

1. Don't neglect community management.

Community management is almost the key component in working with your community. It gives you the opportunity to build trust with users who may become your customers. Give public responses to negative comments, do not delete them, and be able to admit your mistakes.
Remember the importance of feedback and reviews: their presence will increase the loyalty of the audience, which in the future will be able to recommend your store to friends and acquaintances. But just don’t falsify information, reviews should be honest and real, and fictitious reviews will never work in your favor.

1. Let's advertise interesting offers and discounts.

Draw your customers' attention to various interesting offers, promotions and discounts in advertising campaigns. Such messages increase the effectiveness of advertising, which leads to increased sales.

The retail network is a tough and difficult partner. Based on an analysis of the results of more than a thousand negotiations, I compiled a matrix to quantify the likelihood of success and, based on this matrix, developed an algorithm that will allow the supplier to win more negotiations and enter into profitable contracts with retail. As cliché as it sounds, the foundation for successful collaboration is laid during the preparation phase, during which the supplier must answer four questions.

Question No. 1. Why do we need networks?

What does the retail chain “buy”? She doesn't need a product. She needs additional profit with minimal expenditure of time and effort. A retailer wants to increase its revenues or reduce costs without doing anything more than replacing one product with another. What does the network want to get from the supplier?

1. Additional income from sales. In this case, not only the direct effect of replacing one supplier with another is assessed, but also the so-called “cannibalism”. Will a product from a new supplier “eat up” some of the sales of other products in its category?
2. Additional direct income. I am referring to the increase in the premium (under the Trade Act).
3. Indirect income and convenience. Increased deferred payments, number of deliveries per week, reduced minimum order amount and other benefits.
4. Marketing and promotion. Expenses that the manufacturer is willing to incur to develop its sales and create additional traffic to stores.
5. Synergistic effect, increase in market share. A well-known brand can attract new customers to the network; the right assortment allows you to beat competitors and increase market share.
6. Reduced direct costs. First of all, I mean logistics costs. Delivery to retail outlets is more profitable for the network than delivery through a distribution center (DC). Naturally, with the exception of those cases when the network charges a “logistics bonus” for work through the distribution center, several times higher than the real cost of delivery. A reduction in network costs will also occur if the supplier provides its own merchandisers, sales consultants, and equipment.
7. Risk reduction. The biggest risk of the chain is the lack of goods. If a new supplier is more reliable than a competitor, this is an important argument to make a decision in its favor.

Question No. 2. Why do we need a network?

The network gives the supplier the opportunity to earn or save money. What are the main advantages of working with the network?

1. Increase in sales volumes.
2. Opportunity to get additional profit.
3. Reliability of the distribution channel (stable orders and payments, effective promotions, decision-making in one place).
4. Reducing the risk of fines and returns by working through the distribution center and centralized orders.
5. Synergistic effect. The ability to increase sales in the territory by increasing brand awareness, facilitating entry into other stores and networks.
6. Hypothetical reduction in production and logistics costs.

Question No. 3. Is the network ready to give something to the supplier for cooperation?

As a rule, the network gives nothing to the supplier except shelf space. At the same time, to be honest, it doesn’t even give you space on the shelf. It simply fills a “hole in the assortment” or exchanges one product for another. If the network is ready to give something - work with a supplier with a lower premium, deferred payments, provide additional places - it means that the network is interested in cooperation, and the supplier can count on a long and mutually beneficial relationship.

Question No. 4. What does the supplier pay for cooperation?

To estimate the real cost of a contract for a supplier, I propose to introduce the concept of “zero price”. This is the price without discounts. The buyer carries out self-pickup from the factory and makes an advance payment. This is the maximum a supplier could earn. Any action to organize sales reduces the supplier's profit and, in fact, is his expense.

What are the vendor's network costs?

Success Probability Matrix

I have developed a “Probability of Success Matrix”, which allows, after answering the questions posed above, to assess what chances a supplier has of success in negotiations to begin supplying the network. The principle is simple:

• The more benefits the network gets from working with you, the higher the likelihood of success.
• The more concessions a network is willing to make to start working with you, the higher the likelihood of success.

The supplier can offer the network to solve its problem, provide an excellent product on excellent terms, or make an offer “like everyone else.”

Let's calculate for these options.

Probability of success of a mass offer

This offer is no different from the offers of competitors. The supplier often doesn’t really know why the network needs his product. The probability matrix for the success of a mass offer is presented in table 1.

What the supplier will give to the network
6. Reduced direct costs

Probability of negotiation success

-

20%

Probability of success of the best offer

This proposal solves problems that are constantly on the network’s agenda. Today, these problems have been solved, but the new proposal is better than competitors’ proposals in some respects. The success probability matrix of the best offer is shown in table 2.

What the supplier will give to the network		What concessions is the network ready to make?
1. Additional income in the category		1. Buy a product without a discount (at a price higher than competing products)
2. Additional direct income is greater than from competitors		2. Buy goods at a premium lower than competitors
3. Indirect income and convenience, more than competitors		3. Buy goods with a lower deferment period than competitors
4. Marketing and promotion, more than competitors		4. Buy goods without providing additional services in which the supplier is not interested
5. Synergistic effects and increase in market share		5. Purchasing and delivering according to a logistics scheme that is more profitable for the supplier than competitors
6. Reduced direct costs		6. Provide promotion services to the supplier on more favorable terms for the supplier
7. Risk reduction (quality of goods, delays, shortages)		7. Expand the assortment or display at the request of the supplier

Probability of negotiation success

-

60%

Probability of success of the best offer

By most measures, this offering is better than its main competitors, addressing network problems and solving network priorities. The probability of success in this case is close to 100%. I am giving an adjustment of 5% taking into account the possible inadequacy of the representatives of the supplier and the network. As you know, any negotiations can fail if desired. The success probability matrix of the best offer is presented in table 3.

What the supplier will give to the network		What concessions is the network ready to make?
1. Additional income in the category		1. Buy a product without a discount (at a price higher than competing products)
2. Additional direct income is greater than from competitors		2. Buy goods at a premium lower than competitors
3. Indirect income and convenience, more than competitors		3. Buy goods with a lower deferment period than competitors
4. Marketing and promotion, more than competitors		4. Buy goods without providing additional services in which the supplier is not interested
5. Synergistic effects and increase in market share		5. Purchasing and delivering according to a logistics scheme that is more profitable for the supplier than competitors
6. Reduced direct costs		6. Provide promotion services to the supplier on more favorable terms for the supplier
7. Risk reduction (quality of goods, delays, shortages)		7. Expand the assortment or display at the request of the supplier

Probability of negotiation success

-

95%

We will not describe the mass option, when the supplier has virtually nothing to offer. But the problem is that managers give networks unjustified advantages even in cases where they have a truly worthy product on their hands. Why? How to turn the tide of negotiations in your favor? What arguments should be given for this? Let's look at a practical example.

A unique product is not an advantage!

Not long ago I helped negotiate with a retail chain for one of the confectionery manufacturers. The management made a decision to enter the “X” network. The managers' parting words for negotiations by the owner of the enterprise sounded something like this:

“We have launched a unique line of products. In the production of our products, we use only the best ingredients, the latest German equipment, and the enterprise is located in an ecologically clean area. Chains should snatch up such a product "with their hands" and line up to buy it. But, as you know, we have seriously invested in production. In addition, there is a crisis in the country, production costs have increased. Therefore, our price is higher than that of our competitors. We cannot give a long deferment and pay a premium. The logistics scheme is also not yet clear. But we will find a reliable logistics company or we will transport it to the distribution center of the network. In short, go ahead! Go and negotiate! The network must start purchasing our unique product on our terms.”

After receiving the task, the manager for working with this network (MRS) and I assessed what we could do if we came to the network with such a “chant”. Our forecast turned out to be disappointing: most likely, the contract will be concluded on network terms or will not be signed at all. The probability of accepting our terms is no more than 20%. And we decided to increase the likelihood of success.

Step #1. Studying a product category

The following questions need to be answered:

• What is the role of the category?
• What are the objectives of the category?
• What products are used to solve category problems?
• What buyer and category problems can our product solve?
• How are these problems being solved now and why are we better than our competitors?
• What are the problems in the category, network and suppliers?

Together with MRS, we visited several stores of the “X” chain and formed a portrait of our product category for ourselves. As it turned out, the category is assorted, that is, there is no clear leader in it. However, the main turnover is provided by goods from several well-known manufacturers. One of these manufacturers, according to our information, gives premiums lower than the market average. In addition, the activity of competitors forces this chain to keep low markups on its top products. And the second manufacturer introduced a lot of illiquid goods into the assortment matrix. The average return per unit for this supplier is low.

From the analysis of the assortment and pricing policy, we concluded that the main KPIs that chain “X” focuses on are the same as for many other chains: turnover, sales income, additional income, attracting promotional budgets, unit sales. Our products can compete with both leading manufacturers. In addition, there are “second-tier” suppliers of goods that occupy a small share of sales and assortment.

Step #2. Understand the income structure

The network’s income consists of the “front margin” (sales income) and “back margin” (additional income in the form of a premium). In the X network, the back margin ranges from 5% to 10% of payments under service contracts. At this stage, we needed to choose the right targets to attack and convince the buyer of one of two options:

1. We occupy the place of illiquid assets, and even with a lower level of investment (premium percentage), the network will earn more from us due to increased turnover;
2. We occupy a leadership position, and even with a lower sales volume, the chain will earn more from us, since our product has a higher markup and we pay a higher premium.

We chose the second division - poorly selling goods - as an object for displacement from shelves, deciding to build our argument on the fact that 100% of zero is still zero. We guaranteed that we would ensure a high sales volume, and the conditions we offered would bring the network significantly more money in ruble terms.

And we have also prepared a response to the buyer’s possible objection that the main sales are formed by the tops:

“We believe that it is in our common interests to introduce our product into the range and develop its sales. A guaranteed high markup will allow us to receive higher income from sales than tops with a low markup now provide.”

Step #3. Find out standard commercial terms

It is necessary to study the conditions under which the network works with our main competitors. After this, by analogy with the second step, you need to convince the buyer that your offer will bring more credit money into the network’s circulation, and your additional services will be more convenient and profitable.

As we found out, the service offered to the “X” network by the leaders of our category is approximately the same. Deferred payments for all suppliers are close to the maximum allowed by Federal Law No. 381 (45 calendar days). Therefore, we decided to leave the discussion of the delay and service to the final part of the negotiations and talk about it only if the buyer’s consent is received on other issues.

Step #4. Prove that the proposed promotional plan is the most effective

Network “X” focuses on holding promotions with deep discounts on top positions. Due to the fact that manufacturers do not always give deep discounts on these goods, the chain has to bear part of the costs. Therefore, we proposed the following promotional plan:

• At the first stage We hold promotions to attract attention: we offer our products in sets, gifts for purchases, etc.
• At the second stage We offer sets of our products, discounts for volume purchases. These promotions are very attractive to the end consumer and differ from those currently offered by the network.
• At the third stage, when the buyer already perceives our products as top, we will be ready to carry out a certain number of promotions, agreeing with the network on the volume and depth of the discount and taking on all the costs ourselves.

As a result, the chain receives customer loyalty and a new sales hit without the cost of promotion on its part.

Step #5. Understand the structure of losses and risks

We must prove our professionalism as a supplier, always fulfilling orders on time and in full, complying with the requirements for expiration dates, product quality, and providing accompanying documentation. The emphasis should be on the most problematic issues that the network faces when working with competitors.

After monitoring retail outlets, MRS and I saw that approximately 30% of stores in our category have “holes” on the shelves. After talking with store staff, we found out that problems arise for two main reasons:

1. Small suppliers are required to make deliveries through distribution centers, which sometimes results in interruptions.
2. Large suppliers deliver goods directly to stores. But due to the fact that deliveries occur only once a week, and warehouse space in stores is small, some products sometimes get washed away.

After making calculations and meeting with a potential distributor who delivers goods to retail outlets three times a week, we offered the buyer the following option for cooperation. Our confectionery company, like all large suppliers, will deliver products to retail outlets once a week. But we understand that in this case problems are possible, and there is a danger that the network will lose income. To prevent this, during the test period of cooperation we guaranteed delivery of any quantity of goods once a week. This allows us to ensure its constant availability on the shelf and growth of income in the category.

A very important caveat: the supplier must be able to actually fulfill its promises and prove it to the buyer. Therefore, we collected statistics on sales of the proposed product portfolio in other chains in the region with which we are already working. Based on it, three scenarios were drawn up for the project to break even: optimistic, working, pessimistic. After this, we drew up a commercial proposal that could confidently be considered the “best option”, promising 60% success (Table 2).

Step #6. Convince the supplier that you are “the best” and are entitled to benefits

Until now, our scenario involved a one-sided game, that is, we presented the network with its benefits without asking for anything for ourselves. If the buyer has “taken the bait” and is ready to negotiate to discuss the details of the contract without waiting for the next negotiation campaign, it’s time to ask for something for himself.

1. We convince the network that accepting the proposal will bring it not only direct benefits, but also synergistic effects.
2. We assure you that only we can make such an offer.
3. We convince you that our offer is so profitable that the network, if it makes certain concessions, will benefit even more from cooperation. After all, benefits will allow us to work even better.

Once the network has agreed to reduce the premium, delay or accept the supplier’s logistics scheme, the contract on favorable terms can be considered signed (Table 3).

To confirm the synergistic effect, we decided to present two arguments to the “X” network:

1. As a very busy specialist, it is, of course, more convenient for you to work with suppliers who do not twist their arms. Today, manufacturer No. 1, according to its managers, is conducting tough negotiations with the networks. By diluting his share of sales, you can weaken his position in negotiations with you and get more favorable terms for the network.
2. Our product can be classified as an eco-product. Today, this market segment has not been sufficiently developed, and our product can attract new customers to the network. As a rule, eco-products are consumed by people with above-average incomes. They will come to the store not only for our products! They will buy their standard grocery set! And this is an increase in income in the category, store turnover and the amount of the average check.

For ourselves, for the test period, the first year of work, we decided to ask for the following:

1. Premium 8% (the network usually requires 10%). At the same time, a reservation was made that we guarantee that at the end of the year the bonus should be no less than a certain amount.
2. Deferred payment of thirty days (the network requires 45). After all, we are planning a very large volume of supplies, which will bring more money into circulation than illiquid competitors.
3. Deliveries directly to stores, not through distribution centers. After all, the level of service and order completion rate are very important for the project.

The negotiations took place according to the scenario we developed. Eight product items were introduced into the network and now, almost five months later, three items are included in the “A” category in terms of income. Four more confidently settled in the “B” category. The eighth title will probably have to be rotated... The network doesn’t mind. Now the buyer trusts us!

While researching the market of retail chains and their suppliers, I have long tried to understand why for many sellers entering a retail chain is such a big problem.

What is it: the reluctance of networks to accept new partners for cooperation or some other reasons? Who is more to blame here – the supplier or the retail chain?

Of course, the networks put a lot of “effort” into creating exactly this state of affairs: these include entrance fees, terrible contract conditions, and simply delaying the negotiation process. But sometimes these are largely the results of the seller’s mistakes; very often, when he comes online, he does not understand why he is doing this.

A simple question to the supplier’s network manager: “Why did you come to this network?” – will most likely confuse him. The answer, as a rule, sounds approximately the same: “So that our products are sold there.” The next question: “Are you sure that this network fits your product range, that it will increase your sales and contribute to the development of your company?” - almost always baffles not only network managers, but also their leaders.

Too often, companies do not know, do not have a clear idea of ​​why they need this or that retail chain and how they will further develop relations with it. For a long time, it was unclear to me why this happens, because every time we are talking about money, often quite a lot. Probably, the roots of this problem lie in the fact that most suppliers are practically not engaged in their development strategy, and certainly not interested in the development strategy of their clients. The main motto and at the same time the guide to action of most companies is the postulate: “The more, the better.” But, alas, for all the attractiveness of this phrase, unfortunately, quantity does not always translate into quality. More doesn't always mean better, sometimes it's just the opposite. Many companies have learned this from their own disappointing experiences.

Let's look at working with a large network, such as Auchan. Working with these stores, making a number of mistakes even at the stage of concluding a contract, the supplier company comes to the conclusion that its goods are sold in this network at a loss, and the more the company sells, the greater its losses. Accordingly, it directly follows that the larger the turnover, the worse; There are many such companies operating in the red today in this and other networks.

All you had to do before entering the network was ask yourself the question: “Why do we need this network, what will cooperation with it give us?”

At conferences and round tables, and just in conversations, my interlocutors often answer this: “To increase sales, to expand distribution channels, increase fame and promote your product.”

But to perform which of the above tasks does the company need this particular network? After all, not every retail chain today performs all of the above functions simultaneously and equally well.

Let's take two such large and well-known chains: Auchan and Perekrestok.

What does Auchan give to suppliers?

“Auchan” gives sales volume, “Auchan” gives popularity - every day each of its stores passes through 20,000 customers. But with all this, Auchan still often causes a “breakdown” of the market, a drop in prices throughout the entire market space. If you set a low price for Auchan, you will have to lower it for all other networks according to contracts. But with all this, Auchan does not provide distribution, it does not provide representation, for this there are too few stores in the network.

What can Perekrestok offer?

How identical are its capabilities to Auchan? Does it generate the same sales volume? - No, it doesn’t. But it offers many times more presence in more regions and many times more retail outlets than Auchan. “Perekrestok” is one of the first Russian chains, which is a kind of showcase of the retail market, which many companies in the regions are still focusing on, including Moscow, in fact, too.

So are Auchan and Perekrestok the same? "Auchan" is a hypermarket that works with all groups of the population. “Perekrestok” is a store for those who already have money, who are willing to spend an extra hundred rubles for better quality products at higher prices.

Let's take the Azbuka Vkusa network, the third participant in this unequal trio.

It's also made up of supermarkets like Perekrestok, but will it give you the same benefits as it does? - No, he won’t. This chain has a much smaller number of stores and very high prices. It serves a completely different segment of the population than Perekrestok or Auchan, and offers its customers rare and unique products.

Each of these three networks is aimed at its own contingent of buyers and conveys to them its ideas and its positioning with the tools that it has.

Do these tools match your product?

Do you need clients of this network?

Are they worth the money?

This must always be taken into account and calculated. Are you doing this now?

Once you start to think about whether you need this network, ask yourself the following question: “Do we even need this network at this point?” Often, companies do not need to work with retail chains at all or are not timely. This applies to suppliers with limited production of an interesting product that has a good market, or those who have limited production or financial capacity. Why do they need networks? Why do they need this trouble? Often products are sold in small volumes, occupying a narrow market niche, and have a good margin, and in this case nothing else is needed. Every time you plan to cooperate with a particular network, ask yourself the same question: “Do we need this network and if so, why?” The company must have a sales strategy that clearly defines the role of each format and, accordingly, each network in the development of sales of its product. In order to solve this problem, I can recommend using a very useful exercise that helps companies in all industries.

ASK Five unique questions for yourself.

Question #1:“Why do we need this network?” After you answer it, you ask yourself question #2:“Why do we need this?” After answering it, you ask yourself the following: Questions No. 3, 4 and 5:"What for?" (yes, the same question three times). And when the answer to question No. 5 remains as important for you as to question No. 1, then you have every chance to start working with the network and start making effective, good sales.

Thus, entering the network is not the main thing, the main thing is to enter it correctly, to conclude agreements that correspond to the company’s goals and satisfy its strategic development plans. This is the key task of signing an agreement with a network, because otherwise you can simply “die of victory,” as happened with many companies that have replenished the necropolis of failed businesses.

You need to seriously prepare and take it seriously when working with retail chains. After answering the question: “Why do you need this and what results do you want to achieve?” – you begin to understand what and how you need to do in order to achieve significant progress in negotiations with the network and achieve successful cooperation with it.

Preparing for work. Studying the network and its needs. Preparation algorithm

What is concluding an agreement with a network?

First of all, this is a sale. Large, complex sales are a feature of working with networks. Retail stores belong to the B2B sector, to the so-called complex sales, because they are complex large clients, and decisions on purchasing goods are made not by one person, but by many. This is an important detail because today's business community has a somewhat distorted view of buyers as all-powerful supermanagers. In fact, the buyer is an important, but far from the only link in the organization’s chain. He does not determine the pricing and assortment policy, he implements it and, of course, has sufficient authority to select suppliers. But it is important to remember that the network is not just one purchasing manager; it does not begin with him, nor does it end with him.

And no matter what kind of sales transaction is made, B2B or B2C, complex or simple, there is one key detail where it all begins. And this detail is the client’s needs!

In my book “Techniques and Techniques for Effective Selling” I devoted a lot of time to this aspect, the most important in any sale - identifying client needs.

IN ORDER TO your offer was accepted on the most favorable terms for you; it must first of all meet the interests of the person to whom you are addressing it. It should be understandable, interesting to your partner and satisfy his needs.

How to understand the needs of the network? How to identify them?

As in any other sale, work should begin by studying the structure of the client, the processes occurring within him and analyzing his needs.

You need to clearly understand how you will do this, what you need to know, how you will use this information. Conducting seminars and trainings on this issue, I often hear: “Yes, we collect information, analyze it, conduct monitoring, do market analysis and much, much more.” But, unfortunately, companies often forget that information is not the purpose of this work. The goal is the conclusions that will be drawn based on the analysis of this information, but it is precisely with them that problems arise.

I would like to note that the functions of an online buyer include responsibilities such as studying their suppliers. A good manager should know everything about his suppliers, down to the cost of their products and even their individual operations.

I remember during one of the negotiations in which I happened to be a participant, we tried to sell wine for $5 per bottle to one of the retail chains. The buyer demanded a 15% discount from us, but we said that we could not give it, that the maximum possible concession was only 5%. Then he told us the following: “Dear, the cost of your product is 72 cents, and you sell it for $5, making a decent profit, so either share the income or agree to my terms.” However, at that moment we ourselves did not have knowledge of the cost of our goods. It is clear that the negotiations did not succeed that time, we somehow finished them and came to report to our management. And only then the director told us: “Yes, yes, guys, he, of course, was mistaken - not 72, but 74 cents.” During the conversation with the buyer, naturally, we were not up to par.

Due to the observance of commercial secrets, one of the funniest secrets of the 21st century, we lost the negotiations. This incident is etched in my memory, and many years later I remember it. The buyer managed to beat us for only one simple reason: he knew more about us than we knew about ourselves.

People are often content with the information they have, trying to explain events happening around them based on the basis of knowledge they have. At the same time, they are often too lazy to obtain additional information that will help them make a new, more informed decision. In order not to get into trouble, you need to study your client well, understand what he wants, what his needs are.

I suggest studying networks as follows: algorithm.

First, what determines the needs of the company - these are her goals.

The goals it sets for itself determine its future strategy and tactics of behavior in the market. It’s easy to find out about them; all large networks are public companies, they post a lot of information about themselves in the public domain. Especially information about your aspirations and aspirations. By going to the website of a large network and reading all its semantic sections, you can draw certain conclusions about the plans of this company for the near future. In addition, at industry conferences and exhibitions, network representatives provide a lot of information about themselves, enough for those who want to hear.

What can the company's goals tell you? Let's answer this question with the following analysis.

Each large company, including Mosmart, Auchan and METRO, openly demonstrates its goals, for each of them, this is primarily regional expansion.

What can the supplier do, knowing about this task? What does this give him?

After a little analysis, thinking a little beyond the shelf and the characteristics of your product, you can understand that in order to work in the regions, a large retail chain must have the support of equally large suppliers. It is no secret that today is the era of networks, the era of their unconditional dominance. They are approaching the stage of transition to a new stage, the stage of better cooperation with their suppliers, because competition between retailers is intensifying and will soon begin to make itself felt. Retail chains will move further into the regions, opening stores in the Far East and Siberia, which is, in principle, already happening today.

This state of affairs will primarily affect the relationship between the network and the supplier. The management of retail stores, represented in most regions of the country, will have to make a choice between quickly changing suppliers, suppliers to fill the budget and reliable suppliers, with whom they will have to build partnerships and without omissions and looks down on them.

What will cause this? Neither in Europe nor in America will networks ever have such a problem, because this territory is much smaller than the geographical expanses of Russia, and the transport infrastructure there is also much better than ours. Look for yourself, from Moscow to Vladivostok there are 10 thousand kilometers, and any chain needs to provide logistics for its stores throughout this entire territory. Both Moscow and the regions today generate greater sales volumes than European companies. Proof of this is the experience of such large chains as Auchan and OBI - the largest sales in the world in these chains are provided by Russian stores.

And the chains will face the problem of timely delivery of the required volumes of goods to different parts of the country. Doing this yourself will be very difficult and expensive, which means you will have to attract partner suppliers. But not everyone will be able to do this.

But that’s not all, another aspect is accounts receivable. Today, one alcohol company I know supplies only a chain like Auchan with products worth 10 million rubles a month. We know that Auchan enters into contracts for a two- to three-fold deferment in relation to product turnover. Accordingly, the total receivables of this company from Auchan are about 20–30 million rubles. But this supplier works not only with one network, but also with such companies as METRO, Mosmart, Pyaterochka, etc. Almost each of them has accounts receivable from 5 to 20 million rubles. Thus, the total current accounts receivable from large retail chains alone for this company is about 100 million rubles, this is money taken out of the company’s turnover. And this amount reflects the debt only for the first-tier networks, and there is also a second-tier, retail and, of course, wholesale, which has no less receivables. Not every supplier can afford this, even resorting to the help of banks.

But the networks are growing, not to mention the growth of deferment periods in their contracts. The Auchan and METRO companies are expanding, increasing the number of stores, opening up more and more new regions. According to the increase in the number of stores, sales volumes will increase, both for them and, of course, for their suppliers too. Two years will pass, and in order to ensure proper turnover of these growing networks, the supplier will have to keep receivables of the order of 300–500 million rubles.

Will every company working with these networks today be able to withstand such a financial burden? Will everyone be given factoring or other financial instruments to work with the network?

You know the answer yourself – no, not everyone. In total, the result: today the network has 40–50 suppliers per location, in 3 years the same network will have to work with 5–6 suppliers who will be able to ensure the saturation of stores with goods throughout the country and provide the required amount of free money in the form of deferred payment. These conditions will become a kind of filter for a number of categories of sellers, which will weed out the weakest and most uninteresting of them.

All of the above analysis is needed only to better understand the needs of the network, the needs of the client, although, quite possibly, not all networks clearly understand this. This knowledge can help formulate an offer that will satisfy the client’s interests not only today, but also tomorrow, and this is the basis for forming a loyal future partner.

Thus, a company's goals can tell a lot. They can tell you how the network will develop, what its strategy is, what its tactics are. All this can be calculated by knowing the long-term strategy of your potential partner.

So, the goals of the network company are the first element that the supplier should study before starting negotiations.

Next point, requiring detailed study is the structure of the company.

Why do we need this knowledge? The structure of a company largely explains the behavior of its employees, how they will interact in the flow of information. Having studied the internal structure of your future partner, you will begin to understand how to act and where to direct your blows.

When you delve into the organization of a retail network as a whole, you become more aware of the needs of the department that works with you, because the interests of the company as a whole are the totality of the needs of all its departments. And vice versa, when a network determines its goal, its general general need, it splits it into separate tasks for its structural units, giving rise to dozens of small needs, up to the personal interests of employees. And even these personal interests you should also know. Studying the company structure gives you a better understanding of your customer's needs at different levels.

Where can I get information about the structure? It’s simple - this information is most often publicly available; you can find it on the Internet and in internal company documents. For example, in the same Auchan the structure of the organization is displayed on a stand in the central office.

Remembering that any network is an ordinary branch organization engaged in retail trade, the skeleton of the structure can be drawn even without knowing almost anything about the network itself. All such companies have the same departments: stores, marketing service, personnel service, purchasing department, IT department, etc. You just need to want, and you yourself can determine the basis of the structure, and then you can use additional sources of information.

Rice. 1. Scheme of intersection of needs of different levels in the company

The needs of the organization consist of the tasks of the departments and the overall goals of the company (Fig. 1). Here you need to separately calculate the needs of the company, the needs of the departments, and the needs of the people working in them. It is in this triple intersection of needs that you need to look for the niche in which you can be useful to the retail chain and its employees.

Any proposal is interesting only if it is aimed at satisfying someone's needs. Understanding the common interests of a potential partner, the needs of its structural divisions and employees, and understanding the goals of key counterparties, it will be easier for you to build your commercial offer, because it can already take into account the needs of the retail network.

You also need to find out who your client's clients are. Understanding this gives you an advantage over other suppliers, as well as additional leverage in negotiations, because, knowing your partner's customers, you begin to build your offer based on the needs of the customers of the network with which you are going to cooperate. And meeting their needs is a key element in the success of the network itself.

Unfortunately, today not all networks work taking into account the needs of their clients, because so far the market allows development without taking into account the interests of the end user. At present, it is more profitable for a chain to open new stores than to satisfy the needs of its regular customers, because this quickly leads to an increase in the company's capitalization and an increase in potential profits. An example of this is most chains: the level of their work and the quality of their assortment. But, looking at history, you can see and understand that the basis for the success of a company like Wal-Mart, for example, is that the management thought only about the interests of its customers and the company developed precisely in the direction of meeting their needs. I think, although I have no experience with the chain, if you go to Wal-Mart and start pitching your offering in terms of the needs of the end consumer, you will be talked to a little differently than if you just try to pitch your product to the chain. Although today, after the death of the founder of this network, I think a lot can change. However, be that as it may now, this giant grew and developed precisely thanks to caring for the needs of its losers.

Next point your study should become your client's behavior its history, precedents for its decisions, the history of relationships with your competitors.

This is not difficult to do. I am often asked questions at the seminar: where can I get all this information? Much of the necessary information is located on the company’s website, and even more is freely available on the Internet in various forums and blogs; you just need to try to find it using well-known search engines such as Yandex, Google, etc. You can also get it in the stores themselves .

By visiting retail outlets of the network you are interested in, you can collect many bytes of information that is most valuable to you, completely free of charge, simply by analyzing the shelves, observing the activities of the staff, the cash registers and the size of the queues near them, analyzing the assortment, identifying what is wrong with it you can help, how and in what way you can satisfy the needs of this network with the help of your product. You must study all this thoroughly before you begin to formulate your commercial proposal.

Networks are public organizations; if they were not such, they would not be able to develop so rapidly and rapidly. We can confidently say: “Information about networks is not difficult to obtain, you just need to try.” Some companies, for example, such as Pyaterochka and Magnit, have launched an IPO; they publish all the information about themselves, which you should not be lazy to read. On their websites, magazines and newspapers, representatives of these networks often give interviews, sharing information about the company's plans. A fairly large amount of information about the network you are interested in can be provided by institutions that are already working with them. All you need to do is pick up the phone and ask your interlocutor about what interests you. Of course, it may happen that they don’t want to answer you, but you don’t lose anything. As people say: “They don’t punch you in the nose for demand.”

Very often, supplier companies neglect studying their clients, believing that they already know them well. But knowing and understanding are two different things. Almost always at seminars, conferences and trainings where I have to speak, when I start talking about studying partners, the audience twitches with a kind of veil of melancholy: “Well, yes, clients, of course, this is an interesting thing, but let’s talk about them later, but now it’s better discuss us, our problems." It is clear that your problems are more painful and harder to bear, but they are all born from the fact that you do not think about your clients. Studying them should be a constant, ongoing activity.

What do you know about your clients? What are you selling them? I often conduct such simple testing in companies: write down what you sell to your clients, what do you sell to networks? And I immediately pose the second question: what do the networks buy from you?

The answers do not always coincide, because very often what a company sells and what is bought from it are very different things. The needs at different levels in the network do not always coincide - there are the needs of people working in the network, there are the needs of departments and there are the needs of the network as a whole. Therefore, studying clients and their interests is a fundamental element of working with the network.

YOU MUST know the needs of the company, its departments and the individual employee at his workplace tens of times better than you know your job description, because you most likely don’t know it.

Very often, suppliers focus their attention on studying the buyer, believing that he is the key link. They try to meet him at the resort, in the sauna and other traditional places of negotiation. But what do they know about his real “official” needs, and yet they stem, for the most part, from his official duties. Do you know them? In the next chapter we will come close to finding the answer to these questions.

I have already said more than once that selling online is a classic, big, complex sale, and it is in its complexity that it differs from others. Procurement decisions are made online not by one person, but by several. A single manager in a network is not the person who determines the assortment policy, he is only its executor. Yes, he has great power to vary the implementation of these policies, and yet he is just part of the overall mechanism of the network.

Knowledge of network policy will help you guide the buyer to acceptance your his offers, not your competitor's. This will lead you to success faster than studying the personal life of this employee and trying to reach him through the traditional channels I mentioned in our country: a restaurant, a gym and other cultural places. Concluding this topic, I want to emphasize once again that customer research is the basis of a successful business and, of course, the basis of successful sales.

Decision Matrix. Creating a coalition of influence within the network

WHAT'S HAPPENED decision matrix? This is a sequence of discussing incoming information, analyzing this information and developing a decision-making algorithm based on it, taking into account all influencing factors: direct and indirect. This is an understanding of how a given company makes decisions about cooperation and other aspects of its life.

In any organization, for each area of ​​activity there is its own decision-making matrix. As I already said, any retail chain, be it small like Ostrov, a giant like Magnit, or an international heavyweight like Auchan or METRO, is first and foremost an organization, and like any organization there are many divisions.

See if you can draw the general structure of your client. Draw this diagram as you understand it, and in each department mark the people you know.

In most cases, there are surprisingly few such people. A tiny number of network managers or executives are engaged in building relationships with the network or with any other client at various levels.

But successful sales in the B2B sector are built on as many levels as possible. Below is an approximate organizational diagram of a conditional trading network (Fig. 2).

Rice. 2. Organizational diagram of a conditional trading network

This diagram is very approximate and is given here in order to simply explain the principle of operation of the decision matrix. Within any company, there is interaction between the sales and marketing departments, the marketing department and the financial department, and together they collaborate with the human resources department, i.e., with the personnel service. In other words, all departments in the company are closely interconnected to ensure the achievement of a common goal. Whatever one may say, all structural units are connected to each other, and these threads, often not externally visible, have a great influence on the decision to cooperate with a particular supplier. The network manager must, after drawing the organizational structure, write down the contacts and needs of each department.

Why does the supplier need knowledge of all departments of the network, the principles and order of their interaction? This information helps the network manager more accurately select the qualities of an offer that can interest the buyer, and better calculate his “blow” against the “armor of indifference” of this client. This is necessary so that you can form a coalition of influence within a given client.

COALITION influences are those people who will support you in a collective discussion, those employees who will vote in your favor or simply speak well of you.

The time spent creating an organizational chart and analyzing it pays off handsomely. The company benefits greatly from this investment of time.

¦ Better understands the client, his processes and dynamics.

¦ Identifies needs at all levels: company, division, employee.

¦ Receives a detailed dossier on his client.

¦ Systematizes work with this client.

Once the company has done the work to develop the structure of a potential partner, the path to concluding an agreement will be shortened significantly. I will give a few examples from my practice.

At one time, when I was still working as a sales director, I was given the task of entering the Mercado network, or rather, not entering, but staying. Our products did not fit their format and store areas, as a result of which they had minimal sales, which did not suit either us or the network management. At all retail outlets we sold products for only 160 thousand rubles. And we had to continue cooperation with this company only because one of the owners of our company lived not far from one of the Mercado stores and, accordingly, wanted to see their products on its shelves.

After lengthy negotiations with a network employee responsible for prolonging contracts, I was told that our company had two weeks to wind down its activities in stores and announced that the contract with our company would not be renewed. The conversation was over. Walking towards the exit, in the corridor I saw a door with the inscription “HR Department”.

I don't think you need to explain what the HR department is. The functions of this division include not only personnel selection, but also its development. Sales personnel in retail chains is one of their sore spots, since there is a fairly high level of turnover and there are almost always problems with staffing and training.

I decided to look into the Mercado HR department and began a conversation with its boss. Of course, the leitmotif of my address was the significance of the role of this department in shaping the success of the company. Thinking about the needs of this department, I offered to help the head of personnel services in training new personnel for the alcohol department; noting that since we are partners, we can contribute to solving the personnel problem. I offered support for free, especially since our company had its own sommelier, who was often unemployed. As a result, we agreed on a series of training seminars for new and existing store employees, set a schedule, and discussed the details.

When I arrived at Mercado two weeks later, the contract with our company had been extended. And the commercial director was actively interested in how I “bribed” the head of the HR department so much that he was now strongly in favor of continuing cooperation with our company. The main result of this work was the extension of the cooperation agreement up to the purchase of the Mercado network by Perekrestok, and the basis for this was the partnership program, which, while satisfying the needs of the personnel service, helped to bring the company’s main goal closer.

At seminars, when I give this example, they tell me: it’s an accident that this happens sometimes. Yes, this may be an unplanned and uncalculated action, but it is well thought out. After this successful surprise, I conducted a small training in my company, explaining the power of such “accidents”.

Let's remember D. Swift's book “Gulliver in the Land of Lilliputians”. When the hero woke up on the shore after a shipwreck, he could not move his arm, head, or leg, he was tightly tied to the ground. Moreover, he was tied with ropes, each of which was thinner than his hair. They entangled his body, and the number of these thin threads was so great that he could not move. So, when working with a network according to the proposed scheme, approximately the same thing happens: the more contacts you have with various divisions of the client network and its employees, the more likely it is that you will be able to conclude a profitable agreement with this retail company.

So, was it by chance that I managed to achieve continued cooperation or not?

I will now give you a few more examples that will give you food for thought and, perhaps, tell you whether this is an accident or the result of a certain technology.

In one of the companies where I worked, it was necessary to conclude an agreement with the Auchan company. Our cooperation was politely refused, one after another our proposals were rejected by the assortment committee and the buyer, and we could not enter the network. The deadlines were running out, and we had to reconsider our concept of negotiations, think and act a little differently.

First, we visited all the stores of the Auchan chain, at that time there were only six of them, met all the department managers with the sole purpose of explaining to them how good it would be for them if they had our products on their shelves, and, of course to understand the specifics of the stores and their needs, and through this the needs of the entire network.

Of course, this did not happen right away and was not easy; when visiting each new store, we tried to increase the number of contacts, find new people with whom we were not yet familiar, and at the same time we used the recommendations of Auchan employees who were already in contact with us. This whole procedure took a little over three months, during which time we were already well known in the company, especially in the stores, and we had thoroughly studied the company, its tasks, needs and working conditions with suppliers.

As a result, we made our next proposal based on the information received, using our knowledge 100%.

And at the next “synergy” our products were sold on favorable terms for us, since we were already well known and the product we offered was already expected. Even the buyer did not resist in this situation, because he did not have a negative experience with our company, but he heard only good reviews about it from store employees.

Simple technology, but why is it still rarely used? I think because of simple laziness. Company executives often approach me with a request to help establish work with retail chains. One of the first procedures that I do during pre-project diagnostics is to find out the level of activity of network managers, the level of how much attention they pay to their clients.

And “Auchan” in this case is the simplest and most illustrative example, I simply ask an employee working with this chain about the names of the managers of the line of the product group with which he works in each store. The answer speaks volumes; very often there is simply no answer, and out of every ten only two give a complete list of names.

This example is the case of one chain of large stores with a name starting with the letter “M”. The company I worked for at the time negotiated with them for quite a long time, almost a year. This was due to the fact that in the M network there are a large number of counterparties per buyer, sometimes this figure is more than a hundred, so he is not able to respond to everyone’s letters quickly and on time. And also, of course, this is also connected with the company’s internal culture, discipline, process efficiency and attitude towards the supplier. Many who have worked and are working with this network have encountered a similar situation.

Companies experiencing a period of rapid growth, such as M in Russia is currently experiencing, often suffer from a complex of similar problems, and the size of the company only exacerbates their manifestations. As a result, after a year of negotiations with M, a cooperation agreement was signed, but we could not activate the matrix.

I don’t know what it was: the buyer’s “malicious intent” or his catastrophic lack of time. Imagine the situation we were in: we paid money for entry, but the product is not activated in the “card”, we cannot ship it. Accordingly, we, as employees, are called to management on a weekly basis and asked: where is the money, where are the shipments, and so on? The emotional state of the employees of our department left much to be desired. Something had to be done.

We decided to sit down again to analyze the structure of this client and discovered that in any network it is not the buyer himself who activates the client’s card, but a certain service; in this network, in fact, as in many others, this is done by the IT service. Having thought this over, we call the IT department, it’s clear that they don’t make purchasing decisions, but they make a decision about literally activating the cards, they simply turn them on. The representative of this service asked whether we had a legal basis for the cards to be activated, i.e., whether there was a contract, and, having received an affirmative answer and checking it, he activated our positions within a few days.

Thus, an issue that we could not resolve for three months was resolved in one day. Bayer returned from the next store opening to the activated cards, to the already shipped goods. And it is clear that he could no longer refuse our product, for this he would need too compelling reasons that do not lie on the surface, and there was no point in it anymore. Of course, as we found out later, it was not easy for the “IT people” (my sincere regrets about this), but the main thing is that our goal was achieved.

People often tell me about the above incident: “And this is an accident, you were just lucky!” – maybe I don’t argue, but once is an accident, twice is a trend, and three times is a pattern, so we’ll talk about the third case further.

I was lucky in my career: almost all the companies I worked for had a little-known product with high prices, the sale of which required maximum effort and effort. This gave me the opportunity to develop and hone my skills and gain maximum experience.

The last company for which I was an employee had a good product, but very bad relations with almost all networks, both international and local, regional. This was also due to the company’s policy, its financial affairs and many other management features.

The company made a mistake in defining its role position; it placed itself above the chains and believed that it had the moral right to violate its obligations and agreements, while trying to dictate terms to retail chains: a laudable aspiration, but within the framework of today’s realities, difficult to achieve and a little dangerous. And the dictate of conditions must be supported by compliance with the agreements reached, and this was precisely the problem here. Due to all the above features, when I arrived, the company had a low sales volume in the retail chain segment. This was due both to the reluctance of the networks themselves to develop sales of these products, and to the company’s attitude towards this process. Such a difficult situation that arose at that moment forced us to look for more complex moves and more elegant ways to solve the problem. My employees and I drank more than one liter of coffee, correcting the situation, developing stratagems and tactical plans to overcome the crisis.

One of the serious challenges we had to face was working with the Ramstore network. Ramstore is notorious for its financial discipline that leaves much to be desired - many companies cannot collect money for their goods from this chain for a long time. So we, working in the company described above, were faced with the problem of non-payment of money for the delivered goods. The network owed the company more than 7 million rubles, and this was only for overdue receivables. Before this, neither I nor my employees had ever worked with the Ramstore chain, and, naturally, we did not have any personal contacts there. The management of the company where I worked at the time set us a task: to take all the money from Ramstore - a debt that had been accumulating for three years. Agree that this task is not an easy one, but it is the difficulties that deserve greater interest, because only the best can cope with them.

After the first negotiations at Ramstore, we realized that now no one was going to pay us. It is clear that this situation could not satisfy us, and we set about solving this problem. We began our work by drawing out the organizational structure of the entire retail network. We spent several days drawing, trying to understand how certain structures operate in this company, who is responsible for what, what influence they have and what they have, what the network is interested in, what its needs are. The manager responsible for working with this network did a lot in this direction; her task was to test all our hypotheses in practice, collecting first-hand information. As a result, after some time we had a bright and clear picture to understand how this company works, who is responsible for payments in our category. Using our hypotheses, we drew up a plan for further negotiations and within a week talked with several responsible employees regarding the return of the entire amount of the debt.

As a result, a three-year debt of 7 million rubles was repaid in the next four months. We were unable to return only 500 thousand rubles, because, as Ramstore employees put it, this amount was a guarantee for them that we would work well in the future. I would like to note that after the conclusion of these agreements, Ramstor never violated its obligations, fulfilling payments according to the schedule. And in order to prevent possible misunderstandings, all agreements were concluded exclusively within the framework of the conditions specified in the contract.

This is another example that may be an accident, or may be the result of the painstaking work of our company’s employees. It is the third in this book, confirming the regularity of the effectiveness of the technology I describe.

The deeper you study your client, the better you understand his needs, the easier it is for you to work with this client and the more likely it is that you will be able to conclude an agreement with him with less effort and less financial losses.

What is the advantage of this approach?

By drawing the matrix, you begin to understand how your client works, and begin to delve into who is responsible for what in his company. Analysis of the organizational structure and the processes surrounding it will allow you to better understand what actions in the company a particular division is responsible for, who is in charge in this division, how it influences other departments in the organization, how information is transferred in the company, how and by whom decisions are made and approved.

I repeat once again: the more you know about your client, the easier it is for you to work with him. The more contacts you have in different parts of the network (think Gulliver, tied to the earth), the stronger your connection with that client, the greater the guarantee of success and the stronger the coalition that will advocate for you at the decision-making stage. People are more willing to accept the familiar and much more wary of the unknown. And if many people in the company know about you, then imagine the situation: let’s say you made some kind of mistake, and even if the company’s buyer speaks against you, then surely one of the other team members will stand up for you and give their vote in your favor.

So, the deeper your interaction with your client's company at all levels, the higher your chances of low entry fees, small retro bonuses and more.

Thus, the technology for identifying the decision-making matrix works at all levels of the company, at all stages of cooperation, starting from the stage of entering the network and ending with issues of contract extension and price increases. The closer your connections with the company, the larger the coalition that supports you, the greater your chances of successful cooperation.

Commercial proposal and rules for its preparation

ONE the man went to the temple and turned to God: “Lord! Help me win a million!” And so he prayed every day, praying with increasing zeal. Time passed, there was still no winning, and with despair and reproach he shouted at the sky: “Well, why not? Am I not worthy or is this impossible? And a voice from heaven answered him: “You should at least buy one lottery ticket!”

In business - as in one well-known parable: in order to be able to get a large, or indeed any retail chain as a client, you need to send there at least one commercial proposal. Drawing up this document is not an easy job, although, unfortunately, it is often done carelessly. I had the opportunity, communicating with buyers as a consultant, to become familiar with various examples of this managerial “creativity.”

In one of the large international chains, whose buyer I am well acquainted with, I was shown commercial proposals coming to them from supplier companies. As I looked through them, I analyzed the samples presented to me. I asked my purchasing friends to explain to me the principles by which they select which commercial proposals to work with and which not. I made the same requests to many buyers in other networks with whom I dealt. The answers from different managers from different networks, and even industries, were the same. Therefore, I will quote a remark from one of them: “Peter, look, I have three piles of commercial proposals, in electronic form these are three folders. They are divided into three types." So I would like to dwell on each of these types in more detail.

¦ The first type of commercial offer, the most numerous, describes the history of the company “since the time of Genghis Khan”, how the company developed, what interesting people work in it, in what picturesque place the office is located, etc. At the end of the sentence - a little about the product and what the company is about may be of interest to the network.

¦ The second type of commercial offer: The supplier, without much strain, sends a price list by mail, which indicates the price of his products depending on the size of the batch, and the network is asked to make a choice that suits it: 1 box - price 1000 rubles, 100 boxes - price 900 rubles, 1000 boxes – price 800 rub. It is clear that there is only one way to work with such a proposal - the lowest price is selected, and the sales volume is whatever it turns out to be.

There are exotic offers of the second category, indicating that the author of the message is a unique company. For example, the writer states: “If you want to work with us, look at the products on our website www..., where you will also find coordinates where you can contact us in order to find out about prices and working conditions.” Of course, there are few such proposals today, but nevertheless they still exist. The qualifications of the employees sending such “notes” cannot but cause surprise.

The problem with offers of the first and second types is that they are too vague and do not seem targeted, so they can easily get lost among their peers in the mailbox of any large networks. And then company managers who send proposals of the first two types complain about buyers that they do not respond to business letters because they are lazy, uninterested, etc. Let's look at why, in fact, a purchasing manager leaves such proposals without attention.

This is elementary: commercial offers of the first two types do not take into account the interests of the retail network to which they are addressed, or the specifics of its work. As mentioned above, networking is a big sell and is of the complex type. These are sales that require more thinking and less talking. Like any other transactions, they are characterized by the fact that they must first of all take into account the interests and needs of the client and start moving from these needs. More than once I have worked in companies that, trying to break into the network, used the method of the 1990s: a cavalry charge - we are so “beautiful”, so nice, now we will break into the network, “fool the buyer” and live a glorious life. But, as a rule, it is not possible to start cooperation with the network without losses, on normal terms, with this approach; such methods have been bringing less and less success to the “dashing cavalrymen” for the last five years. This results in greater and greater losses for companies, not only monetary, but what’s worse, temporary. I repeat once again - the whole point is that many companies do not take into account the needs of their client.

When talking with managers of such organizations, I asked: “Gentlemen, tell me, what customer needs does your product satisfy? What needs do the networks you work with have?” As a rule, I did not hear any intelligible answers.

CHECK yourself while doing the following exercise. As an example, to simplify the experiment, you can use any network that you know.

Below are the questions you must answer.

1. What needs does the network have?

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2. What needs does the buyer have?

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3. How does the network make money? List these items in descending order.

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4. How does your product help you make money and what needs does it satisfy?

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Often, the answer to these questions begins in a company to change and improve the efficiency of working with networks. For some reason, many people forget that selling is, first of all, satisfying, even if somewhat inflated, the buyer’s needs.

Today, almost all companies strive to secure the support of buyers, give them gifts (or try to do so), invite them on business trips abroad and try to gain their favor by any means possible, coming up with more and more “prizes”. But rarely does anyone think about what the buyer does, what he does, what his interests are as an employee of the company. Let's look at this issue from a technology perspective.

Answer the questions: what do you know about the work of the buyer, what is his responsibilities and what is he responsible for?

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It is this knowledge that will help you understand how to work with a buyer. Then write down everything you think the employee does during his or her working hours.

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Filled out? How many points did you get?

How much time do you think the buyer spends on these tasks?

Now check your list against the actual daily to-do list of an online buyer. Take a look at a short list of its standard features.

ACTIVITY buyer

¦ Negotiations:

– on entering positions;

– upon agreement of contracts;

– on price changes, etc. Analysis of commercial offers.

¦ Market monitoring, search for alternative suppliers.

¦ Analysis of the assortment on the shelf, its effectiveness.

¦ Coordination and organization of promotional events.

¦ Monitoring the activities of stores in their category.

¦ Resolving conflicts with suppliers.

¦ Organization of tenders.

¦ Conducting internal meetings.

¦ Reporting to management.

¦ Coordination of internal issues with other departments.

¦ Personal affairs.

What does this list say, what useful things can be squeezed out of it? What are the needs of the buyer?

The same as any other person, first of all – safety and comfort.

Safety is when job tasks are performed to an acceptable extent and at such a level that it provides the buyer with career growth and does not cause any financial or material losses. Having analyzed the manager’s time expenditure, taking into account the hours spent on negotiations, approvals, etc., we come to the understanding that the manager lacks exactly the same thing as others - time. And it is clear that reading commercial proposals that consist of 5-6 pages of text or do not contain any useful information for him or his company is not part of his important interests. And this leads us to the idea that he simply “leaks” such letters.

Imagine yourself in his place. What kind of sales proposals do you need, how should they be structured and what should they contain? You need informative documents that answer as many questions as possible, preferably presented in a concise form.

What questions might concern a purchasing manager? Almost every retail chain is primarily interested in turnover, liquidity, margin, and total sales volume. And also some other important issues that have individual significance for each network. For example, for chains such as Auchan or Magnit, this is a question of the possibility of supplying a large number of products at once; for Magnit, it is also a question of making deliveries to all regions of Russia. For the Azbuka Vkusa chain, this is the exclusivity of the product, the absence of these products in other stores.

Having determined all the factors that are important for a retail chain, we will also find what is important for its buyer. Having identified its selection criteria, we can already create a table, an example of which is given below (Table 1).

Table 1

For commercial offer

As you can see, the table reflects all the main questions of interest to the buyer, as well as the preliminary analysis that we have already done for him, thereby saving him valuable time. We have shown the expected sales volume, its cost on the shelf, the size of the marginal markup, etc. The buyer can only decide whether to accept or not accept this offer.

Of course, all this cannot serve as a 100% guarantee that you will be happy with concluding an agreement with the network. The buyer's task is to push you to the maximum limit, since he defends the interests of his company in the same way as you defend the interests of yours. But the more prepared your commercial proposal is, the more fully it takes into account the interests of the client, the greater your chances of receiving a quick and favorable response from the purchasing manager of the network with which you want to cooperate. So, third type proposal the optimal proposal, which we have partially analyzed, should contain the following points.

¦ Brief description of the company (no more than 5-10 sentences); at the same time, it must also take into account the interests of the client. Few people want to read about what kind of office you have, but it is important for everyone to know that you have experience working with similar clients and that you have a good reputation as a reliable supplier.

¦ A table with calculations that take into account important indicators and needs of the client to whom you are sending your commercial proposal. You can add quantifiable criteria that you know your customers are interested in.

¦ Description of your product, note that a product is not a product that you produce, but a product plus a set of services that accompany it. At the same time, the story about the benefits of your product should be written in the language of correctly and accurately formulated benefits of the retail network. For example: “television advertising support for our product will allow you to increase sales by so much” or “the quality of our product will allow you not to have problems with customers for 50 years after the sale of the product.”

¦ Proposal for partnership in various areas of activity that contribute to the development of the network and increase its profits.

The use of a package of partner offers, which was mentioned in the last paragraph of the list, transfers the company pursuing such a policy to a separate cohort of suppliers.

Today, networks are at the turn of one of the stages of their development and are moving to a qualitatively different level, which is dictated by the conditions of Russia as a large country in spatial terms. The distance between Moscow and Vladivostok is almost 10 thousand kilometers, and it is beyond the power of a small company with weak or no partners to overcome. Retail chains are actively growing, adding stores and new regions of presence. The market puts forward modern conditions for suppliers: today they must be large, and tomorrow they must become even larger. In order to maintain the same level of income per square meter of area and constant uniform interest of customers in their assortment, chains must somehow attract and retain customers, and for this they need the same dynamically developing partners, since due to their capacities alone they they won't be able to do it. Therefore, tomorrow networks will need supplier companies that offer a large package of affiliate programs and are able to participate in the development of the networks themselves and the market as a whole.

In my experience of working with chains, there was such a case: the company’s management set me the task of placing pallets in all stores of one international chain in a week in October, and, naturally, this was a spontaneous action on our part, and, of course, this our no one was waiting for initiative. When we contacted the central office of the partner company, we quite predictably received a refusal, since this was outside the agreed procedures, agreed promotion schedules and other agreements. However, during this period the chain was celebrating its birthday, and it needed to organize competitions and other shows to attract and entertain customers, as well as create a festive mood in its stores. And like any company with such promotions, this network had some problems with the organization, because holding all kinds of holidays and other amateur activities is not the network’s core business. So, when I contacted the stores directly, they put forward a counter request to me: “Help us organize this event, and we will help you solve your problem.”

My company colleagues and I found five ensembles with which the network representatives had already negotiated themselves, and contributed as much as possible to organizing their performances at the network’s birthday. The result of such actions, strengthened by our sincere desire to help, was that our pallets were delivered to most of the retail outlets we needed on completely legal grounds.

For about a year now I have been cooperating with the Empire company, one of the most famous companies in organizing forums and conferences. I speak at all major industry exhibitions with master classes on topics related to sales organization and management. At each such event, Empire organizes a Network Purchasing Center, a unique collaboration opportunity for supplier and researcher. The first gets the chance to negotiate with 20–30 buyers from different retail chains in their segment, and the second, in particular me, can observe these negotiations in large numbers and analyze the expressed and manifested needs of the chain companies themselves.

Taking part in one of these conferences, I witnessed the speech of directors of purchasing departments of various networks and heads of purchasing unions, such as METRO, Union of Independent Networks of Russia, Okay, Mosmart, etc. The speech of many of them contained unambiguous message: “Gentlemen! We need partners, companies that will ensure our regional expansion and innovative product range.”

Each of these companies realized that it is difficult to grow alone; there are not enough financial, intellectual, or organizational resources. And the supplier is actually a free source of such reserves. It is clear that not every company will be able to get into the cohort of partners; not everyone has the required potential for this. But every company must strive to meet these demands of the times if it wants to increase its efficiency.

It is clear that at the stage of the first commercial offer you can hardly count on your affiliate program package being accepted. But it is worth remembering that “to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Let me again give you a simple example from my experience.

My colleagues and I were faced with the task of concluding an agreement with the Mosmart network. At the same time, we could not speed up the negotiation process in any way. Those who worked on alcohol with the Mosmart chain at that time heard about the rather slow resolution of issues in this company. This relates more to issues of procurement and interaction with suppliers in some categories with which I have encountered participants. At that time I was still working as a sales director, and my department and I were faced with the familiar task of concluding contracts with retail chains and increasing sales in this segment. I want to emphasize that it is an increase in sales, not an increase in profits. Because already in the formulation of the task itself, at that time in ours, and today in dozens of other companies, the root of many problems is laid. Increasing sales does not always lead to increased profits, and when working with retail chains, this rule applies more often than ever.

We, as usual and as many network managers and their leaders do today, knocked on the door of many networks, trying to conclude an agreement. Somewhere they answered “no” right away, somewhere they continued to have a conversation, but at Mosmart they didn’t say either “yes” or “no”, and this final “maybe” had already set the buyer’s teeth on edge.

At the same time, my colleague and I were invited to take part in a presentation at a conference dedicated to working with retail chains, at which representatives of the chains themselves, Russian and international, also spoke. There we heard a speech by the director for development of the Mosmart network, who spoke about plans for the regional development of his company. After listening to the speech of a Mosmart representative at the conference, we began to study the company’s website and its organizational structure in more detail, trying to better understand how decisions are made there and what we should do about it.

As a result of all this analytical preparation, we sent our next commercial proposal not to the buyer, but to that same development director. Most of our proposal in this case was devoted to partnerships in the light of supporting the regional development of the Mosmart network. Our company had a reliable and wide distribution partner network throughout Russia, and we could provide Mosmart with support in those areas in which they planned to open. Our company had sufficient trading and administrative resources to facilitate the retail chain's entry into the regional market. We reported this in our commercial proposal to the development director of Mosmart, emphasizing that this partnership will be beneficial and interesting not only to us from the point of view of distribution of our goods, but also to the Mosmart network from the point of view of supporting its regional expansion .

The answer arrived in an extremely short time; to our surprise, we received it within three hours. The buyer of the Mosmart company called us and expressed his regret about the delay in the response to our previous commercial offer, as well as his surprise at the fact that we contacted the development director directly, and not him. Of course, he insistently recommended that we conduct all further discussions only with him, but he did not promise prompt consideration of our “case.” That is why further negotiations were carried out in parallel with both the buyer and the development director, which allowed us to conclude an agreement with the Mosmart retail chain within two months, the draft of which had been gathering dust in the company’s drawers for six months.

This is again a prime example of how you can use the Customer Decision Matrix, and how a focus on channel partnerships can influence the process of accelerating the acceptance of your proposal.

What are people usually afraid of when sending out any commercial proposal? They are not afraid of rejection. In fact, uncertainty is scary, that situation in which you do not know the result of your activities: whether you can count on cooperation with this client or not, whether you were refused and why this happened. The well-known final “maybe” of a buyer has destroyed more than one business in the world, because the only thing worse than uncertainty is more uncertainty.

To summarize this section, I would like to say the following: in your commercial proposal you must go through all the emotionally and technologically important points of your client, that is, answer his questions that he may not even ask you.

¦ Security. The network should be configured to believe that working with you is a guarantee of smooth business (supplies, quality of goods and services). You must show that the customer is safer when working with your company than when interacting with anyone else.

¦ Profitability. It is advisable to note what your partner receives as tangible and intangible benefits. As advantages, you need to highlight everything that may look like such from the retail network - prices, consistency, quality, stable income. When talking about benefits, you, of course, must first take into account those that are a priority for the client. If you are selling a unique product, then you better find out in advance what is most important in this product for your client, and that’s what you offer him. You should not rely on your perception and knowledge of your product, you need to study it thoroughly: often the client sees it completely differently.

¦ Emotional component. Let the buyer feel prestige, pride from choosing your product, enjoy pleasant communication with you, etc. Feelings are almost always present when choosing, even if it is in the B2B sector. Selling the characteristics of yourself and your product without taking into account the emotional overtones is a dull and unpromising activity.

¦ Comfort. Provide your client with the most convenient range of services and pleasant communication. Comfort is one of the constituent elements of the general emotional background, and it is worth talking about separately, since today it is often the determining factor in interactions with partners. What I mean by comfort here is technological support for cooperation, timeliness and completeness of deliveries, quality of paperwork, deadlines for processing claims, and much more. This is precisely the basis of convenient work with the supplier. Increasingly, your sales and your customer base depend on whether it is comfortable to talk and work with you, and not on the price.

Summarizing all of the above, I would like to highlight the main thing regarding the preparation of a commercial proposal.

1. Yours the commercial proposal must take into account:

A) the interests of the network, the needs of the units that it can influence;

b) professional interests of the buyer: comfort, safety and convenience of considering your proposal.

2. The document must be extremely concise and clear, as informative as possible. In a concise form, you should reflect as clearly and completely as possible the compliance of your proposal with the interests of the retail network.

A) a brief description of the company – no more than 5-10 sentences;

b) description of the product (product + services) offered to the network, in the language of the client’s benefits;

V) a calculation table that gives the maximum understanding that cooperation with your company promises benefits for your client;

G) a description of the prospects for partnerships and the affiliate programs themselves with the network that you can implement.

Competitor analysis. Using market information to improve a company's competitive position

Who are your competitors? Competitors are companies vying for your market share, for those meters of shelves on which you plan to display your products. These are suppliers who want to ensure that the money you earn today flows into their pocket as quickly as possible. Most likely, you will not like such plans of your competitors; and if this is not so, then you are very gambling.

The competitive struggle for meters of shelf space in networks leads to rapid fatigue of companies and the loss of money by all warring parties. The only ones who are warming their hands on this are retail chains. The pattern is obvious - the higher the competition in the segment, the higher the stakes for competing parties. Until recently, before the notorious alcohol reform, which so harshly remade the market, alcohol companies competed tooth and nail, paying 30-50 thousand. that is, for one SKU only in order to place your product at the point of sale. In other segments where competition is not so high, for example in the children's toys segment, there are much fewer similar examples, and such expensive entrance fees are unheard of.

One of the most common techniques that buyers use and which many fall for is the so-called swing. It consists of the buyer telling two main competitors the same thing: that the competitor gave a lower price. As a result, suppliers often drop the cost of goods much lower than they wanted.

A technological continuation of this technique is closed tenders, when all bidders receive the bid size of the next round, and at the next stage each supplier receives a price higher than what he gave in the previous one, sometimes the difference is hundreds of percent. It happens that in the excitement of competition, rates fly up like birds, sharply upward, surprising the buyers themselves. As a result, there is again a loss of money and, as a consequence, a decrease in the company’s profits.

But in order to somehow resist this, you need to know your competitors well. Very good to know. Moreover, I’m talking about all opponents, even those whom you, out of “arrogance,” may not consider such at all. I’ll give an example from macroeconomics; I think it will be clear to everyone. Today Russia is one of the largest oil suppliers in the world. Who is its competitor in this market, who can reduce the country’s income from this activity? The answer is obvious - other countries producing oil. This is a correct answer, but not entirely accurate because it is incomplete. Our country’s competitors are also our own Gazprom, and other gas-producing countries, and growing companies producing vegetable fuels, and, of course, companies that are working today on alternative energy sources: solar, wind, nuclear, etc. And If you don't consider them all, relying only on your oil reserves, you can easily find yourself in a poor competitive position. You need to take into account the movements and actions of all market players, even those who are not direct competitors, or those who, in your opinion, cannot be considered competitors at all.

Another example from business. The Polaroid company, which produces world-famous cameras and staked out the right to produce them for many years, missed the breakthrough of Kodak photo laboratories, which developed an entire industry under their noses. And then these two photo giants together “missed” the rise of digital photography.

Such “omissions” of competitors happen all the time. For example, alcohol companies closely monitor the activities of their direct competitors who produce similar products: vodka or wine, but completely lose sight of producers of beer or alcoholic cocktails. And sometimes more “surprising” miscalculations occur, when companies that produce the same products, but in a different price segment, or simply operate in a different region, are not considered as competitors.

Can you list your competitors and their strengths and weaknesses? And their strengths in relation to their weaknesses? How are you better than them, what is your difference from your competitors? What is your advantage over them in the eyes of network buyers?

In order to clearly understand how you will work with a particular network, you must clearly know in what ways you are stronger than your competitors. Suppliers often confuse competitive advantage with superior differentiation. If your company has very fast logistics or powerful production, this in itself is not a competitive advantage, but your superior differentiator. In other words, what you are objectively strong at. You only begin to have a competitive advantage when you become better at something that interests your customer. If he is interested in delivery within 24 hours and you have it, while others do not, then this means that this is your competitive advantage. If this is not the most important criterion for the client and he is satisfied with delivery that is more extended in time, for example 48 or 72 hours, then your strength in this part of logistics is just your superior differentiation, but not superiority over your competitors.

This often happens with quality assessment. The company places great emphasis on this product indicator, investing large resources in it, but today the majority of consumer goods have acceptable quality, and the consumer is most often satisfied with this level. Thus, the end buyer, and especially the chain, will not particularly highlight and purchase the product due to its exceptionally high level of quality. To verify the validity of this statement, look at the shelves of almost any store, is quality at the forefront or are all products of approximately the same level, which does not cause problems for the seller when consumed by the end user?

Thus, here we are again faced with the needs of the client, with what is for him the criterion for choosing a supplier company, a factor that has a special advantage for him. It is important to remember that when a buyer buys a product, entering into a contract, he is not very touched by the fact that your product tastes incredibly great or has an amazing original design; By and large, the trading network is not interested in this; it only cares about the level of its sales, the possible profit - the benefits that it will receive from it. The retail chain does not consume the goods it purchases, it sells them!

Analysis of competitors and knowledge of their strengths and weaknesses are necessary so that you can negotiate more carefully and more effectively, regardless of what they are aimed at: extending an agreement, entering the network, or resolving other issues of cooperation, such as, for example , such as increasing prices, changing the assortment, etc. Without useful information, you risk getting hit precisely because of your ignorance.

I witnessed how buyers, when negotiating with a supplier, set him as an example the capabilities of his competitors and how the manager was lost, realizing how weak he was in comparison with other companies or, on the contrary, emerged victorious, showing how strong he was, offering additional conditions . It is not a fact that the examples given by the buyer were true. But if a network specialist does not have complete information about competitors, he loses the negotiations because he is not able to challenge any of the buyer’s statements about the capabilities and proposals of his trading opponents.

The more you know about your competitors, the more transparent the market becomes for you and the better the commercial offer you can make. By clearly understanding your strengths and weaknesses, you can position your product in such a way that it completely falls within the competitive gaps of your business rivals. This will allow you to develop efficiently and with less losses.

In order to study your competitors and understand your competitive advantages, you need to establish constant work in this direction. The establishment of such activities is often part of the consulting projects that I implement with my clients as part of the development of the commercial service of companies. Below I outline some procedures that you can use to try to do this in your company yourself. This is not an easy and very valuable work for the development of an organization; it is worth doing regularly, not only before going online, but also just to stay in good shape.

Methodology for determining the ideal supplier

This procedure is carried out with the participation of network managers and key employees of services that provide work with clients: marketers, logisticians, accountants, etc. The group should be no more than 12 people, if there are more such people in the company, select those who can be most helpful in this procedure.

Before starting the process, you need to get into character, talk about the characteristics of your clients for 20–30 minutes, discuss the main parameters and important features of this group of clients. During the conversation, it is important that the group identify and analyze those factors that help the client earn money, highlighting those from which he makes the most profit; without understanding these factors, further work will not bring the greatest possible effect.

Then invite all participants to imagine themselves in the place of the buyer, let everyone choose a company that you work with or want to work with, and describe it in three to four sentences. Give people 2-3 minutes to get into the buyer persona, let them feel like they are in the client’s shoes, imagine their needs and tasks.

Now let's get acquainted with the methodology for determining the ideal supplier.

1. All participants are given A4 paper and within 10 minutes they identify 10 ideal qualities of a supplier from the point of view of a retail chain.

2. Then the managers are divided into groups of 3-4 people, so that there are 3-4 groups.

3. Of the 10 identified qualities, within 10 minutes each of these groups selects the 3 most important and valuable. Write them down one per sheet and hang them on the wall. In total there should be 10–12 such parameters, but usually it turns out to be 12–18, since there are always additions.

4. Each group is then given 2–3 votes, one less than the number of participants. They distribute these votes according to all the important, from their point of view, qualities of the supplier from these 12–18, justifying their choice.

7. This entire list is discussed again in order to harmonize all opinions. The majority principle does not apply here; it is important to know everyone’s point of view.

8. Then all received parameters are awarded

7 points is the maximum assessment of the supplier's level. (A seven-point scale, according to a number of psychologists, most accurately reflects a person’s opinion: 5 points is too low, 10 is vague, it is possible to give 5 without defining your attitude to the question. That is why I always use such a rating bar.)

Thus, a profile of the ideal supplier company is drawn from the buyer’s point of view. Further, through discussion, the compliance of your company’s qualities with this standard is noted; For each criterion, a cumulative score is calculated that your company meets.

As a result, after such an analysis of your capabilities, you will receive:

¦ a new assessment of your product-service offer and its correspondence to what, in your opinion, interests your customers;

¦ the direction in which you should work to improve your position;

¦ assessment of the level of knowledge of clients’ business by your company’s employees. And this knowledge, as I have repeatedly said, is the basis for the prosperity of the company.

For the head of a commercial service or director of a company, this technique is useful for at least two reasons.

Firstly, As you discuss and work on this profile, you see how and what your employees think about your customers, what they offer to customers and how much this corresponds to what your customers want to buy, it becomes clearer the understanding of how these two items coincide in the minds of your employees .

Secondly, A pleasant effect of this procedure is the analysis of your offer from the outside, its compliance with the client’s needs. Also, when using this technique, you can see not only the flaws in what you offer to the retail network, but some shortcomings in the organization of the company, such as low order processing speed, unclear document flow, poor after-sales service, etc.

If you identify your shortcomings before customers notice them, they will cost you much less. Such a procedure will cost you 3-4 hours of working time, but will save hundreds of thousands, and maybe millions of rubles.

The methodology described above is aimed at developing a common understanding in the company of what your partners need and how well you correspond to this. But remember, this is a projection of your knowledge of the market and your customers, so don't forget to ask directly what retailers want.

Another method of self-analysis and assessment of one’s competitive position is somewhat more complicated, as it requires additional preparation.

After completing the first technique, you will receive an approximate list of criteria by which your client will choose a partner, in this case it will also be a very valuable tool. To do the other, it is advisable for you to research your competitors' market. During this process you choose:

1) those competitors that you directly encounter “on the shelf”;

2) those who can influence your fight with the former;

3) those who, in principle, influence the consumption of your products - substitute goods, substitutes, etc.

Thus, you have three lists with which you have to work. In order not to overload the book, here we will consider working only with the first group.

Having received a list of the most dangerous direct competitors, as well as the criteria for selecting your clients, you enter them into the table (Table 2). And only then, on a 7-point scale, compare yourself with your opponents according to each criterion. This simple benchmarking tool can save you a lot of money and time.

table 2

Summary table assessing the capabilities of the company and its competitors

Of course, it’s worth mentioning: in order for such an analysis to work, you need to collect information about competitors with no less attention than about the clients themselves. It would not be amiss to remind you that in the company’s marketing department, for each competitor, especially direct ones, as well as for each client, there must be a card in which all the important information concerning him is entered. In the future, such work, as I already said, will bring the company millions of rubles in profit, not only when working with retail chains.

This “lyrical” digression from the main theme of the book, upon careful examination, is not too abstract. Working with retailers is a high-stakes game, and having enough information to make a decision increases your chances of success.

Tactical plan for entering the network

Let's summarize everything that has been said in the third chapter.

I repeat once again: sales today, especially those as large and complex as when supplying retail chains, are not the same as sales, say, 5 or 10 years ago. If previously we had the chance to work as sellers with different types of clients, win deals and sell our products only through advertising or public speaking, today such business methods are fading away, especially when working with large clients. In the 21st century, when concluding a large contract, both the retail chain and the supplier risk a lot of money and, what is much more valuable, their business reputation. If the mention of the last factor still makes someone smile, this is temporary, believe me, today reputation costs real money, especially when working with retail chains. If you have a reputation as an innovative, reliable and predictable company, you move with low resistance because customers trust you, but if the opposite is true, there are many unpleasant stories about you - you will have to pay for this, and pay a lot to cover possible risks for your clients.

I remember a conversation with one buyer after he charged a supplier an entrance fee that was unprecedented for the sector. I asked him: “Why such a price, where did you even get it from? What formula did you use to calculate it?” His answer surprised me somewhat: “They are unpredictable guys, today they really want it, tomorrow they have no time to deal with us, and this amount is enough for them to value working with us and try to fulfill all the terms of the contract. If anything, this is my insurance against their poor performance!”

Today in the network segment, reputation costs money and mistakes also cost money, every step and every word brings the company closer to either profit or loss, which is why today everything is decided not by a cavalry charge, not by the oratory skills of a sales manager, but by a thorough analysis of all actions and good planning of your work.

Concluding a deal with a network is very similar to a military operation, if you take this comparison for vivid images. In the case when a company has not decided why it needs this or that network and continues to go there, this is tantamount to the fact that a commander, not understanding, for what, sends his soldiers to attack. If you act this way, you will end up with negative results in dealing with these retail stores and a poor balance sheet at the end of your work.

When planning to enter a particular network, you must first understand why you need it and set a goal that you want to achieve by collaborating with this network. After finding the answer to these questions, you can begin to move on.

The next step is to study the network, analyze information about it, identify its needs, the needs of its departments, and the needs of its employees with whom you will communicate. Much of this information can be identified as a result of desk analysis, some needs to be collected from the market, and some of it is easiest to ask the client himself. Some can be understood by analyzing the actions of the network and the cohort of its suppliers. You don’t need to buy any data, you don’t have to find out about the property of the buyers, you don’t need to find out what bars they relax in, what fitness clubs they work out in - all this is just additional information for your research, but not fundamental. The main thing should be to study the retail network as a company with its goals and needs.

Next, as part of the research, you should draw the organizational structure of the network, understand how the needs of the divisions in this organization relate to the interests of those departments with which you will work directly. How they correlate with the needs and goals of the company as a single organism. Try to calculate which affiliate programs you can be useful to the network and which of them you can implement without losing your budget, only improving your status.

When doing analytics, remember what Confucius said: “Planning is much more important than a plan.” So here, you don’t need to put analysis at the forefront, you need to remember that analysis is an auxiliary tool for decision-making, and it is important to know why you are doing it.

After you have analyzed all the interests of your client, you begin to formulate a commercial proposal, taking into account the needs of the network that can be satisfied through your product.

After doing all this work, your task is to develop a plan for entering the retail network. If the idea of ​​concluding a contract can be expressed in a short phrase, like: “enter quickly, yesterday, at any cost,” then it is frankly bad. Thanks to this “magnificent” intention to act, companies lose millions of rubles and sometimes millions of dollars. You need to make a plan with which you will achieve the goals we talked about above. When compiling it, you must follow a certain algorithm.

ALGORITHM drawing up a plan for going online

¦ Determine the project budget. It includes not only the funds that you are willing to pay for entry, promotion, etc., but also the amount of time that you are willing to spend on negotiations with this client; time is also expensive.

¦ Determine the number of people who can work on this project. Indicate the amount of costs that you are willing to incur before entering the “point of no return”, when everything is already possible at any cost.

¦ Reflect all of the above points in writing, because even the most talented of salespeople cannot remember everything they think about during the working day.

¦ Next, you need to clearly outline the budgets: how much time should be spent on drawing up and discussing a commercial proposal, how much on agreeing on contracts, etc. Plan in detail the entire process of negotiations and its support, including possible options for the outcome of this dialogue.

For example, you send a proposal, you take about two weeks to analyze it online, during which time you should receive a response: positive or negative. Of course, the buyer may delay the decision, but to do this, you must have thought out actions tied to control points in time that will help speed up this process. At the same time, you should plan other work to develop this client: getting to know store directors, employees of marketing, development departments, etc.

Plan your actions in several ways: both in case of a positive and in case of a negative answer; You should also have a plan for complete lack of reaction to your proposals. For each scenario, you must have a plan of action with an intended result. You should work out different behavioral tactics for as many hypothetical situations as possible. It is clear that any planning is a person’s attempt to create certainty in the sea of ​​chaos in which we live, but the process itself is already the forerunner of this certainty.

By creating a plan for negotiating with the network, the sales manager begins to understand how the client will conduct these negotiations, he ponders scenario of your actions, their goals and sequence.

Quite illustrative in this case can be the example of law enforcement agencies, which have all the steps outlined for various emergency situations. It is clear that when such a situation occurs in real life, not everything goes as written in the plan: it doesn’t matter whether it’s worse or better, the main thing is that it goes. In the absence of pre-calculated actions, everything can go even more unpredictably.

If you have drawn up a competent plan with possible reactions and responses to positive and negative outcomes, you, as a seller, spend much less time concluding a contract, because, having planned schedules, you see the progress of your negotiations with the network, the direction of their movement and can give an answer to the question: are they going in the right or wrong way, are they within the budget or not. If you have not drawn up such a plan, then even after a year you will not be able to clearly determine for yourself whether there has been a shift in the negotiations. This especially applies, as a rule, to lengthy negotiations with large networks.

Concluding this chapter, I want to emphasize that careful, multi-variant planning of scenarios for concluding a contract with a client increases the manager’s work efficiency and reduces the time of the negotiation process itself, increasing the chances of success in the transaction.

The negotiation process will be covered in more detail in the next chapter.

What does an ideal supplier look like through the eyes of a retailer? Dmitry Motorin has worked in retail for more than seven years, and knows the ironclad rules of network procurement, since he himself took a successful part in their creation.

Retail chains are growing even during a crisis. For the largest Russian retailers, 2015 was a record year in terms of the speed with which their market share increased. According to analysts, the TOP 10 largest FMCG chains accounted for 24.3% of the market versus 21.6% a year earlier. Given the overall decline in retail in the country by 8.5%, such achievements look impressive and change the balance of power in retail.

In 2015, the share of the ten largest retailers in DIY retail exceeded 30%. The total volume of Hard&Soft retail last year was estimated at 1 trillion. rubles, with a total market capacity of 4.3 trillion including B2B and construction. It is logical that, despite the market decline in the last two years, this sales channel is in demand among manufacturers.

However, as one of the heroines says in the famous film “Moscow Doesn’t Believe in Tears”: “to become a general’s wife, you had to marry a lieutenant and travel with him to garrisons.” Does this mean that the time of new product manufacturers who dream of selling their goods to retail chains is gone forever? Not at all! Niches remain, rotation of suppliers on shelves in chains occurs continuously.

Then the most tricky question of our days arises: “How to sell goods to retail chains?” The author of this article has worked in retail for more than seven years, and knows the ironclad rules of network purchasing, since he himself took a successful part in their creation. He devoted more than eight years to maintaining key retail clients and managing their sales. Therefore, the entire network-supplier communication process is known from the first person and on both sides of the fence.

My surprise at these methods became a good motivation for creating this article. Tactics elevated to the level of strategic decisions have always amused me. The entire negotiation strategy consists of three to four meetings with buyers and their superiors over six to nine months. If there was no result at the second meeting, then in practice it is impossible to change this.

From personal experience as a buyer, I can firmly say: if the supplier is not needed, he will not get into the network! The worst option is to look for a way to put pressure on the buyer from above, through the authorities. Apart from problems in the near future and being included in a personal black list with a predictable result, nothing good should be expected. And you yourself will give the reason, you know yourself.

To prevent the role of negotiations in achieving results with the network from becoming key and decisive in the fate of the company, let’s start with basic concepts. Here we will outline a simple and logical system of actions for the supplier to achieve real results, instead of purchasing a subscription to annual staff training on effective negotiations with network clients. I appreciate good preparation for negotiations and specifics, but tactics should not be overestimated!

Let's start with the main question of this whole story: Why do you want to become supplier network retail? The answer is not as simple as one might think. The fact is that a retail chain has two tasks: to increase its sales turnover and at the same time earn maximum profit.

The retail chain solves the first problem by reducing retail prices. It solves the second problem at the expense of the supplier’s profit, that is, you. Partial rotation of suppliers and goods on the shelf is a common process of making up for the natural loss of suppliers, that is, their voluntary refusal to work with the network or outright bankruptcy.

In my practice, if the share of retail chains in a manufacturer’s sales is over 30%, this is a serious signal for diversification of the entire business; at a minimum, it is necessary to increase the number of other clients, look for a new product, develop your retail, create and sell a franchise. Sitting and waiting that everything is fine with you is tantamount to Anna Karenina’s action at the end of the book of the same name.

If you have passed the first test and are firmly convinced that retail chains are the promotion channel you need, take step two: estimate the cost of the retail channel. Make an economic assessment of the cost and profitability of such work, determine the threshold margin value that your company can handle. To do this, you should go to an introductory meeting with buyers, find out potential working conditions, or find out approximate working conditions from your industry colleagues, not competitors. It is not difficult!

There are always a number of optimists in the industry who, when negotiating, ask me the question: “Who do you know in the networks that you can call right now?” This question reflects people’s distorted Soviet idea of ​​the “thieves’ raspberries” of buyers or the romantic misconception about the “guild brotherhood.” This is a dangerous factor! Even if the founders of your company include the wife or great-nephew of the general director of the network. Everything changes and so do people, especially in leadership positions. And yesterday’s “blat” will become a stone around the neck of a company sinking to the bottom of ruin. Therefore, the best and most sustainable option is to conduct relations with the network in such a way that the “buyers” change, and your product remains on the shelf.

So how do you get into retail? There are only two civilized ways to enter the network. The first method is based on two key parameters: you have an attractive product from a network point of view at an attractive price. All other parameters of the 6P marketing mix are just as important:

• Place. For example, the possibility of delivering goods by the supplier to the distribution center or directly to stores,
• Promotion. For example, the ability and desire, in addition to a low delivery price, to give a special price for a product during promotions,
• People. For example, the presence of competent and efficient customer service managers who resolve all issues using the “one window” principle,
• Processes. For example, the possibility of prompt additional delivery of orders, or the speed and clarity of approval, confirmation, processing of network requests, error-free preparation of sets of accompanying documents.
• At the same time, the main factor in this story remains the Product-Price factor. If neither the first nor the second parameter is anything outstanding from a network point of view, then don’t waste your time and theirs. Work on refining your product and identify opportunities to change the price. The principles of creating and setting up a product are quite simple, but it requires a solid product creation specialist, that is, a marketer.

If you have a product, its value for consumers/buyers is tested and understood, then at a good price you become in a superposition. Any network will be happy to receive your product and make a profit on it.

If the first option is not possible for a number of reasons, and the product and prices are very close and similar to the conditions of your online competitor, then there is a longer, but equally effective strategy of the pursuer. You indicate your desire and readiness to cooperate with the retailer and go into standby mode when a convenient opportunity for replacement arises. Here you need to show tact, patience and persistence. The chains rotate their assortment at least once a year.

You should use this time to your advantage. Your task is to find out all the details of the competitor’s (possibly a circle of competitors) work with the network, talk to the maximum possible number of people on the network working with their product. If you accurately determine the weaknesses of your opponent, then during the waiting time you will be able to strengthen precisely these points in your work. During the next negotiations, you will now be able to show them as your solid plus.

There are also small tricks that you can use to gradually weaken your opponent’s position on the network. In fact, knowing the rules and bureaucratic processes in a retail chain, you can regularly attack your competitor with more interesting promotional offers. The likelihood of the network switching to you quickly is small, and your bold prices can force the network to put pressure on the enemy, reducing its already low profitability.

Subsequent conflicts with buyers, as we remember, also have their effect. The end result, after a while, is that you are more comfortable and desirable online than your hapless colleague. However, be careful. Outright lies will be revealed and will leave you without a chance to win. In addition, when you stand on the shelf, you will also need to protect yourself from attacks from competitors. Your strength is in your product. If the consumer loves you, strengthen this love and failures will bypass you.

There are uncivilized options for entering the network, again coming to us from the distant period of non-market relations, when goods were “obtained through pull.” In most networks, purchasing processes are set up correctly and the system does not react to such proposals, since purchasing decisions are transparent and made by a large number of people.

About seven years ago, when I started sharing my experiences in sales and purchasing management with my colleagues, I made an interesting material that describes the portrait of an ideal network supplier. This list at one time was quoted and helped a large number of companies. Today I offer a more modern version of it to our readers.

An ideal supplier through the eyes of a retail chain, in my experience and belief, should look like this:

• Provider is a brand. I don’t call a brand a trademark, of which there are many on the market, but the stable perception of this brand by buyers, consumers, and clients. If you managed to make the company's product strong, interesting, and beneficial to clients and consumers, congratulations! You own a valuable resource, you have a brand that people go to the store for and willingly buy.
• Manufacturer. A controversial thesis if you distribute goods from a third-party manufacturer. But if you have exclusive distribution rights to a good product, then this is also a very good position. Why networks are more willing to work with manufacturers. The answer is obvious - this is a sure sign that the network will receive maximum profit from working with you. The network is not at all interested in your profit, but if you produce it yourself, there is a high probability that the price for supplying the goods will be the lowest, and you will still be able to survive.
• Logistician Everything is quite simple here. The chains have a large number of stores in different remote cities and regions. The goods in the warehouse or production network are not needed with very rare exceptions. If you have a developed and managed distribution network, can ensure uninterrupted and high accuracy of deliveries, and have this important ability in our country to fulfill customer orders, then honor and praise to you from the network and consumers!
• Partner. The point is not key, but important. No matter how the formal process of your communication with the network develops, people are present in it. In the course of work, moments always arise when it makes sense to make concessions or help in a difficult situation. And in a ratio of three to one. For three times of your real help, you can theoretically expect one step forward from the network. In other words, your work style creates a subtle intangible asset called reputation. The higher it is, the stronger your position.

Experienced. The question is no longer key, although it undoubtedly adds advantages to your proposal. If you are currently working with a particular retail chain, for a new chain this means that you will not have to explain a large number of truisms or give answers to questions that are inappropriate from the point of view of the chain. This is a definite marker for any retail that the company is adequate and it is possible to work with it.

At the end of this slightly chaotic article, I would like to once again emphasize the main idea of ​​my answer to the question posed in the title. How to sell your product to retail chains? The answer is quite simple.

There are two popular sales options:

1. First produce, and then think about where and how to sell it all. As funny as it may seem, 80% of your market does exactly this. This should inspire you because you don't have to compete with the entire industry, just 20%.
2. A more complex option is based on creating and constantly working on your product to please consumers. 20% of your market does this. I recommend that you search for your business model only here. There are many advantages - it’s more interesting, more effective and the effect lasts longer.

If you follow the path of implementing the second model, a situation may arise when the networks themselves turn to you for goods. Don't believe me? But I remember such options and there are many of them. Good luck to you and your marketer!

Master R2, Business Architect

 

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