Based on several conversations we’ ve had with other manufacturers and reps that tout the council experience, here are some thoughts on that experience:
Before you conduct your first meeting, make sure that it is you— and not they— who are in charge. It is the manufacturer that should set the agenda and conduct the meeting. It’ s you who went to the trouble of creating the rep council and hosting the meeting. Take advantage of the opportunity— after all, you’ re entitled. Don’ t ever consider that it’ s a problem when someone is being outspoken or what we might consider“ constructively” critical. But keep an eye on the individual who only brings up problems and never offers a solution. Chances are it is they and not your company that is the problem. Be careful of how you populate your rep council. It might be wise to keep your distance from those that have nothing but negative reputations.
Planning and Preparation Ensure Success
When it came to making the move from a direct to an outsourced sales force, one manufacturer admitted that he was anxious to make the move, but when he made it, he didn’ t put planning and preparation on the front burner. Here’ s how he described his experience:“ When I made the move, I was naturally pleased that I didn’ t have a salaried direct sales force. That was a tremendous saving. At the same time, however, I didn’ t make the internal investment of having a rep support staff in place prior to making the move. If I was able to learn anything from the experience that I can pass along to others, it’ s that your reps are your‘ sales partners’ and they need as much support— if not more— than your direct people ever did.
“ Since I was saving all that money on salaries, it was the opportune time to beef up the inside sales staff. Training the inside people on how to work effectively with reps is critical. And, it’ s not a one-time deal; it’ s an on-going process. With the aid of my reps, I now regularly conduct‘ audits’ of my inside staff to ensure they are performing at a level that makes the outsourced sales force function as efficiently as possible.”
Knowing Your Audience
After investing a good deal of time, effort and money in the creation of a new website, one manufacturer was faced with the reality that he had missed the mark. Here’ s how he described what happened:“ It was certainly a hard pill to swallow when several of my top-performing reps let me know that the new website didn’ t meet their needs. Even if I do say so myself, I’ ve developed a good reputation for listening to what my reps tell me. That’ s why when they said the website I had worked long and hard on wasn’ t doing the job, I knew I had better pay attention. My biggest mistake was not consulting them from the beginning. My thinking was that the site was being put together for my and my customers’ needs, not necessarily for them. My mistake was not considering their needs. Among the things that got my attention was their desire to have a link running from their respective sites directly to mine. And once there, they provided me with a number of tips on how to make the site more useful— for them and their customers. Once again, I