MASTERING THE ART OF SELLING

Mastering the art of selling is broken down into seven steps: knowing, managing yourself, managing your route, selling yourself, selling more than just yourself, execution, and stewarding. Each step is critical in mastering the art of selling and being an exceptional sales professional at Redding Distributing.

Knowing your job duties should really go unsaid, but anyone interested in being a sales professional needs to know exactly what they are getting into before taking over a route. If a sales professional is uncertain of what is required or does not know what qualities it takes to be a successful sales person they will never be able to master the art of selling. Knowledge of what is required and understanding what qualities it takes to be the best sales person is the first step in becoming a highly successful sales professional.

Managing yourself is often overlooked in any profession. People regularly talk about selling yourself and the ability to sell products, but if you cannot manage yourself it will surface in your professional life. Living a healthy life, having a good perspective, and being happy are all foundational pillars in ultimately being a successful employee.

Managing your route is the first step in winning over the retailer. Learning how to maintain your route and in store merchandize are important steps in becoming a complete sales professional that your retailer and Redding Distributing can count on.

Selling yourself is the fourth step in mastering selling because if you cannot sell yourself you will never be able to sell products, successfully execute in the trade, or steward relationships. Selling yourself is the most important aspect in winning at retail and becoming the go to sales professional for your retailers.

Selling more than just yourself is the most synonymous function of a sales professional, but it is fifth in line in the process of mastering selling. When people think of a sales position they automatically assume the job is based around hitting numbers and selling in products. A sales professionals duties are endless and often times the actual selling aspect of their job gets lost in the chaos of their busy schedules. Quite often sales professionals try and rely solely on their relationships and ditch their sales abilities. Although having good sales skills arent the most important aspect of a sales professionals job it still is a key foundation in mastering the art of selling.

Executing is what sets you apart from your competition. Once a sales professional maintains a solid route and is loved by their retailers they must have the killer instinct to capitalize. If a sales professional is loved by their retailers, but does not leverage their relationships successfully in the trade then their relationships are without merit.

Stewarding is the final step of solidifying your relationships forever. Stewarding is the long term partnerships that sales professionals maintain with their retailers. Once you have mastered all of the other steps stewarding is as simple as staying on top of your relationships and developing a long term personal connection with your retailers.

THE ART OF KNOWING A. WHAT IS REQUIRED B. SALES PROFESSIONAL DUTIES C. THE PERFECT SALES PROFESSIONAL D. THE NEXT STEP

A. WHAT IS REQUIRED The most common misconception aspiring sales candidates have is that the predominant function of a sales professional is the act of selling. That simply is not the case. A more appropriate name for a sales professional would be an Account Specialist. Ultimately, sales professionals are responsible for the success of their accounts. There is a long list of functions that sales professionals must achieve daily in order to ensure success. The sales profession is extremely comprehensive and although the ability to sell is a critical component in the framework of a sales person it is only one facet in a multifaceted profession. It is a strict requirement of Redding Distributing that our sales professionals know their complete job descriptions. We expect our sales professionals to understand what is required so we can enforce our standards consistently. The standards we have adopted are derived from years of experience and knowledge of what is required to achieve success. Sales professionals are held accountable to consistently uphold their job requirements in order to become an elite member of our sales team.

B. SALES PROFESSIONAL DUTIES

SHELF MERCHANDIZING PRODUCT ROTATION INVENTORY PRODUCT DISTRIBUTION DISPLAY BOOKING DISPLAY BUILDING COMPETE FOR COOLER SPACE SELL IN RESETS SELL IN COOLER PLACEMENTS EXCHANGE PRODUCT REPACK BROKEN PACKAGES MANAGE BREAKAGE WRITE ORDERS CONTROL PRICING SECURE PERMANENT P.O.S. HANG P.O.S. SECURE WINDOW BANNERS, INTERIOR BANNERS, &

EXTERIOR BANNERS HANG BANNERS MAKE PRICING STATICS & SHELF STRIPS HANG PRICING STATICS & SHELF STRIPS MAINTENAINCE OF BANNERS AND SIGNAGE EXECUTE AD OR TPR ACTIVITY BALANCE DISTRIBUTION OF BRANDS IN PORTFOLIO

WORK ON INCENTIVES TRY TO HIT MONTHLY GOALS CLEAN DRAFT LINES COMMUNICATE WITH RETAILERS REPLACE OLD MIRRORS OR NEONS RUN SPECIALS ORDERS WORK SPECIAL EVENTS PRE PLAN FOR THE FOLLOWING DAY GAIN KNOWLEGE ABOUT BEER COMMUNICATE SPECIAL PROGRAMS BOOK SPECIAL PROMOTIONS FILL OUT TRACKERS PUT OUT FIRES IN RETAIL ACCOUNTS LEARN NEW TECHNOLOGY APPLY MATH WITHIN THE TRADE (PROFIT, MARGIN,

ETC.) RESET SHELVES PROBLEM SOLVE LOOK FOR OPPORTUNTIES SELL IN CONTRACTS BUILD RAPPORT WITH RETAILERS SURVEY ACCOUNTS CREATE GOALS COMMUNICATE WITH DRIVERS ETC.

C. THE PERFECT SALES PROFESSIONAL

It takes the right person to perform at a high level and balance the multitude of job requirements of a sales professional. No sales professional is perfect, but ones that are highly successful work effortlessly to exemplify the qualities it takes to succeed professionally. Redding Distributing will never settle for adding an average member to our sales team. With each hire we want to improve our nucleus and are committed to finding individuals that posses the qualities of a perfect sales professional. We look for employees that are not satisfied with remaining stagnant, but are constantly polishing their qualities to grow personally and professionally. Below are the important character traits required of successful sales professionals:

SELF MOTIVATED, DRIVEN, PRIDEFUL, HIGH STANDARDS ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS COMMUNICATION SKILLS CONSISTENTCY, RELIABLE, FOLLOW THROUGH COMPETITIVE PERSONABLE, RELATABLE EXCELLENT WORK ETHIC KNOWLEGABLE, UP TO DATE EFFICIENCY, MULTI TASKING LEADERSHIP, CONFIDENCE INFORMATIVE, INSIGHTFUL

INTEGRITY, HONEST POSITIVE, ENERGETIC, ENTHUSIASTIC, PASSIONATE TRAINABLE, QUICK LEARNER, ADAPTABLE RESPONSIBLE, RESPECTUFL, PROFESSIONAL TEAM ORIENTED, AVAILABLE, DEDICATED, DEVOTED, LOYAL THOROUGH LISTENER WELL SPOKEN TECHNOLOGICAL PERSUASIVE SOCIAL CUNNING, CREATIVE ABLE TO HANDLE PRESSURE & STRESS PERSISTENT, RESILIENT RESULTS ORIENTED

D. THE NEXT STEP Recognizing the job description and character traits required from Redding Distributing sales professionals is the first step in setting yourself up for success. Executing those duties and embodying the persona of a sales professional is the next step in mastering the art of selling. Before reading any further make sure you are completely aware of what Redding Distributing expects. Please ensure yourself that you have gone over our standards in detail as well as this section so there is no question in your mind what we expect. A lack of compliance with the duties and character traits we expect from our sales professionals will ultimately result in termination. Make sure you feel confident that you can excel as a sales professional based on the job description and qualities we demand from our sales staff before investigating any further.

The first step is knowing what is required, while the next step is assessing if you have what is required. Please check off the qualities you feel that you excel in and leave any that you struggle with blank. Upon completion please write a description of why you struggle in certain areas and how you plan on correcting them to become a better sales candidate.

THE NEXT STEP: PERSONAL ASSESMENT

o SELF MOTIVATED, DRIVEN, PRIDEFUL, HIGH STANDARDS o ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS o COMMUNICATION SKILLS o CONSISTENTCY, RELIABLE, FOLLOW THROUGH o COMPETITIVE o PERSONABLE, RELATABLE o EXCELLENT WORK ETHIC o KNOWLEGABLE, UP TO DATE o EFFICIENCY, MULTI TASKING o LEADERSHIP, CONFIDENCE o INFORMATIVE, INSIGHTFUL o INTEGRITY, HONEST o POSITIVE, ENERGETIC, ENTHUSIASTIC, PASSIONATE o TRAINABLE, QUICK LEARNER, ADAPTABLE o RESPONSIBLE, RESPECTUFL, PROFESSIONAL o TEAM ORIENTED, AVAILABLE, DEDICATED, DEVOTED, LOYAL o THOROUGH o LISTENER o WELL SPOKEN o TECHNOLOGICAL o PERSUASIVE o SOCIAL o CUNNING, CREATIVE o ABLE TO HANDLE PRESSURE & STRESS o PERSISTENT, RESILIENT o RESULTS ORIENTED

THE ART OF MANAGING YOURSELF A. MANAGING YOURSELF B. SHARPEN YOUR QUALITIES C. SET GOALS & OBJECTIVES D. MANAGING STRESS E. DONT TAKE YOUR WORK HOME WITH YOU F. HAVE A LIFE OUTSIDE OF WORK

A. MANAGING YOURSELF It is difficult managing all of the characteristics it takes to be successful in sales. In order to properly foster those characteristics sales professionals need to successfully manage their own lives. If sales professionals do not properly manage themselves then their personal lives will constantly affect their work. When problems arise at home work will be affected. When their marriage is unhealthy work will be affected. Below are some tools for sales professionals to utilize in order to manage a balanced professional and personal life.

B. SHARPEN YOUR QUALITIES CHECK YOURSELF

Make a concentrated effort to regularly inventory the qualities you possess. Be honest with yourself and evaluate whether you are successful in exemplifying the qualities it takes to be a highly successful sales professional. A more thorough exercise once you become a sales professional would be to assess yourself within each account and where you can improve. Honestly sizing yourself up and digging at the roots will result in enhanced self awareness. The more self aware you are the more likely you will be to make positive changes and seek growth.

DONT STAY STAGNANT

Do not fall into the trap of being satisfied with yourself that you never seek growth. If you are not improving as a person you will get passed up by others that are. Constantly stretch yourself to become a better person and employee. The more you advance individually the more fulfilling your life will be. Growth looks different for everyone depending on where you are at personally. For someone advancing themselves personally may look like discovering ways to become more efficient, advancing their creativity, offering new insight, taking stronger leadership, or changing a negative perspective. The bottom line is if you are not growing you are staying stagnant because everyone has room for personal and professional advancement.

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

Sharpen your qualities by using them! Practice makes perfect or in this case practice makes better. Obviously, no one is perfect, but the more you exercise your virtues and qualities the stronger they will become. If you tend to be disorganized practice being organized! You will never grow areas of weakness if you never put forth effort to change. Focus on two qualities you struggle with for a month and force yourself to improve on them. If you are normally a negative person focus on positivity for a full month and concentrate on being optimistic in every account no matter what you walk into. What you may realize at the end of the month is what has been wrong the whole time has been your perspective. You may even discover deeper rooted issues that have aided in the deficiency you have with certain qualities. Dont only focus on negative qualities. Your strong suits also need practice. If you generally are a thorough person pick a day each week to be meticulously detailed and see all of the extra results that come from it. If you regularly work on sharpening your qualities you will undoubtedly see improvement.

C. SET GOALS & OBJECTIVES Give yourself something to shoot for. Set goals and objectives that will enhance you as a person and a professional. Reinvent yourself and set goals that will bring you joy upon completing them.

KNOW YOUR GOALS

Successful sales professionals know their goals and objectives. Failure to set goals and objectives is starving yourself from growth. Know what you want to achieve so you can position yourself for success.

WRITE YOUR GOALS DOWN AND ASSESS YOUR SUCCESS AS YOU GO

Make a habit of not just dreaming up goals, but writing them down and taking them seriously. Once youve compiled them hold yourself accountable to them! Goals do absolutely no good if you write them down and forget about them until the next year. Keep your goals somewhere you revisit daily in order to provide yourself with added motivation.

WHY DO GOALS WORK?

A. Goals provide focus B. Goals separate what is important from irrelevant C. Goals lead to action D. Goals inspire E. Goals build confidence

BE SMART

Set goals that are attainable yet challenging. Make goals that you can achieve throughout your week, but also set challenging goals that may be further on the horizon. The more you concentrate on your objectives you may discover that the horizon might be closer than you think.

A. SPECIFIC

Good Example: I want to get the premier lobby location for a 150 case Corona display for Cinco de Mayo in Raleys. Bad Example: I want to get a Corona display in Raleys.

B. MEASUREABLE

Good Example: If you were to ask each decision maker in every one of my accounts I would want them to say Im the best sales professional they have. Bad Example: I want to be the best sales professional in northern California.

C. ATTAINABLE

Good Example: I want to become the reset captain at Waynes Chevron by October and make it a true MillerCoors T.U.F. set. Bad Example: I want to become the reset captain at Waynes Chevron and eliminate every A/B product.

D. REALISTIC

Good Example: I want to have a 6 to 2 window banner advantage over my competition at Fast Track Shell by July. Bad Example: I want to have every window banner on my Wednesday route by July

E. TIME BOUND

Good Example: I want to gain two new Blue Moon handles by May Bad Example: I want to gain two new Blue Moon handles

REVIEW & ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS

Set goals you can achieve and go accomplish them! Keep your list of goals somewhere you see them every day. As you achieve your goals celebrate your successes! Review how you accomplished them and then celebrate some more! Brag about them to your boss. Share your successes with your colleagues. Treat yourself to a cold beer! Get a massage from your spouse. Do something to celebrate your achievements.

D. MANAGING STRESS IMPROVE TIME MANAGEMENT

Always leave room for the unexpected because nothing goes as planned. Preparation and organization will save you a lot of headaches as well as a head of hair. Poor organization and a lack of preparation will make everything take longer. If you do the work up front you will save time during your day and will be prepared when the unexpected creeps up on you. Organization and preparation will cut your stress down more than anything. Lastly, when improving your time management make sure to plan time for breaks. Slowing down for a few minutes will go a long way in relieving stress & clearing your mind.

GET A MENTOR & SEEK HELP

Find someone with experience and learn from them. You are not the first sales professional and there is an endless amount of valuable information to receive from experienced members of the industry. In most cases, your supervisor has been there and done that. Ask for their council and never be afraid to ask for help. Find a mentor so you can bounce ideas off of them, present them with presentations, and pick their brains for helpful insight.

LIGHTEN UP

Spend time with people who are a positive influence. If youre disgruntled, complaining, uptight, and unhappy take a look around and see who you are surrounded by. Most often than not other peoples

shortcomings might get rubbed off on yourself if you are immersed in it. A bad attitude wont get you far so check your perspective, get to the root, and talk it over if need be.

LISTEN MORE

Listen and take notes. Knowledge is power! Youll discover a lot of empowering information simply by listening.

PRIORITIZE

Prioritize what is important and urgent vs. what is not as important and not as urgent. Every day new things will surface that need attention so prioritize correctly and youll ease a lot of stress.

E. DONT TAKE YOUR WORK HOME WITH YOU

GET DONE WHAT YOU CAN

The more you accomplish at work before you go home the less time you will waste dwelling on work sitting on your couch. Leaving the office feeling confident about what you achieved will help clear your mind from work. Finish what you need to finish and then go home with a clear mind.

LEAVE IT AT THE OFFICE

Retailers are going to upset you, your boss will get on your case, you will have days that are trying, but it doesnt do any good making a habit of bringing that negativity home with you. Leave it at the office because your wife, girlfriend, kids, or friends werent the ones that aggravated you. If you can resolve issues before you go home you will feel more relieved and will be less likely to take your bad day out on someone at home. If you cant get everything done during the work day put together a plan of attack for the following day before you leave for home. The more you dwell on work while at home the less peace you will have in a place where peace needs to be fostered.

F. HAVE A LIFE OUTSIDE OF WORK

INVEST IN YOUR VALUABLE RELATIONSHIPS

Over working yourself will eventually lead to poor performance. Make time for your family and friends. Dont let work over take your personal life. Know your priorities between family, faith, work, and hobbies. Everyones priorities are different, but work should not be on the top of that list!

MAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF

Its important to have time alone away from work. Dont live your life at a pace that cuts out all of your alone time. Time alone is important in sharpening your qualities, setting your goals, and managing stress. A healthy life cannot be achieved if you never have time to relax, reflect, and replenish.

FEED YOUR HOBBIES

Have fun! Live a fulfilling life! Achieve your dreams! Go on vacations! Get away! Play the back nine after work! Go to concerts! Grab beers with your friends! Play with your kids! Dont let your hobbies and the things you love get overtaken by work. The more you do the things that you love the more fulfilling your life will be, the happier you will be, and the more energy you will have. If you cant find time for the things you love figure out why you cant. Maybe you can if you investigate further.

THE ART OF MANAGING YOUR ROUTE A. ROUTE MAINTENANCE

1. PRODUCT 2. SIGNAGE/P.O.S.

B. IN STORE MERCHANDIZING 1. PRICING 2. DISPLAYS 3. P.O.S./SIGNAGE

A. ROUTE MAINTENANCE 5-10% of an average Sales Professionals career is spent selling, while the majority is consumed focusing on ROUTE MAINTENANCE and IN STORE MERCHANDIZING. These two necessary evils provide sales professionals with major headaches, but they are the functions that push product out the door and keep consumers coming back for more.

Route maintenance is broken down into two main segments: PRODUCT MAINTENANCE & SIGNAGE MAINTENANCE. It is inevitable that sales professionals will run into issues with maintenance, but those who make a concentrated effort on keeping their route maintained weekly will experience much less difficulties.

1. PRODUCT MAINTENANCE ROTATION

Rotation is simple, but it takes time. Rotation is the process of situating the oldest products at retail in the primary selling location in order for them to sell before going out of code. Newer products often get placed in front or on top of older products and if they are not rotated the old products will eventually exceed their expiration dates.

EXAMPLE:

If a sales professional stocked a cooler full of Coors Light 18 pack cans with August 13th dates on them and then the next day a merchandiser restocked the front of the cooler with September 21st dates what would happen? Eventually, the August 13th dates would end up going out of code if they were never rotated or if the cold box did not completely sell out. It is important for sales professionals to rotate all of their products on a regular basis to ensure fresh code dates. Negligence of rotation will result in out of code beer, which could have a number of negative consequences:

Off tasting product that consumers avoid purchasing Sales decreases Bad word of mouth Competition replacing product with something fresh Unsatisfied consumers that complain to the store or brewery Potential backlash from the store or brewery A potential write up or time off without pay Potential termination

OUT OF CODE

Virtually every beverage has a code date and when a product has not been consumed before it exceeds its code date it becomes officially OUT OF CODE. Code dates are listed on products so that consumers are guaranteed the freshest and best tasting products available. When products expire they are no longer acceptable to be sold to consumers. Sales professionals are required to pay close attention to code dates and if a product exceeds its code date it must be removed from a saleable location in the store and marked to be destroyed. Sales professionals are responsible to rotate products to ensure they do not exceed their code dates. It is equally as important for sales professionals to monitor the sales of each account and take proper inventory to prevent over ordering resulting in out of code issues.

EXCHANGES

Product exchanges are used to help alleviate out of code issues. Sales professionals are required to exchange any product that is going to be out of code 2-3 weeks before reaching its expiration date. The exchange process is easy and is essential in preventing products from exceeding their expiration dates. The process begins when sales professionals identify close coded product and document it for the warehouse and drivers. After documenting products that need to be exchanged the driver will take new products to the account and bring the close coded product back to the warehouse. Once the product is brought back to the warehouse it will go directly on the shelf in high volume accounts in order for it to be purchased before exceeding its code date.

BREAKAGE/ REPACK

Aluminum cans and glass are not steel. By the time products travel from the warehouse onto the shelf they are touched by multiple people. During that process it is not uncommon for packages to break. Breakage will occur in every account and when it does there needs to be repack available so products do not sit in the back room of an account for 5 years. Repack is simply extra cartons of a brand that can be used if a package is damaged. Repack is also used for breaking down larger packages into smaller packages or multiple packages into a larger package.

EXAMPLE:

A driver accidentally dropped a 12 pack of Coors Light and 3 bottles broke. Instead of the whole 12 pack being ruined a sales professional used repack to make one 6 pack with the bottles that did not break. As for the other remaining bottles the sales professional rotated them into cold packages to make sure they did not go out of code and eventually those three bottles ended up getting used in 6 packs.

MERCHANDIZING

Sales Professionals are responsible for merchandising in their accounts. Merchandising is the process of fully stocking products anywhere product is sold including cooler shelves, displays, cold equipment, etc. The purpose of merchandizing is to ensure there are no out of stocks throughout the day so consumers can purchase products at retail. Merchandising is also critical for taking an accurate inventory.

EXAMPLE:

If a sales professional takes inventory before merchandising the cold box, but the shelf was missing twelve Coors Light 18 packs then the order will be off. Twelve 18 packs could be the difference of 1-2 days of out of stocks for an account.

2. SIGNAGE MAINTENANCE Route maintenance goes beyond products. Signage and point of sale also need to be maintained regularly. It is important that RDCs brands are represented appropriately with signage that is premium. Our signage needs to be well kept, updated, and look professional. If signage does not comply with one of those three qualifications then it needs to be replaced immediately. Signage also is regularly removed from retail accounts and sales professionals need to replace it in a timely manner if this occurs.

INVENTORY

Signage needs to be checked on a daily basis. If signage is missing from an account whether it is statics, banners, case cards, etc. then it must be replaced by the next visit.

UPDATING

Signage needs to look professional and be up to date. If signage is ever old, torn, wrinkled, manipulated, or does not look professional then it needs to be documented and updated.

PLACING

After inventorying signage, sales professionals must put in a written request to the banner specialist to produce the sign. Once the sign is completed it will be left on the sales professionals desk. Sales professionals are responsible for making sure signage gets placed in a timely fashion. If a new neon or permanent point of sale is needed sales professionals must check out the P.O.S. with their supervisor before taking it to retail.

B. IN STORE MERCHANDIZING In store merchandizing is everything that captures the attention of the consumer and impacts purchasing decisions. Below are examples of in store merchandizing:

WINDOW BANNERS DISPLAY CARDS NEONS, PERMANENT P.O.S. INTERIOR BANNERS EXTERIOR BANNERS PRICERS SHELF AND COLD STRIPS DISPLAYS SIDE STACKS PRIME SHELF LOCATIONS

o COLD SCHEMATICS o WARM SHELVES

ADDITIONAL COOLERS ETC.

1. PRICING

The beverage industry is a price sensitive business particularly in the world of beer. Consumers are persistently looking to stretch their dollar and see how far it can go. The difference of a beer consumer purchasing a 32oz bottle of Miller High Life or Busch may only be ten cents. In order to maximize volume sales professionals must be as attentive to pricing as consumers are. Pricing negligence is detrimental to a sales professionals success ultimately resulting in sales decreases. Managing pricing is an imperative function of a sales professional and there are several key aspects that demand strict detail.

PROMOTIONAL PRICING

PROMOTIONAL PRICING in a nutshell is when a package is discounted to the retailer. If a retailer receives promotional pricing the concept is that they reflect the price savings to consumers resulting in lower prices and elevated sales.

EXAMPLE:

During the month of August Coors Light 12 packs have a $2.30 promo price from their regular price to the retailer (PTR) of $17.30 (Two 12 packs equal one case). Since the retailer is receiving Coors Light 12 packs for $7.50 a case instead of $8.65 a case they are willing to run a special on Coors Light 12 packs. Instead of charging $10.99 for a 12 pack the retailer is running a $9.99 special on Coors Light 12 packs. The reason the retailer is pricing the 12 packs a dollar off is because the sales professional bought them enough product to last until the next promotional period.

Pricing is a partnership between manufacturers, distributors, and retailers. In theory all three groups lower their margin so that the PTC can be at a lower cost encouraging higher frequency of purchases and increased volume. Sales professionals are responsible for working alongside retailers that participate in the PROMOTIONAL PRICING CALENDER to help them maintain lower pricing. Not every retailer reflects promotional pricing, but sales professionals are responsible to convince retailers the benefits in doing so. Accounts that take advantage of higher margins and neglect promotional pricing have a higher PTC that can sometimes drastically affect their business. Price sensitive consumers may avoid shopping in accounts with higher pricing or simply shop where there are lower prices.

PARITY PRICING

Whenever comparable products are priced the same it is critical to ensure there is parity pricing. Consumers are not always as loyal to brands as much as they are to the better deal. In an instance where there is a price discrepancy between comparable products sales professionals must react immediately and get the issue resolved.

EXAMPLE:

If Bud Light 12 packs are $9.99 and Coors Light 12 packs are $10.99, but both are priced the same to the retailer then there is a problem. The sales professional would need to handle the pricing discrepancy immediately.

Even if a pricing discrepancy is in your favor it is good practice to make the retailer aware of the issue. Earning the trust of retailers is invaluable and one way to break that trust is by not being completely

honest in the pricing realm of the business. Not to mention, if an account discovers down the road that you have taken advantage of them the excuse I wasnt aware will not stand up.

MARGIN

Everyone wants to increase their profits, but sometimes overzealous margins will run consumers out of accounts. On the other hand, giving away products with low margins is hard to run a business and make profits. There is a healthy margin for each product and it is important for sales professionals to try and keep their retailers inside that box.

VISIBILITY

Consumers want to know how much they are going to pay for a product at the point of purchase. Having visible pricing is essential in selling products. Wherever a product is sold their must be visible pricing whether it is a cold set, warm set, additional cooler, display, or side stack. Pricing MUST be articulated to the consumer if there is a TPR or an AD on a product. Here are some examples of visible pricing:

Shelf strips Statics Window signs Outside banners Posters Case cards Permanent signage Menus, etc.

RDC PRICING EXPECTATIONS:

A. Must have parity pricing with competition by brand and package

B. Pricing must be accurate and easy to decipher C. Pricing signs must be up to date and maintained to look

professional D. Hand written price signs are not allowed E. Pricing must be visible to consumers on every package

either by shelf strips or statics F. Accounts should reflect special pricing anywhere they

reflect pricing for competition G. Any static or banner requests must be filled out on a

Pricing Request Form and turned into the Banner Specialist. It must be legible and detailed with the package, brand, & pricing listed on the form.

a. Emergency called in requests will be accepted, but will not be tolerated if abused.

H. Sales professionals are required to weekly inventory pricing to make sure every package is properly priced with a static or shelf strip. They also are required to replace any damaged, out of date, or mispriced statics or shelf strips immediately

I. If competition or account removes pricing sales professionals are required to replace with new pricing within one week

a. If it becomes a constant issue Sales Professionals are required to report the problem to their direct supervisor.

J. There is no exception or excuse for products not being visibly priced unless it is the accounts decision

2. DISPLAYS

When you hear the word volume in the beverage industry normally the word display is not far behind. Displays imply bargains to customers, introduce new products, increase sales, trigger impulse sales, and help the retailer with Out of Stocks of high turnover items. Displays sell more products and thats the bottom line. Winning at retail cannot be done if a sales professional is not beating their competition to the floor. Although booking, building, and maintaining displays is not rocket science there are several factors that will determine the influence a display has at retail. Here are some of the following factors:

LOCATION

The most important aspect of a display is its location. Before you build your display you need to make sure you book it in a high traffic and visible location. A beer display in the cosmetics isle is not going to have the same success it would in the front lobby. Displays need to be booked in areas of the store where the majority of consumers are going to be enticed by the product and pricing. Display locations need to have these things in mind: 1) where do most people pass, 2) where do most people pause, and 3) where are regular customers trained to look?

High traffic areas:

Front lobby/ store Cold box Cash registers In the traffic flow

IMPACT

When building displays sales professionals have to think in terms of impact. In most instances consumers will not buy product straight from displays. Displays are used to communicate to consumers and in which the consumer will see the display and purchase the product cold. In order to influence consumers a display must have impact. Three forms of impact on a display are size, point of sale, and creativity.

SIZE

It doesnt take much to figure out that a 100 case display will have more impact than a 10 case stack. The bigger the display the more impact it is going to have. If a display is in a good location and is large in scope it is going to be impossible for consumers to avoid. Obviously, large displays vary from brand to brand, but the bigger a display the more influence it will have on consumers. Large displays will have the following impact:

Draw attention Indicate a bargain or special Showcase product as popular or successful Hold space

P.O.S.

A naked display will not have the same appeal to consumers as a display that is decked out with messaging. P.O.S. can range from a simple case card with the logo of a brand to a giant display piece with palm trees and hammocks. There are all kinds of P.O.S. options available to use when building displays so take advantage of them! Core buff, case cards, display toppers, and special display pieces go a long way in making an impactful display.

CREATIVITY

Think outside of the box when building displays. Although typical P.O.S. like core buff and case cards bring a display to life there are other creative alternatives. Legalities limit what tools distributors can provide a retailer when building a display, but there are always opportunities to think outside of the box and develop special ideas that will grab the attention of consumers. Creative displays also are more likely to stay up for a longer period of time. Instead of building a Corona display with core buff only why not build a beach volleyball court out of Corona cases with Corona posters as the net? Instead of building a Sierra Nevada display in the shape of a square why not build it in the shape of a Christmas tree during the holidays? There are plenty of creative ways to build displays and retailers are receptive to sales professionals that offer creative ideas that improve the look of their account & capture consumers attention.

CONDITION

Displays must be merchandized in excellent condition. Consumers will relate the appearance of a display to the product on the display. Displays that are merchandized perfectly suggest high quality and satisfy consumers expectations of brands.

LIKE BRANDS

If a display features more than one brand on the display make sure of three things:

All brands have similar price points All brands are similar packages All brands are similar families

EXAMPLE:

Keep Blue Moon, Coors Light, and Keystone Light on separate displays. If you are forced to have multiple brands on one display make sure it is brands from the same price point or family like Coors Light, Coors, Miller Lite, and MGD 18 cans.

PRICING

Normally, a product is being displayed because it is on AD or TPR. If you go out of your way to book a huge creative display in a great location, but dont have pricing to articulate the savings then essentially you have achieved very little. Consumers want to know how much something is going to cost at the purchasing point and if a display is not priced then it is going to be ineffective and loose its merit. Whether you build a 150 case display or a small 6 case side stack always make sure there is visible pricing.

IRC (Instant Redeemable Coupon) /MIR (Mail In Rebate)

If a product has a coupon make sure your display has coupons available or P.O.S. with the coupons attached. IRCs and MIRs are wonderful tools that help increase volume & attract consumers. Displays must have coupons if they are offered!

SUPPLIER STANDARDS

Most manufacturers have brand mix standards with displays. Make sure when you are booking and building displays you have enough

visible product of each brand on the display in order to be compliant with the suppliers display standards.

EXAMPLE:

MillerCoors expects 30% visibility of Coors Banquet on Coors and Coors Light displays. If you sell in a 100 case display of Coors & Coors Light then you need 30 visible cases of Coors and 70 cases of Coors Light in order to be compliant with MillerCoors brand standards.

EXAMPLE:

Red Bull expects 25% Sugar Free on all Red Bull displays. If you book a 20 case Red Bull display you need 5 cases of Sugar Free and 15 cases of Regular in order to be complaint with Red Bulls display standards.

DISPLAY EXPECTATIONS:

BEER DISPLAYS

A. RDC displays must be greater than competition a. In a store with 6 displays or less (2 to 1) b. In a store with 8 displays or more (3 to 1)

B. Pricing must be present on any RDC display C. Displays must be rotated and maintained weekly D. Current P.O.S. or thematic P.O.S. must be present on all

displays in accounts that allow outside P.O.S. E. Display size must be standard according to account size

and using the supplier brand mix requirements

F. Before key holiday weeks displays must be built at least one week before the holiday, but when the post off schedule allows we expect two weeks in advance

G. RDC displays must be in the #1 position if RDC brands do more volume than competitor like brands

H. RDC sales professionals are required to weekly walk the entire account and look for display opportunities

I. Displays must be in a high traffic or highly visible location

NON ALCOHOLIC DISPLAYS

A. RDC displays must be greater than competition in size B. Pricing must be present on any RDC display C. Displays must be rotated and maintained weekly D. Current P.O.S. or thematic P.O.S. must be present on all

displays in accounts that allow outside P.O.S. E. Display size must be standard according to account size

and using the supplier brand mix requirements F. Before key holiday weeks displays must be built at least

one week before the holiday, but when the promotional schedule allows we expect two weeks in advance

G. RDC displays must be in the #1 position if RDC brands do more volume than competitor like brands

H. RDC sales professionals are required to weekly walk the entire account and look for display opportunities

I. Displays must be built to supplier standards J. Displays must be in a high traffic or highly visible location

3. P.O.S./SIGNAGE

Point of sale and signage are important tools in marketing products, growing awareness of brands, articulating messaging, communicating pricing, and maintaining the look of the leader. It is critical for sales professionals to stay focused on these facets in order to accomplish all of the above.

PERMANENT P.O.S.

Permanent P.O.S. can consist of a number of different items. The most common forms of permanent P.O.S. are neons or mirrors, but there are other forms of permanent P.O.S. like wooden signs, pool table lights, etc. When placing permanent P.O.S. there are several key things to focus on.

POSITION/ IMPACT

Sales professionals always need to look for the most visible spot in the best position when placing permanent signage. Placing a neon on a bars side wall with 6 other neons does not have the same impact as a neon directly behind the bar. A sales professional might have equal or more P.O.S. placed in an account, but could still be getting beat by the competition if they do not have the best locations. Remember just because a location is preoccupied does not mean it cannot be overtaken!

COVERAGE

Coverage is not referring to the total amount of something, but how well brands are represented and dispersed in an account. For example, If you have a large account that has multiple P.O.S. placements dont put all of your Coors Light signs in the same location. Coverage is dispersing the Coors Light neons throughout the account so every consumer has the opportunity to be affected by the brand where ever they may be in the account.

AMOUNT

In order to look like the leader and have impact in your accounts sales professionals need to make sure they have more P.O.S. placements than their competition. If Coors Light outsells Budweiser then it should be represented with more permanent signage. If Corona is the number one beer brand in a Mexican restaurant then it should have the most P.O.S. placements in that account.

SIGNAGE

Remember to regularly update all of your signage. Statics, shelf strips, and banners are not permanent so they will get torn down, fall off, or weathered so make sure you keep them looking up to standard. STATICS/ SHELF STRIPS

Statics and shelf strips are used to articulate pricing to consumers. A static is a sticker that adheres to the cooler with a message or pricing printed on it. A shelf strip is a small paper strip that fits in between a

plastic casing connected to a shelf. If an account does not have the ability to hang shelf strips then statics must be made in order to communicate pricing to consumers. Statics are good for communicating specials, seasonal messaging, or any other messaging in addition to pricing. Every product must have visible pricing with shelf strips or statics.

WINDOW BANNERS

Window banners are a great form of communicating to consumers special programming, pricing, new items, events, etc. Window banners are normally the first form of signage that consumers see so it is critical to own the window real estate in your accounts. Always look for opportunities to overtake space in the windows of your accounts and place banners with messaging.

INTERIOR BANNERS

There are many forms of interior banners. Some of the most common interior banners hang directly above the cooler. Interior banners are another great resource to communicate to consumers.

EXTERIOR BANNERS

Exterior banners are much more difficult to secure with beer brands because retailers must pay for them. However, do not be afraid to approach retailers with good ideas that might drive additional business. Retailers want to make money and if an outside banner provides them with a chance to increase volume they might bite on the idea if it is presented correctly. Dont be afraid to hear the word no & keep asking if it is a golden opportunity. Also remember that non-alcoholic banners are not restricted legally so there are always opportunities with N/A

brands. Gas pump signs, store front banners, and street front banners are common examples of great opportunities for exterior signage.

POINT OF SALE EXPECTAIONS:

A. Must always be current B. Thematic P.O.S. must be used when it is available C. RDC window signage must be more than the competition

(2 to 1 ratio) D. RDC brands must be in the #1 position if RDC brands do

more volume than competitor like brands E. RDC must be competitive to our competition with

permanent P.O.S. F. RDC permanent P.O.S. must be in the #1 position if RDC

brands do more volume than competitor like brands G. Broken mirrors or neons must be replaced immediately

upon being damaged H. Neons that are not plugged in by the account must be

returned to RDC I. RDC sales professionals are required to regularly look for

new opportunities to place permanent P.O.S. or window signage. Sales professionals are also required to regularly inventory permanent P.O.S., window signage, display pieces, table tents, and cooler wraps to ensure they are in good condition and uphold RDC standards

THE ART OF SELLING YOURSELF A. EMBODYING A SALES PROFESSIONAL B. THE QUALITIES OF HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL SALES

PROFESSIONALS

A. EMBODYING A SALES PROFESSIONAL

Before a sales professional can expect success in any of their accounts they first must sell themselves. It sounds easier said than done, but if a sales professional embodies the characteristics outlined in the following pages than they will naturally sell themselves.

During the chaos of an average day and the stress of a normal work week it is easy for sales professionals to neglect imperative character traits. It may be simple for someone to be COMPETITIVE, ENERGETIC, and MOTIVATED, but when the competition does something inappropriate its hard to stay HONEST, POSITIVE, and RESPONSIBLE. It may come natural for someone to be HARD WORKING, PERSONABLE, and PROFESSIONAL, but when you get an hour behind its challenging to remain THOROUGH, RELIABLE, and ORGANIZED. Someone that masters the art of selling can balance the characteristics required of a sales professional. Lets revisit the characteristics sales professionals must possess and learn why each one is so essential in the sales profession.

B. THE QUALITIES OF HIGHLY SUCCESSFUL SALES PROFESSIONALS

SELF MOTIVATED, DRIVEN, PRIDEFUL, HIGH STANDARDS

Self motivation may be the number one characteristic of a sales professional. A sales professional with a strong sense of pride will never accept anything less than success. In order to be an accomplished sales professional one must be self motivated with high personal standards. Sales professionals strictly motivated by supervisors or incentives are only effective part of the time. To master the art of selling sales professionals must be effective 24/7. The sales profession is too competitive and comprehensive to take a day off. Self motivation and drive is absolutely critical in selling yourself to be the best sales professional possible.

ORGANIZATIONAL SKILLS

Organizational skills cannot be overlooked. Sales professionals are constantly weeding through an overload of information presented to them daily. An average sales professional may have 30-40 accounts, 35 suppliers, 500 SKUS, and 3000 things to remember each day. At the end of the day sales professionals often come back to desks full of

paperwork ranging from chain ads, new SKUs, incentives, complaints from customers, etc. If a sales professional is not organized on their route or at the office they will get lost in information overload. Disorganization will lead to a lack of follow through, old beer, rotation problems, failure to execute programs, angry retailers, and most likely termination. Organization cannot be stressed enough and the more organized a sales professional is the better chance they will excel at their job. Organization takes extra effort and sales professionals willing to put in the time will benefit greatly.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS

The beer industry is a 3 tier system and within each system there are multiple divisions that require communication. Unfortunately, some sales professionals forget the different layers of tiers and fail to communicate entirely. In the distribution business every position is intertwined and what one person does or doesnt do affects the entire company. The average distributorship will have personnel as follows: Warehouse, Drivers, Sales, Merchandisers, Office Staff, and Management. Your average grocery store has multiple layers as well: Receiving Clerk, Liquor Manager, Floor Manager, and Store Director. Lets take a look at an example of miscommunication that affects everyone.

EXAMPLE:

Dan the sales professional books a 100 case Corona display with the liquor manager at Raleys. Dan sends 100 cases on the order for the next day, but forgot to notify the drivers and receiving clerk of the display. When the 100 cases show up on the delivery the next day the drivers are

not aware of where the display is suppose to go. The liquor manager is on their lunch break and the floor manager was not aware they had the front lobby booked. Since the receiving clerk does not want the cases sitting in the back room taking up space they refuse the 100 cases and the drivers are forced to load the product back on the truck after they already unloaded it. The order then comes back to the warehouse and the warehouse is forced to down stack the pallets of product that they already stacked. When Dan gets to Raleys the next day he gets yelled at by the store director and liquor manager because he didnt send in the product he promised. Dan is forced to call in a special to the office staff that has to print out the invoice for him. Then the sales supervisor has to drop their plans for the day and deliver the special and build the 100 case display with one of the merchandisers who was also forced to change their route around because of Dans poor communication.

This is just one example of miscommunication and all of the people it can affect. Something as simple as not discussing a display with the receiving clerk and writing a pre plan for a driver can lead to last minute scrambling for everyone. Communication is HUGE and it is needed with every individual or department that is affected by a sales professionals decision.

CONSISTENT, RELIABLE, FOLLOW THROUGH

Selling yourself starts here. A sales professional might have the strongest selling skills and be the most competitive, hard working professional on the block, but if they are not reliable they are not going to get anything from their accounts. Accounts want follow through & they dont want to be promised something they are not going to get. If a sales professional makes a habit of following through, under

promising & over delivering, & being consistent they will quickly earn the upmost respect from their retailers. If a sales professional lacks some of the other important characteristics they can make up for them by being consistent and reliable. Remember to always write down everything and make sure to communicate with everyone that is involved in keeping a promise. If you are a reliable sales person, but do not follow through to make sure the job was completed someone else who wasnt reliable may damage your own credibility.

EXAMPLE:

KCs Mini Mart requested a banner advertising their special for Memorial Day and Tina promised to have it hung for the retailer. Tina asked the driver to hang the sign for her and the driver committed to doing it. Earlier in the day the driver had an issue at an account and got an hour behind. Instead of hanging the banner as he promised he simply left the banner at the account for them to hang. When the owner arrives to the store on Monday they are going to see a banner that is not hung. If Tina is truly a reliable sales professional she would have contacted the driver and made sure that he delivered on his promise. When Tina found out the driver did not have time to hang the banner a reliable sales person would have gone to the account after work and hung it herself.

COMPETITIVE

If a sales professional is not competitive they will not stand a chance being successful or greater than their competitors. Competition is required of every sales professional otherwise they are bound to get pushed around and not maximize the potential in their accounts. The

competition is fierce in the beverage industry and every sales professional is looking to take a piece away from the pie. If you are not a competitive person with a predators mentality then you will get devoured and most importantly your space will get eaten away at. Cooler space, floor space, window space, and interior space is constantly being fought for and a non-competitive person will eventually end up with nothing. Another part of selling yourself is fighting for the affection of your retailers. Sales professionals have to be competitive with not only displays, distribution, pricing, and signage, but also with the affection and attention of their retailers. Do not be content with your competitor having a better relationship with your retailers. It is important to compete daily to be the go to sales professional with all of your retailers.

PERSONABLE/RELATABLE

Retailers dont want to sell to a machine and although they are in the business of making money its also ok to make friends along the way. Some retailers are not as warm and fuzzy as others, but that doesnt mean sales professionals have to be in business mode all day every day. Part of winning over your retailers and selling yourself is developing personal relationships with retailers that go beyond professional relationships. Sales professionals need to be personal, human, and show interest in their retailers professional and personal life. Ask questions and listen to your retailers. Learn about their hobbies, families, businesses, dreams, etc. A retailer is going to be much more apt to buy from someone they consider a friend than someone they hardly know. Dont be afraid to open up to your retailers as well. Friendships are two ways so let them in on your life as well. Know that

your receiving clerk at Safeway likes to golf on Saturdays and talk to them about it. How did you shoot this weekend? Tease them if they did badly. Congratulate them if they did well. Know that your AM/PM manager has two kids and one is in high school. Ask how they are doing. Be personable and relatable. Find common ground with all of your decision makers and even the non decision makers in every account. Be human and someone that they cant say no to or let the competition take advantage of. Being personable is the first step to forming a relationship with your retailers.

EXCELLENT WORK ETHIC

It should go without saying, but there is a difference between getting the job done, working hard, and being an excellent worker. Dont just settle for getting the job done and working hard. If you require excellence youll feel more accomplished as a person. Professionals who excel and are used to being excellent are also sales professionals that love their jobs and take great pride in their success. If you are an excellent worker it will be impossible to go unnoticed. Your retailers, bosses, family, and friends will all notice how hard you work and the excellence you achieve. Dont just settle for being a hard worker. You only get one life and in some cases one profession so why not achieve excellent? Why would you want to be someone that is known for just getting the job done? Why would you want to live your one life just getting the job done? Be excellent! Leave a legacy as a great employee and someone that excelled at everything they worked hard for. An excellent work ethic will sell yourself without even having to say a word.

KNOWLEGABLE/ UP TO DATE

Sales is not brain surgery, but there is a lot to know. A knowledgeable sales professional that is educated on their products, the industry, and on their accounts will be considered an asset to their retailers. When retailers ask a sales professional for their knowledge or advice they know they have made it. Most sales knowledge comes with being immersed in the sales profession, but other knowledge requires a great deal of going up and beyond what is required. Research, studying, and asking questions to upper management, suppliers, and retail accounts will help broaden knowledge of the business. Knowledge is powerWatch and learn:

BAD EXAMPLE

Hey Bob I wanted to ask you a favor and see if I could squeeze in the Coors Light 3 packs into your cooler. I think they will do well in your store.

GOOD EXAMPLE:

Hey Bob I wanted to talk to you about an opportunity to enhance your business and increase your profits. I know that since gas prices have gone up your single serve business has decreased 8% in the last 2 months. From what Im seeing, instead of picking up three Coors Light 24oz cans at a time consumers are only grabbing one at a time. My account down the street allowed me to try the Coors Light 24oz three packs last week at a slightly lower margin and in one week they blew through 2 cases. Im confident we could have even more success at your store trading consumers up to a $5.99 ring instead of them walking out of the door with just a $1.99 single serve purchase. Its going to increase

your profits and you are going to be virtually making the same margin. I noticed all of your Tilts have code date issues since they took out the caffeine and everything you have on the shelf is old. If we take that space I would recommend bringing in 5 cases this week and watching your sales increase instead of sitting on a shelf full of old product that is not moving. What do you think?

Knowledge is powerful and it can be convincing as well. The more knowledgeable and street smart a sales professional is the more success they will have selling, competing, gaining the trust of retailers, achieving incentives, making placements, etc. It is equally as important to remain up to date. Knowledge is great, but it is also evolving. Knowing the trends of craft beer in 2008 worked in 2008, but its not going to carry as much weight in 2011.

EFFICIENCY/ MULTI TASKING

Sales professionals have a full plate. The reality is that the job is probably a 12 hour job in an 8 hour day. Unfortunately, the way the earth rotates around the sun we are only provided with 24 hours in a day and generally 8 hour work days. Due to a predicament in time, sales professionals have to be efficient. The deeper you get into your sales job the more you will realize opportunities for efficiency in how to take inventory, rotate beer, merchandize, write orders, multi task, and the general pace from which you work. A lack of efficiency will result in miscommunication, disorganization, rushing through the last half of your day, stressing out everyone in your path, and throwing off others schedules. Efficient sales professionals are more successful because they develop better rapport with their accounts, earn respect from other departments in their distributorship, and will also have less stress

individually in their own work days. Efficiency doesnt mean working fast more than it means working smart. If you keep a consistent pace, work intelligently, and focus on being organized efficiency will naturally occur. Efficiency also requires the ability to multi task. Multi tasking should not be done with every sales duty, but it is important to find appropriate and efficient ways to multi task.

EXAMPLE:

Jim is making a successful sales call and walks the entire store to look for opportunities and observations before he begins doing anything in that account. To be efficient he keeps a note pad with him and writes down all of his merchandizing needs while he walks the store instead of having to walk the entire store a second time. That is multi tasking and being efficient in an account to maximize time.

LEADERSHIP/ CONFIDENCE

In order to look like the leader out in the trade sales professionals have to be the leader in their retail accounts. Sales professionals that embody leaders are going to earn the respect of their retailers. If a sales professional is following in the footsteps of their competitor or failing to be the leading sales person in their accounts they will never be able to do their brands justice. On the other hand, sales professionals that exemplify leadership and command respect from their retailers will end up exceeding expectations in their accounts. Leaders arent followers and sales professionals that lead will always have the best display locations, the most signage, and will be the reset captains. Followers will bring nothing to the table for their retailers and will constantly be trying to gain ground instead of growing business.

Confidence plays a huge role in leadership. Someone that is comfortable in their own skin and makes a habit of experiencing success will be more likely to develop into a leader. Confidence is important in selling, competing, confrontation, relationships, earning trust, and so much more. Sales professionals that exude confidence, while nurturing their self-assurance into leadership are highly effective and successful in their professions.

INFORMATIVE/ INSIGHTFUL

Retailers want to be informed. They want to know when something is going on or off a special deal, when a product is selling like hot cakes, when a new item is arriving into your warehouse, when they got taken advantage of by the competition, when coupons are available for their displays, etc. There is an abundance of information in the beverage industry & good sales professionals will always keep their retailers in the loop. Sales professionals that are effective in passing along information will sell themselves and be considered valuable to their retailers. Dont ever hold back information from your retailers & the same goes with insight. If you have ideas or recognize opportunities that could enhance your retailers businesses dont keep that information to yourself. Sales professionals that help grow their retailers businesses & provide valuable insight will be considered a partner to their retailers.

EXAMPLE:

A large new corporate chain is coming into town & a local liquor store is worried that they are going to lose business. The liquor store wants to create a niche that sets them apart from the chain. As the Sales

Professional you see that the liquor store has 5 cooler doors tied up in soda when they already have additional soda coolers. You bring your idea to the owner to sell soda strictly out of the front end coolers & add five more additional beer doors to provide consumers with the variety that the large chain cannot. The owner agrees & with your suggestion they successfully overcome the new chain moving in next store without losing any business. Your insight helped that retailer & they will remember you for providing beneficial insight.

HONESTY/ INTEGRITY

Honesty isnt the best policy because it should be the only policy. Dishonesty will always come around and damage your relationship with your retailers. The main reason honesty is so important is because of one wordTRUST. Sales professionals spend the better part of their sales careers building trust and rapport with their accounts. All it takes is being dishonest one time to shatter all of the trust it may have taken three years to earn. Being dishonest simply is not worth the consequences that ensue. The time it takes to rebuild trust is normally too long for a sales person to witness before they are either kicked out of the account or moved due to route changes. Honesty and integrity are not easy virtues to posses all of the time especially in a profession where sales people are constantly scamming retailers or knowingly taking advantage of them. Being honest may not have many short cuts, but it also doesnt have as many detours as well.

POSITIVE/ ENERGETIC/ ENTHUSIASTIC/ PASSIONATE

Working for a pay check will only get you so far for so long. Sales professionals that are not passionate and enthusiastic about their jobs will never be dominate in sales. A successful career in sales takes a lot of energy and passion in order to keep up with the increasingly demanding work load. Sales is extremely competitive and sales professionals must have passion for their jobs in order to fuel their motivation and competitive spirit. It is equally as important to stay positive as a sales professional. Sales professionals need to have short term memories and keep a positive attitude when adversity arises. There are good and bad days in sales so it takes a positive person with a healthy perspective to not get bogged down by the daily frustrations of the job.

TRAINABLE/ QUICK LEARNER/ ADAPTABLE

The beverage industry is fast paced and constantly evolving. It requires sales professionals that can adapt to change and not be stuck in their ways. The amount of information, new products, and technology that changes regularly requires the ability to learn fast and stay up to date. Sales professionals have to be malleable and trainable. Sales professionals naturally develop sales habits and ways they run their route, but ultimately they must adhere to the standards of Redding Distributing. Stubbornness and unyielding sales professionals will not last long in the beverage industry. There is a right way to do the job and Redding Distributing requires our sales professionals to learn quickly, adapt, and be trainable.

RESPONSIBLE/ RESPECTFUL/ PROFESSIONAL

There is a difference between sales professionals and sales representatives. Redding Distributing is committed to hiring and training a sales force that is responsible, respectful, and professional. Sales professionals that are responsible are trusted to manage their routes without guidance all of the time and they can handle difficult tasks when they arise. Responsible sales professionals dont blame others for their problems, but take full responsibility for their accounts. Sales professionals show R.E.S.P.E.C.T. and get what they give. If an account feels respected and respect has been earned the benefits are endless. Everyone deserves respect even the accounts that are difficult to deal with. Possessing the qualities of a highly effective sales professional will earn respect. If a sales professional is not receiving respect it is probably because they are not doing their job completely.

TEAM ORIENTED, AVAILABLE, DEDICATED, DEVOTED, LOYAL

Although a sales job is individual in many regards sales professionals are a part of many different sales teams. Sales professionals are key components in the success of their distributorship, retail accounts, and suppliers. Depending on how many accounts and suppliers a sales professional might have the average sales person may be part of 60-80 different teams. If you have ever been part of a team you know the dedication that it takes to be a successful contributor. Sales professionals cannot adopt a me me me mentality or they will never be regarded as the go to sales person from anyone that counts on them. Being a team player is important and it may require additional work even when it is not convenient. Team players are available, dedicated, and loyal. If an account needs a special delivered at 6pm on

a Friday night a team player doesnt have any hesitation in getting the product to them. If a fellow sales professional asks for a favor to drop off a banner at an account on the way home a team player does it with a positive attitude. If a sales professional is dedicated and available to their retailers its almost impossible to not have a solid relationship with them.

THOROUGH

There are no shortages of job duties for sales professionals. Each account requires a great deal of attention and care. Skipping corners, taking short cuts, and being lazy is not acceptable. Thoroughness is an incredibly vital characteristic of a sales professional. Carelessness is one of the first ways for a retailer to become upset and lose confidence in a sales professional. Negligence will result in a lack of follow through, angry retailers, old beer, over ordering, out of stocks, price discrepancies, etc. Most sales professionals duties fall under the category of account maintenance and if a sales professional is not being detailed than they are not doing their job. Being thorough is a requirement in order to fully live up to the Redding Distributings sales standards.

LISTENER

Listening will get you far as a sales professional. It is the cornerstone of communication and it provides great insight to sales professionals. Every retailer is different. There is no cookie cutter retailer. The only way to find out what makes each individual retailer tick is by listening to their wants and needs. Learning what makes your retailers tick is one of the first steps toward building a relationship with them. Ask

questions, but more importantly listen and you will gain knowledge that will aid in your success of becoming your retailers go to sales professional. The inability or decision not to listen will result in turmoil. Sales professionals that do not pay attention to their retailers needs or desires will run into problems left and right. Not listening makes it impossible to be reliable and communicate properly. If a sales professionals does not listen than they will not be able to have flourishing relationships with their retailers.

WELL SPOKEN

Being well spoken comes in handy for more than just trying to sell retailers on new products, displays, etc. Sales professionals that are well spoken can avoid difficult situations on their routes. Its not uncommon for retailers or competitors to throw curve balls that you do not expect. A well spoken person is much more likely to succeed in a difficult situation than someone that stumbles over their words. A well spoken sales professional appears more professional, knowledgeable, and therefore more trustworthy. Being well spoken is a trait that can be polished, but the sooner a sales professional can excel at it the more success they will have selling, putting out fires, and acting on their feet.

TECHNOLOGICAL

The Industrial Age is long gone. The distribution industry is fully submersed in the Information Age and with information comes technology. New technology is constantly evolving and sales professionals that are proficient with technology will adapt to change much easier. Its important for anyone looking to make sales a career to

be technologically savvy or at the least familiar with how to operate basic computer devices and programs.

PERSUASIVE

Not every sale is as easy as asking a retailer how much and when. The most successful sales professionals make their retailers believe the things they are trying to sell are essential for their business. An under lining key in the art of persuasion is a foundation of trust. Its hard to persuade anyone if you have burnt them before. After establishing trust sales professionals that are the most persuasive are good at presenting what they are trying to sell. Having a solid presentation of facts, data, and reasons why a retailer has to have what you are selling is the next step in being persuasive. A persuasive sales professional is believable because they have established trust and because they have credible reasons why the retailer needs what they are selling.

SOCIAL

Sales professionals shake hands and communicate with people all day every day. It takes a social person that enjoys interaction with others in order to truly enjoy sales and building rapport in retail accounts.

CREATIVE, CUNNING

Sometimes good selling takes a little creativity. Creativity could be the difference between getting through to a buyer not buying or a stubborn retailer that keeps shooting down your business. At the end of the day, sales professionals are held accountable for their results and creativity is helpful in achieving difficult results. Sometimes the same old tricks

dont work on everyone and certain situations call for creativity. Sales professionals that are confined in a box will never be able to break through under situations that call for ingenuity. When retailers say no most of the time they are really saying, I need more information. In some cases they might need more information and that information presented in a better way. In other cases they might just be looking for something more unusual than what you are offering. Maybe the retailer doesnt want a Red Bull display in their front lobby, but they might want a Motocross Red Bull display in their front lobby with a Yamaha bike surrounded by your product. Maybe a retailer doesnt have room for a seven case side stack of Corona, but after taking pictures of five different locations and showing them the space they do have then they let you put a stack up. Maybe your retailer doesnt want a Coors Light sign in their front window, but they do want a Happy 4th of July Coors Light sign in their front window. Sometimes you dont even have to be that creative you just have to be a little more unusual. Every retailer has different buttons and part of a sales professionals job is to find the right buttons to push in order to gain business.

ABILITY TO HANDLE PRESSURE

Sales is high stress and filled with pressure. The responsibilities of sales professionals are endless and there is never enough time in the day to achieve everything. Individuals that struggle in stressful elements should not consider being in sales at Redding Distributing. There is a lot to juggle and it is not a laid back easy professional environment. Its a pressure cooker and you have to be able to handle stress in a positive manner. Simply handling it wont work because it will eventually wear

you down. Sales is not for everyone and it certainly is not for those who have a difficult time managing pressure or stress.

EXAMPLE:

A typical sales day is already a full plate, but generally things come up that require extra attention. On Petes Monday route he starts his day at Safeway in Corning. When he gets there he receives a call that his merchandiser called in sick last minute and was unable to merchandise. Pete ends up having to spend an extra 45 minutes merchandising than usual. When he gets to his next stop Rite Aid he discovers that the driver delivered product in a hurry and didnt rotate the display. Pete spends an extra 25 minutes rotating the display and is now behind an 1 hour and 15 minutes in his first two accounts. His third stop goes smoothly, but by his forth stop he discovers that the Bud sales rep took down all of his statics because they got ruined when he moved some products around on the shelves. Pete is required to scan sixteen items at the front of the store in order to write down pricing so he can have new pricing made up. He also is forced to talk with the retailer about three products his competition removed from the shelf when they messed around in the cooler doors. Pete then gets permission to put them back on the shelf, but is forced to find the space in the cooler. By the time Pete finishes it is lunch time and he still has five accounts to sell. In those five accounts Pete has to fill out a Red Bull tracker in each one, hang a neon, work on pricing, and build multiple displays. When Pete gets back to the office late his desk is full of paper work that he has to sort out. Pete is forced to fill out two more trackers and has to read through three chain AD notifications and write notes in his binder. Pete also has to sort through the MOVE BEER list, fill out his white board, and look over a reset presentation for the following day. Even worse after checking his

five voicemails he learns he has to run a special to an account that is out of Coors Light on tap. By the time Pete gets home it is seven o clock and he is completely wiped out.

Although that fictitious day for Pete might not be the norm it certainly is not abnormal. Days like that happen regularly and sales professionals must be able to handle the stress that comes with it and not crumble under pressure. At the same time, sales professionals must remain productive and fulfill the job duties and sales standards required of them.

PERSISTENT, RESILIENT

Dont take no for an answer! Dont give up if you arent making progress in an account! Dont let your competitor have business without it being fought for! Sales professionals must be unrelenting even when selling is difficult. If you are persistent and dont give up you will eventually overcome the issues at hand. If you are not persistent you will never be able to overcome adversity and grow business.

EXAMPLE:

Competitors will constantly move your products in the cooler to gain an advantage. If a sales professional caves in without putting up a fight, your competition will end up gaining all of the best locations in the cooler and will increase their space. Your competition might do the same thing the next week or for a month, but you have to keep moving your products back to where they were as long as the account is ok with it. In fact, if you bring it up to the account early they might handle it themselves. Either way, sales professionals that let things slide will

lose ground. Stay persistent and your competitor will give up when they realize you are not going to give up!

EXAMPLE:

Retailers will tell you no. Dont be afraid of the word no and dont be afraid to ask for the same thing again. Find a different approach or a better method. In some cases you just need to ask at a better time. In other cases you need to keep asking! Persistency pays off!

RESULTS ORIENTED

At the end of the day sales is results driven. The job of a sales professional requires more than great rapport and good qualities. Results are the most important job of a sales professional and the most important result is making your company money. The way to do that is by selling product. If you follow the steps in Mastering the Art of Selling and constantly work on perfecting the qualities above you will undoubtedly see great results! Results will not be maximized or achieved if the Redding Distributing Sales Standards are not followed and if the qualities it takes to be a successful sales professional are not resembled. If you are not achieving great results then review what standards or qualities you have not been acting out.

THE ART OF SELLING MORE THAN JUST YOURSELF A. PLANNING B. DELIVERING C. SELLING TECHNIQUES

A. PLANNING Review Your Presentation

o What is the big picture? What are the retailers priorities? What are the trends in sales?

o What is the customer looking for? o What are your goals and objectives?

Define your outcome

What do you want the outcome to be? Is it realistic? Can one presentation achieve it? How important is the outcome?

Gather information & review what you know

Who are you meeting? What are their missed opportunities? Review historical information as an account What is their history like as a buyer? What is the competition like? Review the account What is their portfolio like now? Ask your retailer what they want

Align your goals & anticipate needs

Use information to align your goals with the retailers What do you want versus what do they want? How can what you want address their problems & priorities What are the problems/ priorities

o A new account opened across the street o Larger chains are taking away their foot traffic o Profit issues o Margins declining

Prepare your presentation

Base your presentation off of your review of the account, knowledge of your aligned goals, and after identifying opportunities

Use your portfolio, service, and personnel to solve problems For example:

o Creative displays will increase sales o More variety will bring new in customers o Price features will drive volume o RDC can merchandize new items that the competition

cant

Plan for contingencies

What is the worst case scenario? What is the best case scenario? What is the next best scenario? What are you willing to settle for?

Practice

Before you deliver your presentation to your retailer practice with your supervisor o Have your supervisor play devils advocate and make

sure you have answers to all of your retailers questions or rebuttals

o Take notes on what you need to change with your approach or if you need to gather more information

o Ask your supervisor for advice in your delivery

Refine your presentation if necessary

After you deliver your practice presentation make any necessary changes

Work with your supervisor to change any elements of your presentation that need revision

Deliver

Deliver your presentation with confidence and get the sell

DELIVERING

The difference between making the sale and not making the sale can always be traced back to the presentation.

REVIEW

Proper preparation prevents poor performance. If you are prepared and follow the proper planning steps you are setting yourself up for success. After preparing your presentation the week or night before make sure you recite it to yourself once again before you walk into the account. The more prepared and professional you present yourself the more responsive your retailer will be. Reviewing your presentation will help you build more confidence going into it.

TIMING

Dont go to the hassle of putting together a great presentation only to deliver it at the wrong time. Make sure the retailer has time to talk & is in a good mood. If they arent simply wait until your next best opportunity.

ATTITUDE

Be grateful for your retailers time. Present with enthusiasm & charisma!

DELIVERY

You are the expert in the field so deliver your pitch with confidence & show your retailers how they will benefit from your presentation. If you followed all of the steps in the preparing process the delivery is a walk in the park.

SELLING TECHNIQUES

60 SECOND SALES PITCH

Determine what is the most important things that you must convey

Be yourself Know what your customer values and explain how this will

add value Ask for whatever you want Make it interesting and sell your idea Ive got something

youve been asking about do you have a minute, Ive identified an opportunity that will increase your sales do you have some time, After our last discussion I developed a solution to your problem

Less is more keep it short and concise Be precise in your message be clear in advantages and

what value you are adding to the retailer Be confident you are the expert that understands their

needs and knows their business. Ask with confidence what you want!

Time yourself when you review your presentation with your boss. Make sure you are short and concise! If your presentation goes over trim the fat in order to deliver a 60 second sales pitch!

Dont leave out any of the juice! If you cant deliver your presentation in 60 seconds then do it in 70 seconds!

SELLING VALUE & SELLING UP

SELLING VALUE

Discover what is valuable to a buyer Understand their desires, problems, and priorities Ask questions to gain information Once you learn all of the above find something in your portfolio

that is valuable to your retailer and sell!

SELLING UP

Selling up is selling additional products, add-ons, or more profitable brands to a buyer.

Ways of selling up

HAND SELL IN STORE PROMOS PROMO NIGHTS NEW PLACEMENTS DISPLAYS BETTER SHELF POSITION IN STORE ADS

How to sell up

IDENTIFY OPPORTUNTIES 6 packs to 12 packs? Side stacks to lobby displays? Better cooler positioning for brands? Better promotional space?

COMBINE SELLING VALUE WITH SELLING UP & SEIZE THE OPPORTUNITY

First sell value to the buyer and then sell up!

*** There are opportunities to sell up in every brand, every package, and on every sales call!

SELLING FEATURES & BENEFITS

DETERMINE WHAT VALUE IS AVAILABLE

What does the buyer want to accomplish? What obstacles is the buyer looking to solve? Where is the buyer having problems? What is working in the buyers business?

IDENTIFY NEEDS

Who is the typical customer? What price points work best? Which promotional message works best? What displays work best? ETC.

EXPLAIN FEATURES THAT MEET THE RETAILERS NEEDS

Share a feature and then the benefit Solve problems through features and benefits

ASK FOR THE BUSINESS

Acknowledge what is valuable to the retailer:

You told me you are looking to increase profits by focusing on larger packages

Feature statement:

I have something that will do just that. Blue Moon is the #1 selling craft brand and is available in 12 packs.

Benefit Statement:

By carrying the best selling craft brand in 12 packs your business will grow o FEATURES DESCRIBE THE PRODUCT, WHILE BENEFITS SELL

THE PRODUCT!

o ALWAYS ATTACH BENEFITS TO FEATURES!

EXECUTING

EXECUTING AFTER THE SALE

Once youve made the sell the real work begins. Executing is everything that happens the minute you leave the conversation with the retailer

What needs to be done? Communicate what needs to be completed both to the retailer and your distributorship or supplier

Who do you communicate to?

Retailer: receivers, grocery managers, beer managers, bar manager, etc.?

Distributor: delivery, merchandiser, supervisor, brewery rep?

Ensure complete execution was the product delivered? Was the display built? Was the tap handle put on the truck? Was the paperwork written properly?

The product may need help and execution doesnt end if the product doesnt sell. Use sales aids, hand sell, P.O.S., or promotional nights if the product doesnt move.

After youve executed everything prepare the results for the retailer. Collect data and show your retailer how your execution was a success. Show them how you added value and met their needs!

FOLLOW UP ITS SOLELY YOUR RESPONSIBILITY Why follow up?

Retailers reward good service It upholds your reputation It gives you more opportunities for future sales It secures relationships

Follow up before, during, and after

o Before Anticipate follow up items & build in time for follow up

o During Listen, make notes, clarify, validate by asking questions, schedule time for a future call

o After Develop a checklist, organize yourself, prioritize, follow up with all questions, & clarify your resolution

THE ART OF EXECUTING

A. EXECUTION B. ROUTE PERFORMANCE C. BEING GREATER THAN YOUR COMPETITOR

A. EXECUTION Sales is all about results. Results are all about execution. Each afternoon sales professionals should be able to look back on their day and see execution in every account. Order taking or walking in and out of an account is unacceptable. Execution must be on the fore front of every sales professionals mind and it needs to happen in every account.

OBSERVING

Before you can execute you have to be able to identify opportunities. Opportunities