Wholesale business plan. Features of developing a business plan for a wholesale and retail store. Two words about competition

  • 02.12.2019

“In order to sell something you don’t need, you need to buy something you don’t need, and we don’t have money!” The business school will not help you find the treasure, but will tell you where and how to make money. Wholesale trade understandable to everyone kind of business. Wholesale is mediation aimed at reselling goods in bulk. At first glance, everything is simple: the purchase and sale of goods, but is it? will reveal to you the secrets of business.

Conceptual features of business

At the core business plan wholesale trade is the acquisition and resale of goods in large and small lots. Wholesale companies can sell any product: metal, chemical products, FMCG, food, production equipment and Appliances, computers and components, building materials and fuel. The main thing is the market demand for this product, competitive price and sales organization.

Promotion of the product on the market. Pricing

includes marketing research. When choosing products for wholesale, you need to know the price range, consumer demand, and competitors' offers. Wholesale is not the sale of a single product. Large batches of product are much more difficult to sell, especially if the product has a limited shelf life (food), a seasonal feature and is subject to changes in fashion (clothes and shoes). Thus, wholesale trade has a certain dynamics, growth and decline in sales. Taking into account the peculiarity of the product, pricing is formed. High price during the period of mass consumption, and a system of discounts at other times. Remember the constant turnover Money and updating the assortment.

Suppliers and buyers

Where to get products? Suppliers in the wholesale trade can be manufacturers or large wholesale companies. The choice of a supplier must be approached with extreme caution and the terms of work must be clearly defined in the contract in order to receive a quality product within a clearly defined time frame.

To whom will you sell the product? Buyers are retail stores and salons, small wholesale companies, private and state enterprises and organizations and individuals. It is important to know the target audience, the need for the product of each consumer and their financial capabilities.

Staff and organization

Wholesale trade directly depends on the sales staff, on the top manager and his team. It is possible to plan a business perfectly, but the absence of a professional sales team will lead the company to losses. The manager's task is not only to sell goods and make a profit, but to create a group of regular consumers on a long-term basis. It is important to attract good sales masters and stimulate them with decent earnings. No need to save human factor, the constant change of personnel negatively affects business development.

Budget. How to distribute funds?

The presence of capital when organizing a business is necessary. Will it be your personal or borrowed funds the bank or sponsor does not matter. It is important to manage money properly. Each cost must be thought out and well planned. For this wholesale business plan includes a budget, that is, a plan for distributing funds for a period, for example: a year or six months. Budgeting is necessary to determine the amount of costs and planning income. That is, how much you need to earn to cover expenses and make a profit. Costs are fixed (office maintenance, loan repayment and administrative expenses) and variable (purchase of goods, payment of interest on wages).

The budget will allow you to evaluate the business as a whole, find the most correct solutions, ways to save money so that you get the maximum profit with minimal costs. For example, you can hire fewer staff, but automate work with one-time equipment costs, or rent space not in the central part of the city, but in more accessible areas.

Financial risks. Business problems and their solution

Financial risks there are in every business, but in the wholesale trade they are more significant due to the large investments of entrepreneurs in the business. What problems might arise?

On the part of suppliers: delivery of poor quality goods and failure to meet deadlines.

Changes in legislation and taxation, especially regarding export-import operations and customs clearance. Cash inflation. As a result: an increase in price and a decrease in the level of demand for the product.

Force majeure situations, for example, related to the delivery and damage of cargo, natural disasters.

An increase in lending rates (floating rates), subject to a bank loan.

High level of competition. The appearance on the market of similar and cheaper products. Unfair competition, disclosure of negative information about the company among customers.

Refusal to pay for products by consumers due to insolvency and non-fulfillment of obligations by customers under the contract.

Every problem in business is solvable, but how much financial damage and how long does it take to rehabilitate the business? It is advisable to foresee possible risks in advance, but if this is not possible, the main thing is to quickly respond in the current situation, be able to rebuild the work system and sales plan in order to get rid of illiquid goods and return financial investments. allows you to make forecasts for the future and minimize risks.

Wholesale trade allows you to get big profits in a fairly short time. If you want to go into wholesale business, the business school will help you develop a custom wholesale business plan to suit all your requirements.

Wholesale business is a special field of activity with its own unique specifics. To achieve an excellent result and receive a stable income, you need to know this specifics perfectly. Many entrepreneurs view the wholesale business as an opportunity to earn good money without much effort, and they are absolutely right.

You will learn:

  • What is a wholesale business
  • What are the advantages and disadvantages of a wholesale business
  • What are the types wholesale sales
  • How to organize a wholesale business
  • Do I need investments to start a wholesale business
  • What are the most common mistakes people make when starting a wholesale business?

What is a wholesale business

Wholesale as a business is the purchase of products in large quantities from a supplier or manufacturer (less often) for its subsequent sale in small quantities. That is, the product is bought not by the end consumer, but by a business representative in order to subsequently resell it or use it for production needs. Of course, the wholesale business is far from the last place in the question. economic relations between industries, product manufacturers and retailers.

Ambitious start-up entrepreneurs often face the problem of choosing between wholesale and retail trade. Each industry has its own advantages and disadvantages. The choice can only be made by carefully analyzing each of them.

To reach the heights in retail, you need to:

  • To find the appropriate premises, in order to ensure the competitiveness of the enterprise, the location must be "profitable", passable.
  • Have sufficient cash to buy out/pay rent and purchase goods.
  • Have the necessary financial resources in order to adequately pay the work of the staff.
  • Allocate funds for advertising and further promotion of the enterprise.

To organize a wholesale business, you should:

  • Choose one or more reliable suppliers.
  • Conclude agreements with stores in which goods will be sold.
  • Choose a method of transporting goods (you can rent or purchase trucks in the required quantity).
  • Find staff.

How to increase profits for a wholesale business

Wholesale companies are "sandwiched" between suppliers and buyers, who themselves face all the problems of the crisis period. How to build sales so that counterparties are satisfied, and this only benefits the company? Check out seven solutions that have helped wholesalers not only maintain, but raise the bar. You can find them in the magazine article Commercial Director».

What are the types of wholesale

The two main forms of wholesale trade are:

  • No need to advertise the company - enough build a customer base retail partners.
  • The ability not to focus on the location of the wholesale warehouse or enterprise, unlike retail stores. The wholesale base can be located in any place convenient for you.
  • The amounts of wholesale transactions and contracts are much higher than retail ones.
  • Wide sales area.
  • Opportunity to enter into many contracts with large manufacturers, including regional ones, since they often resort to the services of wholesalers.
  • The chance to sell the most profitable types of products, such as tobacco products, alcohol, semi-finished products; retail companies should create an extensive product range striving to satisfy all consumer needs.
  • Purchase savings wholesale goods- this allows you to set the retail price of your products.
  • Strict regulation of the conditions for the sale of goods by an agreement between wholesalers and retailers; thanks to the drawn up agreement, the possibility of disagreements and conflicts between organizations is practically excluded.
  • Receive payment for the goods immediately after delivery - the wholesale supplier does not wait until it is sold.
  • Taxation rules for wholesale trade, according to the legislation of the Russian Federation, are quite simple. On the retail businesses a Uniform tax is imposed on temporary income, while wholesale companies must pay contributions, according to the DOS or STS (General or Simplified Taxation System), which is much more convenient.
  • Direct cooperation with experienced buyers who are interested in the low price of products and are constantly trying to reduce the cost.
  • Requests from buyers for maximum deferred payments.
  • Endless debts on the part of buyers and, as a result, an increase in overdue accounts receivable.
  • Competitors regularly sell goods at reduced prices, which affects the quality of products.
  • Incoming requests from customers to fulfill their conditions (for example, labeling products with special labels, bringing products by a certain time in small batches, using euro pallets for delivery, and many others).
  • The lack of points of control over the work of managers in the sales department.
  • Disruption of communication in the departments of the company, which causes disruptions in work and delays in deliveries.
  • The absence of the effect of advertising that does not contribute to the promotion of products.
  • The introduction of huge fines for non-compliance with certain conditions under supply contracts.
  • Periodic "churn" of customers, some of which go bankrupt, others - make a choice in favor of other suppliers.
  1. transit. Provides delivery of products to points retail directly without export to the wholesale warehouse. The main advantage of this form is more high speed trade turnover and safety of products.
  2. Warehouse. Products are sold from stock. The form, which is by far the most common, allows you to prepare goods before selling and supply points retail small batches of the products that are required in this moment

Wholesale points are also differentiated by the breadth of the range of goods:

  • A specialized (narrow) assortment implies the presence of less than 200 items.
  • A "limited" assortment is considered to be the names of goods in an amount of less than 1000.
  • A wide assortment is from 1 to 100 thousand items.

In terms of turnover, wholesalers are small, medium and large.

According to the method of delivery: goods are delivered to the points by the company's vehicles or employees of the company. Products can also be issued directly from the warehouse.

There are several marketing systems - exclusive, selective and intensive. On one of these systems your business will be organized.

If the activity is based on an exclusive system, the manufacturer must issue a license to trade, according to the conditions franchising. The number of intermediaries is minimal. In the selective system, which also includes the wholesale business, the organization and the manufacturer enter into distribution agreements. In this case, technically complex goods are usually subject to sale. An intensive distribution system implies the presence of a large number of intermediaries and wholesalers.

Is it possible to start a wholesale business without investments

Wholesale business without investments is real. Entrance to it is possible in the complete absence of funds. Everything that a person who wants to work and earn money needs - telephone communications, open access to the Internet and focus on results. One can treat the issue with a share of skepticism, saying that all niches are already occupied, but there is no start-up capital. But the advantage of the wholesale business lies in the fact that it does not require financial injections. You need to be a sociable, confident and quick-witted person.

This option will appeal to newcomers to the business.

3 myths about the wholesale business

  1. "The retail buyer can find a supplier himself." It is not uncommon for an enterprise to not receive profit in full with sufficiently efficient operation. The reason may lie in the inability or unwillingness of the supplier to self-advertise. Most of the category of people who deny the Internet, Yandex.Direct and other advertising channels are men over the age of 50 who started their business back in the 90s. The buyer, of course, can find a supplier himself. But it is worth considering the large territory of our country and the large volumes of consumed wholesale products. In any case, not every entrepreneur manages to sell maximum amount products. The main task of the wholesale business is to help suppliers sell goods on a huge scale.
  2. “If I bring the supplier and the client together, they will do everything themselves, and they will throw me.” You can eliminate such an unpleasant situation by concluding an agency agreement. The probability that you will be "thrown" will be reduced to zero. The essence of the agreement is that when you find customers for the supplier, you will receive a percentage of the volume of goods sold. In this scenario, it is unprofitable for the supplier to terminate business relationship with you, because it is in his interests to regularly sell products, in which you help him.
  3. “Getting customers for wholesale is very difficult.” Entrepreneurs in the wholesale business often find customers through online classifieds. contextual advertising Yandex.Direct is also a very effective business tool. Thanks to a simple algorithm, even a novice businessman can create a good selling ad that will help attract customers. Currently, a number of holdings and large companies are looking for suppliers on the Internet. However, many entrepreneurs dismiss this option, which is very "handy" for novice savvy intermediaries. Not the last role in the issue of attracting customers is played by cold calls and the work of high-class sales managers.

How to start a wholesale business

Stage 1. Market analysis and identification of the most liquid (fast selling) goods. To identify and predict the most popular wholesale options, it is absolutely not necessary to dive into a deep study of all existing offers. Pay attention to food products: flour, granulated sugar, butter, baby food, canned food. All these products allow you to start a business without investments in the wholesale trade. Just agree on cooperation with an inexpensive manufacturer, and the matter is small.

Stage 2. Niche selection. Think about what niche you would like to occupy. The easiest option is to work with small wholesale lots. If you decide to open a wholesale business from scratch, this will allow you to gain valuable skills in concluding contracts and determining how to make a profit.

Stage 3. Selecting a product group. When choosing products for sale, consider several important components:

  • Give preference to the group of products in which you are well versed. For example, if you received your education at a forestry institute, focus on products in the field of woodworking. At the same time, for a person who has a great desire to develop, there are no boundaries. Even without the appropriate education, it is quite possible to understand the products of any industry.
  • Analyze what products are presented on the local market, what products are observed greatest demand, pay attention to the pricing process, find out which regions act as suppliers. Next, find a manufacturer where you can sell similar products at reduced prices and offer potential consumers their wholesale.
  • When selecting products by category, make a choice in favor of those products whose sales do not depend on the season, weather conditions and other similar factors. Buying perishable products is also not worth it. Starting a business, do not take into account exclusive products that are popular in a limited circle of buyers.

Stage 4. Warehouse selection. Before organizing a wholesale business, select a warehouse. Its absence can be a significant problem. Many entrepreneurs are now talking about the shortage of warehouses both in megacities and small towns and villages. That is why the rent results in a large amount, especially if the area is large and the location of the premises is good. When organizing a wholesale business, remember that you need to rent or purchase warehouses after you have chosen products for sale. This is due to the fact that the storage conditions, for example, for home appliances differ significantly from the principles for storing dairy products.

Consider buying and renting a space. Perhaps the construction of a warehouse will be a much more profitable undertaking than monthly rental payments. The construction of a prefabricated warehouse has long ceased to be a difficult task - there are all conditions for organizing such a premises. Also consider buying or renting shelving, refrigerators, and other equipment to keep your warehouse running smoothly.

Stage 5. Supplier search - key moment in the organization of wholesale trade. Of course, it is better if the manufacturer works in close proximity to you. Find people who make products and are interested in selling them quickly. Such an enterprise or company can be furniture factory or a dairy plant with reasonable prices. In this case, you should not have any difficulties with delivery - and this is also a huge plus.

Often large-scale federal manufacturers work with many wholesalers or regional dealers. As a result, a long "chain" of sales goes through several wholesale outlets. It all depends on the number of competing companies in the trading industry, the level of demand for goods and the volume of the retail market. Goods always get to retail points of sale through wholesale, and only then sales begin.

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When choosing a group of products for wholesale, remember that a wide range of products always contributes to generating income. The increase in the volume of deliveries and contracts with partners is a gradual process.

Finding a manufacturer that does not currently have a company through which you can buy goods in bulk is not an easy task. But in the interests of manufacturers and major suppliers- long-term cooperation with the wholesale business, and therefore its representatives are always offered bonuses and discounts. Direct cooperation with manufacturers without intermediaries can significantly save money.

Stage 6. Recruitment. An important role in organizing a wholesale business is played by interaction with sales representatives. The main task of representatives is to find most retail outlets sales, taking over the sale of certain products. You usually need to pay for goods either immediately or after they are sold in the store. Sometimes sales representatives also act as forwarders, delivering products to points of sale, doing paperwork and issuing goods. A sales representative is a key link in any chain, since it is he who finds potential customers, concludes supply contracts and works directly with store employees.

In work wholesale organization It's not just the sales representative that matters. You should establish cooperation with a PC operator who will process applications, an accountant, a storekeeper, a cashier and a driver.

Stage 7. Purchase of transport. Ideally, you should buy a car. But if you don’t have such an opportunity yet, you can rent a vehicle or find drivers who already have a personal truck. If you plan to sell products in large volume buy a forklift.

How to open a wholesale business branch in the region

Before each wholesaler, sooner or later, the question arises of building a sales system in the regions. How to most effectively promote your products hundreds of kilometers from the head office? How to minimize the risks and costs of logistics? How to keep brand reputation under control? The Commercial Director magazine answers all these questions in its article.

What contract to conclude with the supplier

An agency agreement is concluded between a businessman engaged in wholesale trade and a supplier. It provides for the responsibilities of each of the parties and ensures their mutually beneficial relationship. According to the agreement, the wholesale businessman is looking for customers for the supplier, and the latter, in turn, pays interest for each of the completed transactions.

When concluding a contract, pay attention to several aspects:

  • The main function of an agent is to look for buyers.
  • The contract is signed by the agent and the supplier.
  • Signature can be put individual who does not have an LLC or IP.
  • The document must contain the percentage that you receive for the transaction.
  • The contract may contain sales volumes, payment methods (bank transfer, cash), work schedule and other details.
  • The contract prescribes the information available in the Civil Code. It says that the contract obliges the agent, for a fee, to legally act on behalf of the principal on his own behalf, but at the expense of the other party, either at his own expense or on behalf of the principal.

There are a number of options to consider here:

  • You, that is, the agent, act on behalf of the supplier and at his expense.
  • You are acting on behalf of the supplier, but at your own expense.
  • You are acting in your own name and at your own expense.

Of course, the presence of an agency agreement does not give a 100% guarantee in case of cooperation with a dishonest supplier. This document is intended to provide you with emotional peace and confidence that you are acting in accordance with the law. The presence of an agency agreement is a reason for the supplier to be confident in your decency and legal literacy. It is much more important, of course, to agree with the second party in a human way, establish good relations and let the supplier understand that, working with you, he will always be afloat.

  1. Before implementing a wholesale business plan, choose the niche you want to fill and analyze the market.
  2. Study the properties of the product you would like to work with, learn more about the sales market and do not lose sight of the seasonality of the product.
  3. At the beginning of work, always focus on accumulation (money, customers, product leftovers).
  4. In the process of developing activities, the staff will expand, and therefore carefully calculate each step, think about the advisability of hiring new specialists.
  5. The beginning is always the most difficult, and therefore there will be a lot of work; for an indefinite period, you can forget about holidays, weekends and vacations.
  6. If you can not take a loan and impose other financial obligations, give them up, at least until you are sure that you are not at risk.

Typical mistakes of beginners in the wholesale business

1) There is no clear plan of action. There are no improvisations in business, and this, unfortunately, is forgotten by many novice businessmen. The difference between business and everyday life lies in the fact that things left to chance turn out to be insoluble and do not bring good results. Many entrepreneurs do not have an action plan, a project. A business plan (wholesale sales) should accompany you from the very beginning of the activity. Subsequently, there simply will not be time to compile it.

If you want to make a profit from work, write down each action and make up for a year. Think about what you need to expand your customer base, how to turn random customers into regular ones, write down the actions on paper. Work on the personnel search system, select employees, find suppliers. Developing a clear plan will take you the minimum amount of time, but it will save you the most in the future.

2) Incorrectly distributed start-up capital. Most beginners who ask the question: “How to open a wholesale business?” Want everything at once, and therefore waste their start-up funds irrationally. Irrational expenses include the purchase of ultra-modern equipment, high rent for a warehouse and a large wages specialists. Remember that the money business brings, first of all, sales. Therefore, it is better to direct the funds to the development of sales, supply chains and distribution.

When drawing up a business plan, pay attention to the most costly items. Analyze them and understand that at the very beginning of the work you will not need. You can cross off the list of new expensive office equipment, the creation of a modern personal website - you will deal with these issues later. If you can work not in the office, but in any other room, refuse to rent. Drive into new office you always have time.

3. Misunderstanding the importance target audience. Beginning businessmen often have no idea about the target audience and market segmentation. And, at the same time, these are key values ​​in business. If you don't identify your target audience and understand who your product is intended for even before you start selling it, it will be very difficult to create an effective plan for its implementation.

An advertising campaign is effective when it is clear for whom it is designed. Think about who your product is for? What age are these people? How much, on average, do they receive per month? Being sure that your concept is interesting to any category of the population, you should not direct advertising to everyone - you will lose time. The success of your business depends on how accurately you represent a potential client.

4. Misunderstanding the difference between selling and marketing. A number of entrepreneurs do not understand how sales differ from marketing, and are sure that these concepts are almost synonymous. But it's not. Let's take an example. The seller generates and implements wholesale business ideas, takes a number of actions so that a person purchases products. These are sales. Actions on the part of the marketer, aimed at making the buyer contact you - marketing.

If you know exactly about your target audience, there will be no problem with advertising. You will clearly understand how and where it is better to give it. There are a million ways to attract a client. One business is effectively promoted using one advertising campaign, the promotion of the other is based on a completely different concept.

5. Expect instant profit. Many entrepreneurs do not understand: there is no instant income in business. This is especially true for those who have not previously conducted such cases. And, if it is not possible to make a profit during the first months, people leave the business. And you just have to be patient.

When calculating any business plan, the fact that the first year of operation does not give almost any profit is taken into account. Moreover, it can be very costly. And only then the losses become minimal, then they are reduced to zero, and after a couple of years, the ready-made wholesale business begins to generate income. Patience is the foundation of any business project.

How to increase sales in wholesale business

There are ways by which you can attract customers and increase sales. For example:

  • Streamlining the sales management system.
  • Interaction of regular customers and their involvement in the work.
  • Creation and implementation of a high-quality advertising campaign.
  • Increase in client base.
  • Converting potential customers into real ones.
  • Increase in marginal profit.
  • Competent system of motivation of sales specialists.
  • Efficient work with receivables.

All these manipulations can be carried out within the framework of a small enterprise using special business technologies.

How to turn wholesale business customers from potential to regular

How the wholesale business is organized, and what are its specifics, is completely unimportant. The main thing is systematic and continuous sales. In this regard, the key point in the system is the development of a sales funnel. Moreover, it is important not so much the presentation of this funnel as effective work with it. Basically, wholesalers go through 6 stages of sales, at each of which it is important to negotiate with customers.

The first block is the number of clients called by managers.

The second block is the number of interested customers who received a commercial offer.

The third block is the number of clients to meet.

The fourth block is the number of people with whom meetings have already taken place.

The fifth block is the number of buyers who signed the contract.

The sixth block is the number of buyers who received the goods from the first shipment.

Who can be trusted to do this work? Commercial department of the company. If we talk about a three-level sales department, then the department located on the first level creates a flow and makes cold calls. He is not engaged in negotiating and paperwork.

More qualified managers close sales. At the same time, high-class professionals, as a rule, do not want to deal with "cold calls", more willingly talking to regular customers processing paperwork and taking orders. This leads to a cessation of the influx of new faces into the wholesale business. Therefore, the best option is to create a three-level sales department, in which responsibilities will be clearly distributed among employees.

After visualizing the funnel, you need to describe the indicators that exist at each level. If there is no systematic measurement of indicators, start measuring right now, and then at any time you will be able to assess the reasons why revenue does not increase and sales do not increase.

How to identify the "weak points" of the sales funnel

Galina Kostina,

Head of the consulting agency "ProfBusinessConsulting"

Having cut the funnel, you will understand how many potential consumers move to new level. For example, at a certain stage, a narrowing of the funnel is observed. This means that it makes sense to talk about a weak spot in the overall system, and you can quickly intervene and correct the situation.

Example 1 The daily duties of managers include 50 cold calls, which is reflected in the checklist. However, there is no influx of new buyers. The reason may be the ineffectiveness of the cold call, the inability of the manager to negotiate at the proper level, or the initial incorrect drawing up of the buyer's portrait.

Example 2 Through cold calls, many customers are interested in your company. You sent them a commercial offer (due to this, moving to the second block). And here the funnel suddenly narrowed because the client did not want to meet. The reason is the misconfiguration commercial offer, which potential consumer just not interested. The fact is that buyers in this case are experienced buyers who pay attention only to numbers, and not to goods that can be of the highest quality. Therefore, think about how to make the most attractive commercial offer.

Example 3 Your employees regularly have meetings, you send specialists on business trips, but all to no avail - contracts are not concluded. Review the negotiation model, organize seminars or courses for employees where they could acquire the necessary skills. After training, evaluate the situation.

Example 4 Contracts are concluded, but at this stage the buyer stops working with you: he does not make orders, and no shipments are made. You will need the help of qualified managers who know how to work with objections and who are fluent in communication skills.

Information about experts and company

Galina Kostina, head of the consulting agency "ProfBusinessConsulting". Business Consultant, expert in increasing sales and profits for small and medium-sized businesses. He has 18 years of experience as a top manager in large manufacturing companies. Worked her way up from Chief Accountant (including at Wimm-Bill-Dann) and Director for Economics and Development to founding her own Consulting Agency. He has a successful experience in implementing internal development projects, strategic planning, expansion of production, attraction of investment financing. Author of articles for professional federal publications, presenter of trainings and master classes.

Consulting agency "ProfBusinessConsulting" is a team of professionals dedicated to technologies for growth and achievement of results for small and medium-sized businesses.

In wholesale trade, an entrepreneur purchases goods from a supplier in large quantities, and sells it in small batches. It turns out that the player in the wholesale market is not himself the end consumer of the product, but buys it for resale to other businessmen. Considering the large role of such enterprises in the economy of entire regions and industrial sectors, wholesale trade as a business promises a big profit to the entrepreneur.

It is not uncommon for entrepreneurs with high ambitions to have problems choosing the form of trade - retail or wholesale, which is more profitable? The answer is simple: both areas of trade have both disadvantages and advantages. The only way to make the right choice is by comparing one with the other.

The main indicators of the project:

The cost of the project is 3,000,000 rubles.

The average revenue per month is 600,000 rubles.

Profit - 400,000 rubles.

Payback - 18 months.

To organize a retail trade, you will need:

  • renting premises in the area of ​​the city where the competition is lower;
  • readiness to invest significant funds in entrepreneurship both for rent or purchase of a building for a warehouse, and for equipment, for the wages of service personnel;
  • to spend part of the funds on the promotion of trade, on its advertising.

Starting a wholesale business will require several other steps:

  • make a choice of suppliers of goods;
  • choose several shopping retail centers for reselling goods;
  • buy or rent means of transporting goods in the form of cars of various modifications in the required quantity;
  • to select personnel of workers of trading base.

With all of the above, the wholesale base has certain advantages:

  • in this case there is no urgent need to advertise their services;
  • the location of the wholesale warehouse does not play a decisive role in the success of the work;
  • purchased batches of goods significantly exceed this indicator in retail trade;
  • trade coverage areas are wider;
  • for large manufacturers of goods, wholesalers are preferable to retail customers;
  • there is great freedom in the choice of goods, since a very large assortment of goods is required in retail trade;
  • there is a lot of leeway in setting prices for goods in trade;
  • for the entire scope of relations of the wholesale base with suppliers, agreements are usually concluded that oblige both parties to act predictably.

Retailing has a number of advantages:

  • this field of activity involves many transactions and several points of sale of goods;
  • there is no need to maintain large storage areas;
  • Retail prices can be significantly higher than wholesale prices.

However, of all of the above, the advantages in economic activity wholesale work in the modern commodity market.

Wholesale planning

At the beginning of the wholesale business, you need to decide on the goods that will be included in the assortment and the wholesale business plan. This, for example, can be a wholesale business in vegetables, like Russian production, and supplied to the country by import. Also, in a real construction boom, it would be a good idea to trade in building materials.

Even before registering a business or immediately after it, you should find reliable suppliers of goods, rent a warehouse or build it on a leased or purchased piece of land. If you start organizing a wholesale business without investments, you will have to plan your work well without a product warehouse. Immediately upon receipt of the goods from the supplier, you need to hand it over to retail. This mechanism should be clearly planned, debugged and backed up by relevant agreements.

It is very important to have sales representatives in order to establish close interactions with retailers. These specialists must draw up contracts with a large number of retailers. outlets ready to take goods for sale. It is better to choose payment upon receipt of the goods in the store. It is impossible to deny such difficult areas trading activities like trade in meat, flowers. A sales representative can take on the functions of a forwarder, deliver perishable goods to stores and draw up the necessary documentation. You can completely engage in trade with your representatives, instruct them not only to find contactors in the retail network, but also to draw up agreements with them for deliveries, to establish acquaintances and cooperation.

In addition to representatives of the company, an accountant with PC knowledge, a storekeeper with drivers and loaders should also be included in the staff. It is better to have your own transport than to rent it. Although, at the first stage of organizing a wholesale business, you can use the services of transport companies or small representatives of this business. If the volume of transported products is planned to be large, then you will need your own loader. This will significantly speed up the process of working with goods, and hence the sale of goods.

In the warehouse you need to install good lighting, signaling. In addition, there should be office space with computers to record the movement of goods. The business plan of the wholesale warehouse must include the installation software on warehouse computers, better CRM-system for wholesale trade. Without automation, trading is simply unthinkable at the present time. After all, this program connects all departments of the enterprise into one database, makes it possible to easily track the stages of delivery of bulk purchases to customers. In the programs, you can draw up acts for the work performed, maintain contracts and catalog goods. Also using computer network enterprises it is easy to organize the management of the company, to exercise control over all operations.

When planning and deciding how to open a wholesale business from scratch, you need to take into account the possible risks in this business. These should primarily include:

  • the existing competitive environment in the trade of selected goods;
  • political, and hence financial, uncertainty of the moment;
  • high capitalization of the required investments for the project.

The ideas of a wholesale business are always based on attracting investments in their activities. But a bank loan can be obtained by defending these ideas in front of the leaders of the banking structure with ready business plan work.

The calculation of the profitability of future entrepreneurship should be done at the stage of work planning. Start-up costs should be correlated with the proceeds from the movement of goods and the profit received each month of work. It would be nice to include a plan for the development of the wholesale business. But this will be in demand only with successful activity in trade at the first stage, the stage of business formation.

To implement a medium-sized wholesale trade project, a loan of at least 3,000,000 rubles is required. It is better to take this loan for two years with a discount rate of 14%.

Typically, the break-even point of operation begins as early as the fifth month of operation. With a monthly profit of 400,000 rubles, the payback period for the initial investment is usually no more than one to one and a half years of work.

Recent studies show that the wholesale business is extremely profitable, promising, but highly risky. The key to its success is its favorable location in relation to trade structure region, the dedication of the head of the enterprise and the high tension of his knowledge, efforts and tactical skills when manipulating the founding documents at the very beginning of activity. It is necessary to fully realize that a preliminary thorough study of the entire business and the attraction of considerable capital investments are required.