What to do? This is being written in the middle of the COVID‑19 shutdown. Business is practically zero. Commissions will dry up very soon, and when they will start being paid again is very questionable.

Some of the most well-financed manufacturers will pay on time. But, what is your team going to do to make commissionable sales quickly when you can get out in the market, again?

Manage the Details

The winners are the people who manage the details.

The big question is whether the independent reps are willing and able to attack their market.

How Do You “Attack”?

The key to attacking is to understand that your business is manageable one line at a time, one customer at a time. Most reps don’t have the discipline and patience to approach their business this way, but it is the only way to build a plan for the future.

Stay in Touch

Absence does not make the heart grow fonder!

It has been impossible to get face-to-face with customers. Customers have very short memories. Staying in touch by phone and email, even snail mail, makes sense.

Starting Over….

When things break loose and you are allowed to make face-to-face calls, how do you make that call special? Making your visit stand out can be supported by any number of things — bring in lunch for your meeting and for all of the people in the office. Bring some sort of gift for everyone’s desk — even a nice pen or note pad. Bring a new profile of your rep firm and take a few minutes to reintroduce your company and what you do. This would be even more effective, if you could bring something from three or four of your manufacturers — depending on your business there may be samples or premiums. Certainly, baseball hats, t-shirts, golf shirts, or something else. Having something to start off with and leave behind is a real bonus.

Your Call Organizer Is a Must!

Being really prepared for the call is absolutely essential as you start up your sales efforts after the Covid break.

Having three to five very specific things you want to accomplish on the call is the best starting point. Whether it is introducing a new product from your top line to making very specific suggestions about products the customer can sell with good profit, everything should be geared to helping your customer increase his business.

Be Seen as a Profit Driver

The most important thing for every call in this period is to be seen as a source of profit for your customers. Whether it is short-term profit by helping them sell good profitable products to their customers or longer term by helping the customer establish new sales relationships with good and growing customers. The key is bringing consistent value and support to the customers.

Follow-Up Is Absolutely Vital

Every idea, every program, every promotional plan has to be followed up more completely than ever. Nothing can be allowed to slip.

Your Notes Are Solid Gold

Taking good notes and making commitments which you fulfill is vital.

Backselling

Backselling your manufacturers is worth more than ever.

Let your manufacturers know about the calls that are being made. Give them updates and specifics of what is learned by each salesperson.

Keep a Master Score Sheet

This period provides an ideal time to not only backsell but to stress the importance of the rep relationship and the benefits of rep selling with the manufacturer. It is very unlikely that any manufacturer could get as many calls made as the rep firm. It is a numbers game. Reps need to impress on the manufacturer that the multiple-line-selling approach is the best way to sell, now and for the future.

Direct is dead! Think what a direct sales team would be costing. “No Sell — No Eat!” is a major advantage.

Future Planning Is the Cherry on Top

When the rep firm jumps ahead of the manufacturer and provides specifics about the next year building that manufacturer’s line with the best customers — the whole picture is made crystal clear. Reps are fortunate to have the line and when they are scrupulous in developing ways to make sales, earn commissions, and provide full-service benefits to their key manufacturers the relationships grow and prosper.

The relationships are cultivated and developed by doing great work.

Good luck and good selling.

MANA welcomes your comments on this article. Write to us at [email protected].