Distribution CRM is fundamentally different from direct B2B sales CRM. You are not tracking one relationship with one buyer. You are managing a hierarchy: national distributor, regional super-stockists, district distributors, and thousands of retail outlets — all at different relationship stages, with different pricing tiers, scheme eligibilities, and claim histories. A generic CRM treats all accounts the same. That does not work in Indian distribution.
What Distribution CRM Must Handle
- Multi-tier account hierarchy: principal → super-stockist → distributor → dealer → retailer
- Channel-specific pricing: different price lists for each tier with margin and discount structures
- Trade scheme management: running schemes across the channel with accurate claim calculation
- Secondary sales tracking: not just what you sold to the distributor, but what sold through to retail
- Beat and territory assignment: which rep covers which distributor and retail geography
- Distributor claim settlement: tracking trade claims, processing approvals, and reconciling debit notes
- KYC and compliance: GST registration, credit limit, and payment terms per account
Secondary Sales: The Intelligence Most Brands Lack
The biggest blind spot in Indian distribution is secondary sales — what actually sells through your distributors to retailers. Most brands know their primary sales (what they shipped to distributors) but not secondary. Aarcturus CRM, integrated with Stock Seva, gives you real sell-through data from the distributor portal. You see which SKUs are moving at retail, which are sitting in the distributor godown, and where demand is building before it becomes a stockout.
Trade Scheme Management in CRM
Running a "Buy 10 Get 1 Free" scheme across 200 distributors manually is a reconciliation nightmare. Aarcturus CRM has a scheme engine: you define the scheme parameters (eligible products, quantities, dates, applicable tiers), and the system automatically calculates what each distributor is entitled to based on their purchases. Claims are raised, verified against order history, and approved — with the debit note flowing into accounts receivable automatically. No scheme over-claims. No under-fulfilment.
Territory and Beat Management for Distribution Sales Teams
Every distribution sales rep owns a territory. Aarcturus CRM maps each rep to their districts, assigns them their distributor and dealer accounts, and tracks their visit frequency. Managers see whether each territory is being covered at the right cadence — and get alerts when a high-value distributor has not been visited in more than 30 days. Territory reassignment when a rep leaves is handled instantly, with full account history transferred.