In tough economic times, principals more than ever take a very hard look at the value they receive for the commissions they invest with your rep company. In good times, principals might only use a magnifying glass to scrutinize the value your rep company brings to that relationship. In bad times, they use a microscope.Rep companies that look good under the microscope actually can prosper in a recession, as principals move from costly direct sales forces to reps, and from reps whose business practices don’t look good under the microscope to those who do.To prosper in a tough economic environment where excellence is swiftly rewarded and less-than-excellence is even more swiftly punished, it’s time for you to put your own company under the microscope to see what your principals see.How do your business practices look under the microscope? Do you methodically respond to all principal communications within 24 hours? Says one rep: “Honestly, the sales leads I get from my principals often are of dubious quality, but if my principals place a high value on those leads, then I have to place a high value on those leads too. So I always acknowledge the lead by e-mail immediately, and close out the lead within five business days, even if it is just to say I have called twice and e-mailed twice, but was not able to make contact.”How do your people look under the microscope? Do you have a continuing improvement program in place for product training and sales training? And do your people who have management responsibilities get business training?How does your line card look under the microscope? Did you cultivate your line card so that most of your principals benefit from each sales call you make, or have you kept a few odd-man-out principals that don’t fit with the rest of your line card? The first thing that a great prospective principal will look at is your line card, and if your line card does not reflect a laser focus on that principal’s market, you won’t even be called for an interview.

And once you’ve readied your company for microscopic scrutiny, it’s time to share those improvements with your principals. After all, the only way they will know that you have set the bar higher is if you tell them so.

And, of course, a great way to let your principals know you’ve set the bar higher would be to be featured on the cover of Agency Sales magazine! On page 21 of this issue, you’ll find details about how encouraging your principals and fellow reps to join MANA could get you on the front cover of the September 2012 issue of Agency Sales!