Help on Tele2, tariffs, questions

From this article you will learn:

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

The domestic economy has recently embarked on the rails of market relations, from that moment on, each of the sellers asks a fundamental question: how to offer a product or service so that the buyer is interested. Consider the key aspects of this issue.

How to offer a product to be bought

Of course, the success of a business depends largely on the volume of sales, this is perhaps one of critical factors. Production capacity can be increased quite quickly, but the market capacity does not always make it possible to realize the inherent potential. Advertising budgets can be 20-50% of the cost, firms are doing everything possible to beat the competition.
All of these factors indicate that the entire distribution chain – marketing/sales/store – is important. The answer to the questions: “How to properly offer a product” and “How to sell a product to a client” is the solution to the needs of the buyer.
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 about the product you have (operation, scope, availability of options and their differences, etc.), the more reasonably you can convey to the buyer why he needs it.
2. Be very attentive to the question of the psychology of a potential 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 about the nature 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 in action, let it be touched, touched, smelled. Create all the conditions for making a purchase so that the client wants to purchase this particular product right now.

How to offer a product in bulk

There are a few 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 (it will be large or small orders). Categories such as delivery, price, terms are a temptation for the buyer and a big plus for the supplier.
Hence:

• do everything possible to “lure” the client from the very beginning with low prices for delivered orders and low logistics bills;
• follow the terms of the contract - never violate them;
• deliver on time and regularly;
• remember, that wholesale trade This is an equal sale.

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

The most important problem faced by retailers, including large ones, is the problem of recruitment, since the employees of most stores are not ready for effective sales(residual phenomena of Soviet education). But there is another side to this - retailers themselves often do not pay due attention to the training and motivation of sellers, treating them as third-rate " labor force' which is constantly changing. This attitude leads to a lack of proper training. The seller offers the goods to the buyer not very effectively, because he does not know how to do it. But trained employees with proper motivation may well become the key to the success of any outlet.
A successful salesperson is someone who:

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

More often than not, if the salesperson is able to identify the customer's key issues, the customer will be willing to pay for their solution.
Knowing how to promote your problem-solving abilities to potential buyers can be the key to success. This is to ensure that customers are aware of what you can do for them and what will be the benefits obtained from using the solutions you propose.
Sales leaders don't just focus on how to offer a product (or how to sell it), but they expand their customer's horizons. To become a top seller, you need to periodically answer the following questions:

• What customer problems do I solve?
• What is the customer's perspective on these issues and the solutions I offer?
• How does the buyer prioritize when looking for solutions to these problems?
• What other customer problems can I solve?
• What hidden or future problems are buyers unaware of?

The buyer comes with a lot of problems. Your task is to point to them and give them a detailed description, but not from your point of view, but from the position of the client. Focus on the 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, to offer their solutions (= to offer a product).

3 tips on how to talk to a buyer when offering a product
Experts share useful tips with distributors about how to talk with the buyer in order to achieve success, how to offer the product as efficiently as possible.

1. Product knowledge.

Despite the fact that we have already mentioned this fact, we will repeat once again: preparations for trading should begin even before the sales themselves, in particular, we are talking about getting all possible information about the product. What it can be: before offering a product, check the nuances of different manufacturers, the specifics of use, price corridors for wholesale / retail, at different 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 giving answers to all the questions that have arisen. Such a distributor inspires confidence, the buyer understands that he is a professional, not an amateur. There is another point: if the client receives an exhaustive answer, he begins to feel obligated, and in some cases this may affect his decision to purchase the goods 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.
The only exception: the buyer, due to some circumstances, has information about the product, for example, he took part in the production of similar products. Then you need to offer the goods more carefully, you should not go too far: it is important to show your competence in this matter, and respect the knowledge of the interlocutor, and maybe even ask him something, ask some questions. Such a 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 mood of the seller is a working tool, since he is an actor who cannot afford an arbitrary mood. His task is to "keep face" regardless of what's on his mind. After all, the buyer immediately catches the mood of the seller and reacts to it: good mood transmitted, but bad too. If the buyer came to the store in a good mood, and the seller spoiled it, then the buyer subconsciously (or maybe consciously) wants 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 the 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 more and more psychologically savvy, often he is also well versed in the product. Therefore, the fact that instead of a substitute product they begin to very persistently offer 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 a client, because he is unlikely to ever return to the place where he was deceived or tried to deceive.
Trading is somewhat akin to fishing: it is impossible to make the fish peck, but they can be attracted by high-quality bait. The buyer likes quality service, and respect is an important component. And even in the case when you do not have some product, sending the buyer to the place where he is, this will also positively affect your assessment by the buyer, and it is highly likely that he will return to you.
You need to respect not only the problems of the buyer and his desires, but also the refusal. A buyer who was rude or rude after a refusal is unlikely to be seen again in your store. And even if there was no obvious rudeness, then a sharp change in the behavior of the seller (from fawning / attentive to indifferent / negative) will also shock the buyer, and he is unlikely to come to this store.
More recommendations for the seller in the store, how to offer a product:

• in no case do not talk about the negative nuances of the product, so as not to spoil the positive;
• even if you know how to offer a product correctly, but do not own the rules of ethics, success will not be easy. Be charming, friendly, respectful - this will help sell the product, but avoid familiarity, familiarity, keeping the right distance.

How to offer a product to a sales representative

Beginning Sales Representative always encounters rejections, this is because retail outlets are against working with new suppliers or new products - in the store, the shelves are already full of goods. However, there are good principles in sales and good methods of how to offer a product to unfamiliar customers.

1. Make an illustrated catalog.

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

1. Go around all outlets in the assigned territory.

Be prepared to be rejected in most places when you offer a product, but this should not bother you: it's normal for the psychology of the seller - checking a new person (will he appear again and how persistent is he?). Don't be discouraged if you get rejected. Just let them know that you will come back another time when something interesting appears. The seller is unlikely to refuse this. Focus on finding your first client - it's hard, but it's possible.

1. Revisit the stores located near the first customer.

Come back after a while with a message that you have news. In the conversation, give a reference to the first customer and inform 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 a question about how they are doing in the outlet with your product. Do not let their answers go past your ears - fix and pay attention to it.

1. Visit the rest of the shops.

Let us know that your product is already available in 15 stores. But do not lie, but tell it like it is. Voice the words of customers who are satisfied with your product. This may be the impetus to start working with you. WITH successful people I want to work, people who are set up in this way find it easier to offer goods.

How to offer your product to stores
This question is always asked by newcomers, because the heads of retail outlets refuse new products, arguing that the stores are already overstocked with goods. Therefore, there is one feature 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 working moments. Your task is to offer a product, at the same time convincing the client that he will not waste his time in vain if he starts working with you.
To sell your product successfully, you need to have an idea about all the stages of a customer visit:

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

There are a number important tips in how to offer a product:

1. Remember that store managers perceive a new supplier as new problems. This is due to the past negative experience of contacts with unreliable suppliers, for example. Therefore, any new proposal is perceived by them with caution. Don't forget this: Selling a product has two parts: first you have to "sell yourself" as a bona fide 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 the store to offer a product, focus on a slightly different goal: find out about the problems of your potential partners. Let me know that you plan to work in this market, but today you came to find out what problems the store faces when working with suppliers. Be attentive to the answers you receive and say that you will return when you can offer a solution to these problems.
3. Analyze this conversation: identify weaknesses in the work of competitors, create a service scheme for a point of sale that will exceed the offers of competing suppliers. Focus on how to effectively demonstrate this difference to store managers when you start offering the product.
4. Organize another negotiation, but again do not talk about your products, focus on how comfortable it will be for the buyer to work with your firm.
5. Receive your first purchase order. Let it be small - after all, this is a kind of check, but clearly state what the minimum order quantity should be in the future.

Remember: competitors will immediately notice the decline in sales that is associated with your entry into the market. The response of rivals may be, for example, an improvement in the quality of service. Your task is to return to the above steps from time to time and repeat them.

Important recommendation:go to shopping room after the delivery has been made, find out if everything is fine. The fact that you care about your partner- this is an additional bonus that will play in favor of working with you.

How to offer a product on social networks

SMM, or marketing in in social networks, is now gaining momentum. There is not a single company that does not understand the importance of promotion in social networks. At the same time, not everyone knows how to offer goods here correctly and as productively as possible.
The statistics say the following: for example, specialists from GfK Ukraine analyzed 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 are: clothes, accessories, gifts, shoes, cosmetics and perfumes. Most of buyers, of course, women.
Such statistics once again emphasize that you can really sell on social networks.
But how to do it?
Everything is not so difficult, 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 buying your product through a social network (no additional registrations, requests are processed slowly, etc.);
• you really develop your community: there is the right content, enough participants and you were able to reach the average or even high level involvement;
• users trust you (for example, thanks to quality work with feedback)
• you realize that online sales take 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 tips to help you market and sell your product as effectively as possible.

1. Specify the current price.

Do not create unnecessary barriers on the way of the purchaser to purchase your product: let him see the price right away. Don't doubt that potential clients, for which the price you have named will not be suitable, in any case, they will refuse to purchase the goods.

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 more likely it is that the buyer will change his mind. Your task is to make sure that the customer understands the scheme for purchasing goods, and this scheme should be simple.

1. Regularly update the assortment so that the buyer has the opportunity to choose.

Remember the female craving for shopping: hourly walking on shopping malls, the ability to choose, the understanding that one of these things will sooner or later become their property. The same principle should work in social networks: users should have a choice. These can be albums with goods, where you can see everything that is, compare, and then buy. Plus - the larger the range you offer, the greater the number of 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 goods from this album. Because often the refusal to purchase is provoked by the need for a long wait for the receipt of goods or its absence at all (despite the fact that it is presented in the album / on the site).

1. Follow the trends and beat them.

Trends are a great way to make 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 offer your product. Things that are in trend, as a rule, are more popular than the standard range.

1. Update community information regularly.

It is important for you to convey to your customers the fact that your products are updated all the time. However, you should not do it too zealously, otherwise there is a risk of a ban (in the news feed). Do this in moderation so that when a user needs something from what you sell, he immediately remembers you.

1. Respond promptly to comments.

Timely responses to comments increase the likelihood of a purchase. Slowness can lead to the fact that the buyer will go to competitors.

1. Don't neglect community management.

Community management is almost a key component in working with your community. It gives you the opportunity to build trust with users who can become your customers. Give public responses to negative comments, do not delete them and be able to admit your mistakes.
Remember the importance 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 do not falsify information, reviews must be honest and real, and fictional reviews will never play into your hands.

1. Let's advertise for interesting offers, 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 an increase in sales.

What does the ideal supplier look like through the eyes of a retailer? Dmitry Motorin has worked in retail for more than seven years, and knows the iron rules of chain purchases, as he himself successfully participated in their creation.

Retail chains are growing even in times of crisis. For the largest Russian retailers, 2015 was a record year in terms of the speed at which their market share increased. According to analysts, the TOP-10 largest FMCG networks accounted for 24.3% of the market against 21.6% a year earlier. With a general drop 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 top ten retailers in DIY retail exceeded 30%. The total retail volume of Hard&Soft last year was estimated at 1 trillion. rubles, with a total market capacity, together with B2B and construction, of 4.3 trillion. It is logical that, despite the decline in the market over the past two years, this sales channel is in demand among manufacturers.

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

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 iron rules of network purchases, since he himself successfully participated in their creation. He has over eight years of experience in leading key retail clients and managing their sales. Therefore, the network - the supplier knows the entire process of communication in the first person and on both sides of the barricades.

My surprise with these methods was a good motivation for creating this article. Tactics elevated to rank strategic decisions, always made me laugh. The whole negotiation strategy is three to four meetings with buyers and their superiors in six to nine months. If there was no result at the second meeting, then in practice it is already impossible to change it.

From the personal experience of the 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. In addition to problems in the near future and getting into a personal black list with a predictable result, nothing good should be expected. And you yourself will give a reason, you know yourself.

So that the role of negotiations in achieving results with the network does not become a key, decisive in the fate of the company, let's start with basic concepts. Here, a simple and logical system of supplier actions will be outlined to achieve a real result, instead of buying a subscription to annual staff trainings 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 story: Why do you want to become supplier network retail? The answer is not as simple as one might think. The fact is that the retail network has two tasks - to increase the turnover of its sales and at the same time earn maximum profit.

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

According to my practice, if the share of retail chains in the manufacturer's sales is over 30%, this is a serious signal for the diversification of the entire business, at least you need to increase the number of other customers, look for a new product, develop your retail, make and sell a franchise. Sitting and waiting that everything is fine with you is tantamount to Anna Karenina's act at the end of the book of the same name.

If you passed the first test and are firmly convinced that the retail chains are the promotion channel you need, take the second step: estimate the cost of the retail channel. Make an economic assessment of the cost and profitability of such work, determine the threshold value of marginality, which is within the power of your company. 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 on the networks who you can call right now?” This question reflects the distorted soviet idea of ​​people about the "thieves' raspberries" of buyers or the romantic delusion about the "guild brotherhood". This is a dangerous factor! Even if the founders of your company include the wife or great-nephew of the CEO 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 the company, going to the bottom of ruin. Therefore, the best and most sustainable option is to maintain relationships with the network in such a way that “buyers” change and your product remains on the shelf.

So how do you get into the retail chain? There are only two civilized ways to enter the network. The first way is based on two key parameters: you have an attractive product from the point of view of the network 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 the low delivery price, to give a special price for the product during promotions,
• People. For example, the presence of competent and efficient customer service managers who solve all issues on the principle of "one stop",
• Processes. For example, the possibility of prompt additional delivery of orders, or the speed and clarity of coordination, confirmation, processing of network applications, error-free preparation of sets of accompanying documents.
• At the same time, the Product-Price factor remains the main factor in this story. If neither the first nor the second parameter is anything outstanding from the point of view of the network, then do not waste your time and theirs. Engage in the refinement of your product and identify opportunities to change the price. The principles of creating and setting up a product are quite simple, but here you need a solid specialist in product creation, that is, a marketer.

If you have a product, its value for consumers / buyers has been 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 competitor on the network, then there is a longer, but just as effective pursuer strategy. You indicate your willingness and willingness to partner with the retailer and put yourself on standby when an opportunity for a replacement appears. Here you need to show tact, patience and perseverance. At least once a year, the assortment is rotated in the chains.

You must use this time to your advantage. Your task is to find out all the details of how a competitor (perhaps a circle of competitors) works with the network, talk to the maximum possible number of people in the network who work with their product. If you define exactly weak sides your opponent, then during the waiting time you will be able to strengthen precisely these moments in your work. At the next negotiations, now you will be able to show them as your solid plus.

There are still small tricks that can be applied so that your opponent's position in the network gradually weakens. In fact, knowing the rules and bureaucratic processes in the trading network, you can regularly attack a competitor with more interesting promotional offers. The likelihood of a quick network switch to you is small, and your daring prices can force the network to put pressure on the enemy, reducing their already low profitability.

Subsequent conflicts with buyers, as we remember, also have their effect. As a result, after some time, you are more convenient and desirable for the network than your unlucky colleague. However, be careful. Outright lies will be exposed and leave you with no chance of winning. In addition, when you stand on the shelf, you will also need to defend yourself from the attacks of 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 a distant period of non-market relations, when goods were “gotten by pull”. In most networks, the procurement processes are set up correctly and the system does not respond to such proposals, since purchasing decisions are transparent and made by a large number of people.

About seven years ago, starting to share my experience in managing sales and purchases with my colleagues, I made an interesting material that describes the portrait of an ideal network supplier. This list at one time was sold for quotes and helped a large number of companies. Today I offer its more modern version to our readers.

The ideal supplier through the eyes of the retail network, in my experience and belief, should look like this:

• Provider is a brand. I don't call a brand trademark, of which there are many on the market, but a stable perception of this brand by buyers, consumers, customers. If you managed to make the company's product strong, interesting, profitable for customers and consumers, congratulations! You own a valuable resource, you have a brand that people go to the store for and willingly buy it.
• Manufacturer. A controversial thesis if you distribute third-party products. But if you have exclusive distribution rights to a good product, that's also a pretty good position. Why networks are more willing to work with manufacturers. The answer is obvious - this is a sure sign that the network will get the maximum profit from working with you. The network is not interested in your profit at all, but if you produce yourself, there is a high probability that the price of delivery of the goods will be the lowest, and you will be able to survive at the same time.
• Logistician. Everything is pretty simple here. The networks have a large number of stores in different remote cities and regions. The goods in the warehouse or in the production of the 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, have this important ability in our country to fulfill customer orders, then you are honored and praised 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, there are always moments when it makes sense to make concessions or help in a difficult situation. And in a ratio of three to one. For three times your real help, you can theoretically expect one step forward from the network. In other words, your way of working creates a subtle intangible asset called reputation. The higher it is, the stronger your position.

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

In conclusion of such a slightly chaotic article, I want to emphasize once again main idea my answer to the question posed in the title. How to sell your product to retail chains? The answer is pretty simple.

There are two popular selling options:

1. First produce, and then think about where and how to sell it all. As funny as it sounds, 80% of your market does exactly that. This should inspire you, as you don't have to compete with the entire industry, but only with 20% of it.
2. More difficult option is based on the creation and constant work on your product to please consumers. This is what 20% of your market is doing. I recommend that you search for your business model only here. There are many advantages - more interesting, more effective and the effect lasts longer.

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

Master R2, Business Architect

Entrepreneurs often complain that it is extremely difficult to get their goods on the shelves of large retail chains. In fact, it is easy to get into the networks, it is much more difficult to get into the shopping cart

We need not bribes, but a product

At all negotiations, I immediately say that my company is transparent and works only in accordance with Russian laws. I studied in the USA and am a citizen of this country, so I do not accept any bribes. If during the negotiations it comes to "admission ticket", then I turn to English language and pretend that I don't understand what in question. This is my principled position, from which I do not intend to deviate. Having paid once, I will not be able to refuse such payments to other networks in the future: rumors spread quickly in the market. In addition, it is possible that the unscrupulous managers of the distribution network, which I will pay for the entrance, will blackmail me in the future by threatening to remove our goods from the shelves.

I went the other way - I created an interesting and attractive product. At my first meeting with managers at the Tsvetnoy shopping center, I just brought cookies in a bag and explained what makes it special. Intrigued, they invited me to a second meeting, to which I had already brought cookies and a packaging prototype. Interest has been confirmed. For the third meeting were full Commercial offer with presentation and 3D packaging model. As a result, we signed a supply contract.

Seek personal meetings

To get on the shelves of Azbuka Vkusa, I wrote a letter to the profile category manager. On the site "Azbuka Vkusa" in the section "For suppliers" there are contacts of all commercial management companies. I sent a simple and bright three-page presentation with more pictures than words. But she conveyed the emotion of my product. The biscuit caught the interest of the confectionery department and the tasting committee, and the chain gave it the green light in the chain's first 50 stores. Only after that I began to buy raw materials, rented a room and started the “Marc 100% natural” oven in my own workshop.

Alas, in most retail chains there is a large turnover of category managers, so letters to e-mail may not be enough. My experience tells me that a few calls to acquaintances - and you will find a way to the person you need. Seek face-to-face meetings if you are sociable yourself. If not, find someone to bribe with charm and the ability to listen/hear/sell.

Have you been denied? My principle: if you believe in the product, use the approach “if you don’t open the door, climb through the window”. Find email/phone numbers/names of people one level up. I usually go straight to the CEO or shareholder. However, before that, you always need to have proof that you sought, but you were ignored or you were refused. Therefore, save correspondence, chats on social networks, etc.

If you managed to get through the window or a friend opened it for you, decisions will be made much faster. For example, with Andrey Gusev [ CEO network of pharmacies A5] I was introduced quite by accident. It turned out that we have a mutual friend who helped me. I sent Andrey the presentation. A few days later we met at their office and found points of synergy, although previously pharmacy chains were not included in our plans at all. A week later there was a cooperation agreement.

Use a distribution company

But personal acquaintances and an interesting product do not always attract category managers and management of retail chains. I tried several times to get on the shelves of Dixy stores, the product went through tastings, but so far without success. But since I do not accept the answer “no”, then in Dixy and in other retail chains that I could not access directly (Lenta, OK), our products will be represented by distribution companies. This is not as profitable as trading directly, since I will have to share my margin with distributors, giving them up to 40%, but so far I have no other way to get on the shelves of these stores. We will wait, collect sales statistics in other stores and through a distributor, and come back with our product again.

Finally, there is another way to get on the shelf - to enter the network for a short period using the in-out system. You can be hired for a three-month period and see how the sales go. I'm not sure that in three months you can reach a high level of sales, so I don't use this method. In addition, retail chains themselves are not very fond of agreeing to such a format, realizing that suffering will begin at the end of the term: the manufacturer will begin to persuade to extend the experiment, sales are likely to be low at first, and internal administrative efforts for the network are equal to the introduction of a new supplier.

The question “is it worth it to enter the trading networks?” rather difficult. The wrong decision can lead to fatal consequences for your business. Therefore, before continuing to read this article, I recommend that you read the previous article on deciding whether to enter the network for your company.

If you have analyzed all the factors, conducted interviews with candidates and drew an approximate profitability of your work with the network, you can proceed directly to action.

The answer to the question: "how to enter the trading network?" search in this article. Below is an algorithm for entering the trading network, which will help you perform this action correctly, with maximum benefit, and at no extra cost.

Trading network entry algorithm:

• 1. Estimated turnover calculation for one conditional outlet or trade meter. As we have already said, the calculation can be made on the basis of sales in non-chain retail and correlated with analogue products present in stores and networks.
• 2. Calculation of the cost of entering the network and setting the lowest possible margin. You have the cost of production at today's volume, you need to calculate the cost at the volumes that you calculated per one outlet, multiplied by the number of outlets in the network. So, you have the volumes that you are counting on, you have the cost price for these volumes, you have the margin that is minimally interesting to you. And you get the bottom price bar. Never go out and negotiate with the network without calculating your price options for different volumes. You will not have the main negotiating tool.
• 3. Fixing the budget for the entrance to the shelf. You need to be aware of what the entry costs for each merchant network will be, whether it's an official setup fee or a rollback or both. You must fix the amount and have it in your budget before entering the network.
• 4. Selection of an employee for entry in a network or study of working conditions with networks at an interview. If you decide to go online on your own, without involving an experienced specialist, you need to be patient and able to build relationships. You will need the skill of establishing personal relationships from the seller in the store, to the network manager. The skill to “take a hit” is required, because you will be tested for strength.
• 5. Determination of priority players the most suitable range pricing policy, entry conditions. Each trading network has its own rules of the game, its own assortment, its own matrix. Therefore, it is necessary to study the conditions and decide on the most priority networks. But work needs to be started on all fronts, because the primary research may not work. You need to understand who the main forces will be thrown at in search of entry points and achieving results. Because some negotiations can take more than a year. Moreover, these are positive negotiations, when interest is already indicated.
• 6. Determination and access to the decision maker (DM). The more entry points to the company, the greater the likelihood of success. Feel free to communicate with marketers, store managers and general sales staff. To understand the priorities of the network, you can sometimes talk with a representative of one store, and although decisions are often not made on the ground, you will receive valuable information about who actually decides how best to enter the network, what are the priorities for purchases, what are the sales figures for similar products. . You can contact buyers, heads of buyers, commercial directors and managers. There is no need to be shy about contacting the very top about your product if all the paths are blocked below. You won't lose anything. Sometimes it is easier to reach a commercial director than an ordinary buyer. It is also necessary to take into account the characteristics of the network itself. For example, in MediaMarkt, decisions are made by the store managers themselves, of course they need to sign an agreement at the central office, but what volumes of purchases can be, the length of the line and conditions will be determined on the spot.
• 7. Determining the position in the distribution network for similar products. by the most in a simple way the entrance to the network is the closure of a hole in the company's assortment matrix. But “a holy place is never empty”, so personal contacts with people close to this information will be very useful if you didn’t manage to enter with a swoop.
• 8. Negotiating with decision makers. A typical behavior with players trying to enter the network is pressure. Most unbranded companies are willing to make any concessions just to get on the shelves. This is the biggest mistake that networks use for their own purposes. Therefore, there are two main categories of suppliers for them. The first are long-term partners with an interesting hot commodity. The second - dreaming that their goods were in the networks and ready to give it away for next to nothing. The former stand on the shelves for years, the latter actually get up at their own expense and give the network all the profits, then financial resources depleted and the product leaves the shelves naturally. Of course, you can get from the second category to the first, but the change in the terms of supply is not very welcome by the network.
• 9. Boosting retail chains. It must be clearly understood that any network is a huge mechanism, where there is no single decision-making center. There are always different interests of different departments and different people. If the buyer said that your product is interesting, it means absolutely nothing, there may be a lot of factors that prevent entry. The same is true and vice versa, if you were told that the goods will never appear on the shelves of this store, then look for other entrances, perhaps through other commodity items, perhaps through wholesalers who already have an entry point to the network, perhaps through the company's management. If you know the purchase price of competitors and know what you can offer Better conditions, while the product is not inferior in terms of consumer characteristics, make every effort on different fronts, and you will stand on the shelf, although this may take a long time.
• 10. Start work. And finally it happened. Your item is on the shelf. Now you can cross your legs and just count the profit. No matter how. Now the hardest part begins. Both you and the network need sales, otherwise the work can come to an end very quickly. At the first stage, you need to make every effort to make the goods go. Do not spare money for promoters, red price tags, participation in promotions. You need network buyers to remember your product, try it and start making a turnover that generates income and allows you to save shelf space, otherwise you have done all the previous entry points into the distribution network in vain.

Good luck in achieving your cherished goal. And if questions arise during the implementation of the algorithm, we will always be happy to solve another problem to conquer the shelves of network retail - call