The Preferred Sales Rep

I've been fortunate to have worked with some of the finest sales representatives, and I count many of them among my good friends. Even so, there have been times when I've gotten so mad at reps that my head almost exploded. Why my anger?

1. He called on my largest account and didn't tell me what happened.
2. He called on my largest account, but the buyer never saw my line.
3. We called on the buyer together, and my rep just sat there.
4. I asked my rep how many dollars she would do with an account, and she had no idea.
5. There is a problem with the account, and my rep was nowhere to be found.
6. My rep missed the presentation window, so my line wasn't even seen that year.
7. He told me the buyer wouldn't like my line, so it was not necessary to present it.
8. She didn't return phone calls.

All of this is bad enough. But when the rep is calling on Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart, it's the kind of thing that can make my head shoot off my neck like a rocket going into orbit.

Independent salespeople represent all but the largest manufacturers, so they hold the fortunes of companies they represent in the palms of their hands. Still, there's no clear sense of best practices for these key players.

I propose a new designation for sales reps who make key account calls for their principals: Preferred Sales Representative.

A Preferred Sales Representative calls on one or all of the principal's three or four largest accounts. In doing so, this representative is pivotal to the health of the company he or she represents, and, as such, has special responsibilities deserving of special compensation.

Let's look first at just a few of the services a Preferred Sales Representative could offer the sales manager:

• Twenty-four hour availability
• A response to phone calls and emails within 60 minutes
• Daily updates on activities with the account
• Quantifiable revenue projections on demand and regularly updated
• Preferred Sales Representative status with the buyer, providing easy access to his or her staff
• A working relationship with and knowledge of customer operations, advertising, logistics, etc.
• Quality sales presentations

Now let's look at what a Preferred Sales Rep should expect:

• Excellent products
• Full transparency with regard to costing, marketing plans, advertising expenditures, sales volume and product availability
• Long-term commitment
• A compensation package that provides a fixed base income
• Aggressive support for the rep's efforts in terms of pricing, sampling, packaging and whatever it takes
• Commissions paid in full on time
• A sense of being a part of the organization

I would bet that a sales manager reading this column is muttering, "No way am I ever going to pay a rep a fixed income." I also bet there are reps grumbling that they will never be available 24 hours a day.

The way I see it, if we want to change the paradigm, we're going to have to expect more and give more. In order to achieve this, I'd like to see the representative and manufacturing communities come together to form a standards commission.

This commission would establish best practices for both sides, set standards for the title of Preferred Representative, and issue credentials. Like those in other professions, it would also provide seminars, courses, mentoring and a grievance process. Whatever direction is taken by the sales and manufacturing communities, let's stop getting mad and start getting better.