Yanzhong from SCULPNITURE: Expand customer acquisition channels and build core marketing capabilities
Yan Zhong, general manager of SCULPNITURE, its agent brands include Sculpniture Slate Dining Table, Relux form, Matrix, COSMO, CM, Mydide, etc.
"The home furnishing industry has the attributes of a fashion industry. When you find that there are good brands and products, you must do it without hesitation." Yan Zhong said confidently. In 2020, affected by the epidemic, when his colleagues are closing stores to reduce economic pressure, he reversed the trend and expanded against the trend, adding several large stores over 2,000 square meters.
In his view, the epidemic has intensified the reshuffle process of the household industry, the industry concentration has further increased, and the clearance rate of small and medium-sized enterprises may accelerate. From the perspective of the market environment, the domestic epidemic has been effectively controlled, and the overall situation has stabilized and improved. Seeing the right time and making a decisive move can not only achieve rapid expansion and seize a higher market share, but also avoid the risk of "shuffled".
Expand channels and accelerate market capture
Looking back on last year's business strategy, Yanzhong mainly focused on channel expansion and cross-industry cooperation.
In recent years, with the continuous development of the industry, competition in the home furnishing market has become increasingly fierce. Traffic channels are scattered, and traditional marketing methods are losing their effectiveness. As the saying goes: those who have channels have the world. In a fiercely competitive market, Yan Zhong understands that stabilizing channels is equivalent to seizing traffic and users.
Therefore, during the epidemic last year, he used existing resources to turn passiveness into initiative, and cooperated with home improvement companies to get customers ahead of time. Through the supply chain of the home improvement company, he will cooperate with the home improvement company to develop the regional market and set up design at the same time. The division channel and soft decoration design company continue to strengthen the marketing matrix layout.
Expanding channels is the first step to achieve traffic diversification, and finding low-cost traffic acquisition methods is the second layer of strategy.
The core of business is traffic. In the current market, the cost of traffic is getting higher and higher. Whoever can obtain traffic at a lower cost can take the initiative in market competition. As for how to obtain customers at low cost, Yan Zhong chose cross-industry cooperation.
"The key to cross-industry cooperation is win-win cooperation." He said that through the resource integration method of cross-industry cooperation, establishing alliances with suitable companies and mutual cooperation and win-win is the fastest way of development. Not only can it double the traffic and reduce the cost of acquiring customers, but there is no competition between different industries, and the resources of both parties can complement each other's advantages and achieve mutual benefit and win-win.
Enhance marketing power and build core advantages
The expansion of channels is to seek new increments. If you want to stand firm in the market, you must build your own core competitiveness.
In Yan Zhong's view, the core competitiveness of distributors is marketing power.
"The competitiveness of manufacturers is products, and the competitiveness of distributors is marketing." He explained that as a bridge between manufacturers and consumers, distributors are needed precisely because they have marketing power in the local market. Good product power is determined by the factory, and good marketing power is a key factor for distributors to establish their core competitive advantages.
Therefore, in terms of improving marketing capabilities, Yanzhong focuses on both sales and service.
In terms of sales, through internal training, strengthen the team and enhance the sales ability of all employees; in terms of service, take the customer as the center, insight into customer needs, and serve customers with professionalism and sincerity. He emphasized that customer satisfaction is the first priority and communicate with customers sincerely. Only the more time you spend communicating with customers, the more you can understand the true needs of customers and give them a precise plan.
“It used to be random drug purchases, but now it' s time to specialize and prescribe the right medicine.” Yan Zhong used the new model of “pharmacy + clinic” as an example. At present, many chain pharmacies hire professional doctors for consultations, combining the convenience of pharmacies with the professional services of clinics. Home furnishing stores can also take advantage of their own advantages and cooperate with professional designers to provide customers with professional and refined solutions to enhance customer stickiness and loyalty.