They eliminated the“ garbage” and sales went up, fast!
Sellers Sell!
The bottom line for reps is that everyone in the company is involved in sales. The field salespeople can contribute in ways other than writing orders, but everything they do should be directed at getting an order for one of the lines.
Marketing Is Selling, but ….
A rep can be asked to help a principal by finding out information, looking at markets, getting pricing information, seeking out specific people, but none of this is a substitute for selling.
The bottom line is that the salespeople must be devoting 90 percent of their time to actual selling— working with customers, working with field management for the manufacturers, and working with end-users.
The field salesperson’ s job is selling!
Hiring Decisions Must Focus on Selling
A rep friend called today to ask about a decision he was making to hire a new salesperson. The new seller was going to have a very high base salary and be paid 30 percent of the commission income earned as his commission. The goal was to have this seller earning big money quickly and really helping the rep firm grow and prosper even more than it had in its 50 + year history.
My friend was concerned because the young man he was making an offer to had big ideas and fully intended to buy the rep firm from him, relatively soon.
Focus on Selling
My answer to his concerns and nervousness about this hire was“ make sure he sells and if not— fire him!”
That’ s the bottom line in the rep business. You either sell or you go. There are no in between goals or ideas. Sellers sell! The new salesman-rep had to understand that he was coming on board to sell! The young guy might be very bright, but if he couldn’ t master the techniques of multiple-line selling and backselling in the rep business, he was of no value to my friend.
Focus on Selling
The new guy has to learn fast. He has to master the major lines. He has to come to really understand the major principals and how to enhance the rep firm’ s position with those lines( backselling).