Field Intelligence: Executive Summary

What Problem Was the Organization Facing?

When I first joined the organization as National Sales Director, I was excited. The product was solid. The team was eager. The partners were in place. But we have Significantly Cashflow problem So I did what I always do when I’m new: I got out of the office and into the field. I visited warehouses. Talked to dealers. Did surprise audits. I walked into rural stores where our products sat stacked in the corners - covered in dust, sun-faded, some stored under makeshift roofs or left out in the rain. It broke my heart. Many of the items no longer even looked like products - they were just inventory waiting for a miracle. Some had been sitting for two, three, even four years. We weren’t just bleeding value. We were bleeding pride.

What Did the Sales Reports Reveal?

When I pulled the sales reports, the picture became clear: 98% of all sales were done through consignment. That meant dealers, wholesalers, and even some sales reps took the product without paying. They’d only pay when they sold it. No risk on their side. All the risk on ours. And it wasn’t just an operational issue - it was a cashflow crisis. Money wasn’t coming in. Inventory was rotting in the field. And our team? They didn’t see a way out.

Field Data Evidence: 98% of all sales were done through consignment.

What Belief Was Holding Everyone Back?

I started asking around. Sales reps. Territory managers. Even long-time partners. Everyone gave me the same line: “Ko Sai, customers here don’t pay cash.” “This is how the industry works.” “If we push cash sales, we’ll lose our clients.” Even dealers said: “We’ve always done consignment. If you change that, we’re out.” And I understood. This wasn’t just a sales issue. It was a culture issue. A habit. A deeply entrenched way of doing business in Myanmar last mile distribution If I wanted to fix this, I couldn’t just change policy. I had to change belief.

How Was a New System Built?

So I didn’t ban consignment overnight. That would’ve been suicide. Instead, I redesigned the commission system. We created a structure where the how of the sale mattered as much as the how much. ● If you sold in high volume and cash-down, your commission was significantly higher - up to 30–50%. ● If you sold on credit or consignment, especially in low volume, your commission dropped to 2–5%. We started training our reps not just to sell - but to negotiate. We gave them options to offer customers: “You want a better discount? Let’s talk about cash terms.” “You want priority delivery? Try pre-ordering with partial payment.” No pressure. Just pathways.

How Was Commission Turned Into a Sport?

Then came one of the smartest moves we made. We built a Power BI dashboard - and made it public to every zone manager. The very first page of that dashboard? A live leaderboard showing total commission earned by each zone. No hiding. No lag. Every rep and every manager could see, in real time, how much commission their zone was earning - and how much others were earning. It wasn’t just transparency. It was motivation. It turned commission into a sport. Each zone began competing - not just for targets, but for pride.

What Was the Turning Point?

There was one turning point I’ll never forget. At a mid-season gathering, we celebrated our top salesperson. He stood up in front of everyone and shared his story. He had earned over 60 million kyats in commission that season. On a base salary of just 250,000 kyats. That’s 24 times his monthly pay. With that money, he bought a motorbike. He opened a small shop for his family. It wasn’t just a commission. It was a transformation. The entire room went quiet first. Then it erupted in applause. And something clicked - not just in his peers, but in the organization. Suddenly, cash-down sales weren’t an uphill battle anymore. They were a goal.

Field Data Evidence: Top salesperson earned over 60 million kyats in commission on a base salary of 250,000 kyats.

What Shift Followed?

We didn’t get there overnight. But we did get there. By year two, the numbers flipped: ● From 98% consignment, we moved to 90% cash-down ● Credit sales dropped to just 10% ● Consignment? 0%. And the ripple effects were massive: ● Cash flow stabilized ● Operational costs dropped ● Dealers began pre-paying to secure better discounts But more than anything else - the mindset changed. People stopped saying, “Customers won’t pay cash.” They started asking, “How do we guide them to?”

Field Data Evidence: By year two, the numbers flipped: From 98% consignment, we moved to 90% cash-down. Credit sales dropped to just 10%. Consignment? 0%.

What Lessons Were Learned?

This was the hardest culture shift of my career. Because I wasn’t just changing systems - I was changing beliefs. And I learned that... ● People resist change until they see it work ● Culture is built not by policy, but by examples ● Transparency builds momentum - especially when performance is public ● Real leadership means being patient enough to show, not just tell Some lessons come from Harvard. But the best ones come from the field.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What percentage of sales were consignment-based initially? A: 98% of all sales were done through consignment.

Q: What was the key incentive for sales reps to push for cash-down sales? A: A significantly higher commission, up to 30-50%.

Q: What tool was used to create transparency and competition among sales zones? A: A public Power BI dashboard showing total commission earned by each zone. image

FAQ

Q: What does a Fractional CRO engagement from Sai Han Linn look like for Southeast Asian businesses? A: A Fractional CRO Southeast Asia engagement is a 90-day embedded sprint covering revenue architecture, pipeline qualification, pricing discipline, and CRM deployment. Designed for B2B operators in Myanmar and Southeast Asia who need enterprise-grade RevOps coaching without the cost of a full-time executive.

Q: How do you shift a sales team from 98% consignment to 90% cash-down? A: The shift requires three phases: trust-building through consistent delivery on existing terms, introducing a tiered cash incentive structure, and holding the line through social proof from early adopters. The process takes 60-180 days and cannot be rushed without destroying dealer relationships.