Recently, we decided to be active on social media and updated Facebook cover photos. A subscriber from Mangaluru commented that your product is not available anywhere here. The fact is it is available at many outlets in Mangaluru. 

But he has a valid point: it is only available at a few shops where he has tried it. I replied that we are working hard to place the products in as many shops as possible. How is it so hard to place the products? Because of objections by retailers. Retailers need more shelf space, inventory budget and intention to promote any product. So, they will only sell those brands that are fast-moving. Here are the standard ways they object to our salesman when he tries to sell.

• No response – This is common when you are not interested in what the salesman is offering.
• No consumer demand – retailers will take the pain to stock a brand only that has consumer demand
• The price is high. He needs to earn a decent margin and compete with other retailers.
• Low margin or MRP – He wants MRP to be printed higher to offer a significant discount to consumers yet earn a decent margin.
• Credit – Retailers are habituated to purchasing on credit from local distributors and will object to anyone with cash and carry terms
• Oil is yellow/not pure—His imagination of pure coconut oil is extracted from Ghani/Chekku and is clear white; anything else is considered not pure.
• New brand—He is not interested in selling new brands because he is unsure about consistent supply and has to work hard to promote them to consumers.
• Dictating terms – He is already getting the product from another source. He would like to exploit a new supplier by dictating terms like discount and credit.

These are some of the common objections which may be presented in different ways. It is up to the salesman to answer these objections skillfully to earn a sale. In the coming posts, we will answer these objections.