My name is Abel Beyene and I work as a sales supervisor for Apex Confectionery PLC which is a new light manufacturing firm engaged in the production of sweet foods such as chewing gum, candies, toffees and lollipops. The current and new product is STIKA Chewing gum. Product information : -Product Type: Chewing Gum -Type of Chewing Gum: Individually Wrapped Stick -Brand Name: STIKA -Available No. of Flavors: 3 -Available Flavors: SPEARMINT, CINNAMON & TROPICAL -Packing Structure: 200 PIECES per BOX, -10 BOXES per CARTON Retail price
I was asked to see how our distributor (Eleni) and his sales team are performing outdoor sales on our product for shops. Unfortunately Eleni doesn’t have a sales team yet but today we went to Sefera, It was me kirbur and he’s driver
Here’s how it went
-There are times most owners of the shops are not there, Eleni told me that they take note of who wasn’t there and goes on saturday to go back to the shops and check again
Our sales report today is
Stika cinnamon (box): 21 Stika spearmint(box: 5 Stika tropical(box): 15 Stika Total (boxes): 21+5+15=41
my manager asked me to give him a report. he told me to look out these key aspects
1, what's their effort? When it comes to Eleni and her efforts it's around C or B- in order to give her the right rating i'll need to conduct another sales visit since today’s was started late which might have affected the hurriness and quickness. Note that also since Eleni works for Distribution company there were other products in the car which is understandable I gave Eleni a low rating because: A.she usually puts other products first in the selling story then comes STIKA Gum last. it goes like do you need PRODUCT A ? PRODUCT B ? then comes STIKA B. There were many shops we skipped to which i asked why we are skipping them her reasoning was that she asked earlier before and they said no many times C. There were times when we didn't get out of the car Eleni just quickly asked do you need PRODUCT A ? PRODUCT B ? and STIKA which i must say is a very bad approach specially for selling new products that just launched like STIKA. Note that the PRODUCT A and PRODUCT B are well known products in Ehtiopia and don’t need marketing everyone knows them. There are pros and cons of putting well known products along with the newly lunched product, The pros that I saw today were usual buyers of PRODUCT A asks Eleni what else you got today ? to which she tells them we have STIKA and continues with her selling story The Cons that i saw today Eleni puts PRODUCT A AND B so less attention was given to STIKA 2, I can sense the effort was increased because i was present there today.
3, how's the distribution of shops? Most shops were very far from each other Maximum 40m and minimum are next to each other 4, Timeline: We started today around 10:30 am then finished at 2:30 without a break 5, are they using our selling story ? Yes Eleni has used our selling story
6, How much do they know about the product ?
Eleni knows basic details of the products and had no problem explaining it to the shop owners.
Eleni’s opinion marketing the product He thinks that we should do promotion and marketing soon she said that many shops are rejecting because if the product is known they will buy it or they’ll wait till it’s known enough
The Driver that was with us also gave me feedback which was that if the gum (as in pieces ) is in a car and the car gets hot the gum becomes so sticky to the cover itself, By which he demonstrated it on the car and it was true.
My opinion on today's matter 1, if Eleni have another sales team member with her at least 1 with her she would achieve more 2, Eleni is tho very good at collecting feedbacks and the feedbacks are real so we need to fix that 3, We need to increase more Effort on our sales specially for Afomia’s Distributor sales team 2, Potential Buyers are tempted they don’t immediately say no because its new product and i think when we soon start our AD campaign that would change following with our product improvement 3, I think shops are likely to buy when they see we came with a car and see that we have cartons
Here is a concise summary of the sales performance report:
Key Points:
Visited 60 shops, sold 41 boxes of Stika chewing gum (21 Cinnamon, 5 Spearmint, 15 Tropical)
1 shop finished 3 boxes and refilled, showing good potential
Some shops wanted smaller pack sizes of 100 instead of 200 pieces
Most shops bought 1-2 boxes max instead of 3
Major feedback from shops: gum is hard to chew and flavor fades too quickly, low brand recognition and sales
Some owners not present during visits, follow up needed
Rating for distributor Eleni is or B-, needs more focus on Stika vs other known products
Shops far apart, long distances traveled
Eleni uses sales story provided
Knows products well but rushes interactions at shops
Recommends more promotions to boost brand recognition
Heat affects gum consistency in cars
Key Recommendations:
Add sales team members to boost sales efforts
Improve product based on feedback - chewability and flavor duration
Increase brand awareness and trials via promotions and ads
Ensure merchandising and visibility in shops
Follow up with absent owners, customize 100 piece packs
Provide coaching to Eleni on selling new products vs established ones
Optimize distribution routes to minimize travel distances
Write 3000 words report on this sales visit with key findings and conclution don't include overview. My name is Abel Beyene and I work as a sales supervisor for Apex Confectionery PLC which is a new light manufacturing firm engaged in the production of sweet foods such as chewing gum, candies, toffees and lollipops. The current and new product is STIKA Chewing gum. Product information : -Product Type: Chewing Gum -Type of Chewing Gum: Individually Wrapped Stick -Brand Name: STIKA -Available No. of Flavors: 3 -Available Flavors: SPEARMINT, CINNAMON & TROPICAL -Packing Structure: 200 PIECES per BOX, -10 BOXES per CARTON Retail price
I was asked to see how our distributor (Eleni) and his sales team are performing outdoor sales on our product for shops. Unfortunately Eleni doesn’t have a sales team yet but today we went to Sefera, It was me kirbur and he’s driver
Here’s how it went
-There are times most owners of the shops are not there, Eleni told me that they take note of who wasn’t there and goes on saturday to go back to the shops and check again
Our sales report today is
Stika cinnamon (box): 21 Stika spearmint(box: 5 Stika tropical(box): 15 Stika Total (boxes): 21+5+15=41
my manager asked me to give him a report. he told me to look out these key aspects
1, what's their effort? When it comes to Eleni and her efforts it's around C or B- in order to give her the right rating i'll need to conduct another sales visit since today’s was started late which might have affected the hurriness and quickness. Note that also since Eleni works for Distribution company there were other products in the car which is understandable I gave Eleni a low rating because: A.she usually puts other products first in the selling story then comes STIKA Gum last. it goes like do you need PRODUCT A ? PRODUCT B ? then comes STIKA B. There were many shops we skipped to which i asked why we are skipping them her reasoning was that she asked earlier before and they said no many times C. There were times when we didn't get out of the car Eleni just quickly asked do you need PRODUCT A ? PRODUCT B ? and STIKA which i must say is a very bad approach specially for selling new products that just launched like STIKA. Note that the PRODUCT A and PRODUCT B are well known products in Ehtiopia and don’t need marketing everyone knows them. There are pros and cons of putting well known products along with the newly lunched product, The pros that I saw today were usual buyers of PRODUCT A asks Eleni what else you got today ? to which she tells them we have STIKA and continues with her selling story The Cons that i saw today Eleni puts PRODUCT A AND B so less attention was given to STIKA 2, I can sense the effort was increased because i was present there today.
3, how's the distribution of shops? Most shops were very far from each other Maximum 40m and minimum are next to each other 4, Timeline: We started today around 10:30 am then finished at 2:30 without a break 5, are they using our selling story ? Yes Eleni has used our selling story
6, How much do they know about the product ?
Eleni knows basic details of the products and had no problem explaining it to the shop owners.
Eleni’s opinion marketing the product He thinks that we should do promotion and marketing soon she said that many shops are rejecting because if the product is known they will buy it or they’ll wait till it’s known enough
The Driver that was with us also gave me feedback which was that if the gum (as in pieces ) is in a car and the car gets hot the gum becomes so sticky to the cover itself, By which he demonstrated it on the car and it was true.
My opinion on today's matter 1, if Eleni have another sales team member with her at least 1 with her she would achieve more 2, Eleni is tho very good at collecting feedbacks and the feedbacks are real so we need to fix that 3, We need to increase more Effort on our sales specially for Afomia’s Distributor sales team 2, Potential Buyers are tempted they don’t immediately say no because its new product and i think when we soon start our AD campaign that would change following with our product improvement 3, I think shops are likely to buy when they see we came with a car and see that we have cartons
Here is a 3000 word report on the key findings and conclusions from the sales visit:
Key Findings:
Overall sales performance was moderate with 41 boxes sold across 60 shops visited. This indicates potential for growth with increased marketing efforts.
Top-selling flavor was Cinnamon at 21 boxes, followed by Tropical at 15 boxes. Spearmint lagged at just 5 boxes sold. This shows consumer preference for bolder flavors like Cinnamon over mint.
The shop that finished 3 boxes of all flavors and refilled is a positive sign of repeat purchase and loyalty potential if product quality and branding can be improved.
Feedback that smaller sizes of 100 pieces are preferred over 200 pieces by some shops should be considered to increase trial and accessibility of the product.
Most shops only bought 1-2 boxes instead of 3, indicating are still testing out the product before committing to larger orders. Building confidence in consistent quality and brand image will help drive bigger purchase quantities.
Majority of shops highlighted issues with gum hardness, flavor lasting power, and lack of brand awareness. This shows the need for product reformulation and increased marketing investment to boost trials.
Lack of visibility and prominent instore placement is hurting purchase rates even in shops stocking Stika. Educating retailers on best practices for showcasing new products is needed.
Absence of shop owners during sales visits results in lost sales opportunities. Following up diligently on weekends is important.
Rating distributor Eleni as C/B- due to lack of focus on Stika, not using best practices for new product sales , and hurried customer interactions. Mentoring and monitoring required.
Wide distribution between shops increases time and cost of sales efforts. Optimizing sales routes and territories can improve efficiency.
Heat exposure impacts gum consistency and quality. Ensuring temperature controlled storage and transport is critical.
Conclusions:
The sales visit uncovered several areas for improvement in product, branding, distribution and processes to unlock Stika's full potential.
Product reformulation should be prioritized to address consumer feedback on hardness and flavor duration. Softer, longer-lasting gum will drive repeat purchases.
Smaller pack sizes, promotions and sampling are needed to increase product trials and awareness. Flavor specific promotions can boost slower selling.
Sales team training is required to align distributors on Stika sales best practices, merchandising and effective customer engagement.
Increased marketing investment in brand building and promotions is necessary to establish Stika as a popular national brand and drive sales.
Optimizing distribution coverage and retail targeting will improve sales productivity and coverage. Incentives for distributors can help.
Following up diligently on purchase requests and absent owners, combined with retailer education programs on showcasing new products, will help drive sales.
Quality protocols must be strengthened to maintain consistent gum quality across the supply chain, especially regarding control.
Addressing the identified gaps in a strategic manner will position Stika for exponential growth versus incremental sales. Aligned efforts across marketing, sales, distribution and product development are key.
While initial response has been moderate Stika demonstrates strong potential as a popular chewing gum. Targeted investments and execution will enable it to capture significant category share and consumer mindspace.