La Ruta del Vendedor

A year as the pre-sales rep of one route of a consumer-goods distributor in eastern Cali, Colombia (fictional): 200 neighbourhood shops in three size classes, visited by motorbike six days a week, with orders delivered by truck the next day.

Decision 1 (January, the route): how the route is laid out (in client-list order across the neighbourhoods, split into six day-zones with the visit order drawn on the map, or the biggest buyers first each day); visit frequency (every shop weekly, every shop twice a week, or by class with A twice a week, B weekly and C fortnightly plus phone or WhatsApp orders); how the day is prepared (improvised, a suggested order per shop and the collection list the night before, or the same promotional bundle for every shop to hit the quota).

Decision 2 (April, the visit): the visit routine (a quick order-taking stop, the full visit with shelf and back-room check, suggested order, one promotion, collection and confirmation, or pushing large orders to load the shop); the display and products close to expiry (leave the shelf alone, rotate and withdraw expired stock with a credit note, or leave expired products on sale); order recording (a paper notebook typed at night, the company app read back at the counter, or repeating last week order without asking).

Decision 3 (July, credit and collection): who gets credit (anyone who asks, cash only, or a limit per shop from its record with 8-day terms); how debts are collected (when the shop has money, a collection list with receipts and written payment plans, or public pressure and an unnotified credit-bureau report); the cash collected (carried all week, deposited daily at a bank agent, or transfer and QR payments plus daily deposits).

Decision 4 (October, before the December season): season orders (as usual, loading the shops in October, or a staggered weekly plan per shop); 40 new shops (ignore them, open them on cash first with monthly visits and WhatsApp orders, or open them on credit from the first order); a reseller asking to buy in cash without an invoice (refuse, sell, or refer him to the wholesale desk with an electronic invoice).

The model is deterministic and monthly: minutes per visit set how many planned visits are made, coverage and visit quality set sales, a shopkeeper relationship index moves demand, rejections, returns and expired stock cost margin, and credit terms set receivables, overdue share, bad debt and financing cost.

The score combines the quality of each decision with the route contribution, the overdue share, visit effectiveness, coverage and compliance, and is capped when a decision breaks the rules (expired food left on sale, abusive collection, sales without an invoice). Spanish (primary, Colombia) and English.

An intermediate simulation for participants who already know the core concepts of the subject, designed for master's and MBA programmes.