Sales Tips For Sales Managers - Hiring Sales Representatives in a Down Economy

As the economy trends downward we are seeing multiple companies shrink their sales force and cut the fat in order to save costs. Most companies right now are looking to eliminate their lowest performing sales representatives and even their sales managers to ensure a higher return on investment on their sales team. This scenario leads to hundreds of thousands of sales representatives and other sales professionals hitting the bricks for one of the biggest sales of their life; their employment. So with all the salespeople in the job market today you would think that this makes it easier to recruit top level, high performing sales talent, right? Believe it or not, it actually makes it harder and more time consuming. Not only do you have way more applicants than you would usually have, you have a much higher percentage of underperformers. It takes longer and requires more attention to see past the smoke screen put off by your applicants. Keep in mind that you are interviewing professional, job hungry sales people, even bad ones know what you want to hear.

So what sales tips can I share with you to help ensure that you aren't hiring sales representatives that have been cut due to their performance?  First, you'll need to look at past sales history. Did this individual obtain their monthly quotas, are there any awards or spiffs that have been given to the individual. Do they have anything to back up their claim that they were a top performer at their last place of employment? Believe it or not, I once ask this question to a sales representative who was interviewing for an online advertising sales job that very question. He opened his wallet and took out a paystub for a $10,000 bi-weekly commission check. This check was 8-10 times what a usual representative would make at the candidates previous employer. Another thing you can do is role play with the sales representative to get an idea of their sales process or sales techniques. I've asked sales people to try and sell me the pen that was in their hand. I would off objection after objection and listen to their rebuttals. It also let me know if they were taking the interview seriously, if they wanted to job and how they acted under pressure. As silly as it sounds this was often one of my favorite interview tools for sales people.

Even with the most elaborate sales testing or career testing it is absolutely impossible to predict how a sales representative or sales manager will perform in your company. These interviewing techniques for sales representatives only help so much. In the end it will come down to the sales representative's personal drive, ambition and talent, among other things.  On the other hand these tests will help you discover the sales representatives with "red flags" or obvious warning signs. 

Oliver Feakins is a sales and marketing oriented entrepreneur from Lancaster County, PA. Oliver also maintains a sales blog called Quick Sales Tips (http://www.quicksalestips.com) which offers selling help to the sales community. Oliver also consults for area businesses on internet marketing and lead generation both on and offline. His past include executive level positions in the healthcare and internet marketing industries. Oliver can be reached via email at: oliverfeakins@hotmail.com

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Independent Sales Representatives Selection Guide

Manufactures know that sales channels are not only ways to getting new business but also a lifeline just staying alive. In this every changing market where foreign manufacturers are eroding the market share with low pricing, manufacturers must find ways to sell their products and reduce cost.

So what are a manufacturer's options when it comes to sales? Adding a direct sales force to your payroll can be expensive and risky. A direct sales person must be trained in both product knowledge and selling skills. Once put into the field, most manufactures will allow six month and then expect a return on their investment. If the results are not there, then the manufacture must start all over again.

Another method is to use independent sales reps that only get paid on results. Sounds like to best route to go but there are downsides. Sales reps sell for a number of different manufacturers and thus your product offering may get the attention you expect. Also independent sales reps set their own hours, choose the customers they call upon and sell the products of they choose. Sales reps also want to take over existing business in their territory without earning it or expect to get paid for any missionary work they may do to develop new accounts. This also can be expensive and risky.

Even though there are downsides to using sales reps, there are benefits that far beyond a direct sales force. A properly selected, trained, managed and motivated sales rep network can produce results and keep your marketing and sales overhead down. Here is the process of developing a productive sales rep network.

The first step in developing productive sales rep network is finding and selecting the right sales reps. Easier said than done. It is estimate that there are over 90,000 sales reps in the US that sell everything from cleaning supplies to airplanes. Finding to right reps is like finding a needle in a haystack. The places you can look are business to business yellow pages, association directories, putting up signs at trade shows, asking customers where to find good reps, internet rep search engines, sales representative associations, word of mouth, etc.

The second step in selecting the right sales rep is to review the rep's line card. A line card is a list of the companies and products a sales rep represents. The line card will indicate the product mix. Your product line must complement the products on the line card. Sales reps specialize in complementary products and industries. Also the type and quality of manufacturers the sales rep presently represents can indicate the skill level of the prospective sales rep. A word to the wise, sales reps that have too many lines, normally to not have the time to pitch everyone's lines.

Once a candidate is selected via the line card, the next step is to contact the sale rep. This can be done by mail, email and phone. Keep in mind that the good sales reps already have a revenue stream from their present principals and thus you will have to do some selling for the sales rep to carry your line. Some manufacturers think that sales reps are just waiting to pick up another line. The opposite is true. The good sales reps will not pickup a line they don't think they can sell. For these reps, it's a waste of time to carry to many lines. Other factors maybe the sales reps may have a conflict and/or their plate is full. The average of sales reps contacted to those who are interested is about 4:1. So don't get discouraged if you find that there is some work involved.

Once you and sales rep has had an opportunity to review each other materials and there is still interest by both parties, then an interview is in order. A face-to-face meeting is very important either in the field or at the manufacturing plant. It recommended that the manufacturer met the sales rep in the field. This way the manufacturer can see how the sales rep place of business.

Article by Hency A Bunner at Sales Unlimited LLC, 12312 Shelbyville Road, Louisville, KY 40245 Phone: 502-244-8924

We are a marketing consulting firm that has a number of independent reps and distributors who are looking to represent a company like yours but do not know whom to contact. We have increased sales for other companies through qualified sales people that only get paid on results. Our firm has over 45 years of experience in sales & marketing with a database of over 65,000 reps and distributors, from which we select, contact, screen and contract. We offer increased sales by providing motivated and experienced sales reps and distributors that know how to deliver fast results through their established customer base. Contact us at: Sales Unlimited LLC, 12312 Shelbyville Road, Louisville, KY 40245 Att: Hency A Bunner Phone; 502-244-8924 http://www.proact2000.com

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