Things everyone who sells for a rep agency should do. A check list for every rep firm owner/manager.

Selling as an independent representative salesperson for a manufacturers’ representative agency is not an easy job. Success demands great organizational skills and discipline.

Here is a review of essential elements: See how many boxes you can check if you are a territory salesperson. If you are the boss, how many boxes are the members of your team checking off?

1. Line Card Review — Territory Results Analysis

In your line card, how many of the lines do you actually sell productively?

Which lines provide five percent or more of total commission income for the territory?

How do an individual territory’s results compare to the company totals? (This question presumes that the management/ownership of the firm is providing its salespeople with data to measure themselves with.)

A large measure of the effectiveness of the ideas presented here depends on management/ownership willingness to share data with the employees of the company.

This type of information has been proven to help rep firms grow and prosper through open-book management. Telling the employees, especially the salespeople, how the company performs and how the individual salespeople compare to the company as a whole is one of the most effective methods for improving results.

When reviewing lines and results in the territory, also pay attention to the percent of total commissions provided by each significant line. I define “significant” as five percent or more of the total. That means that a line that represents less than five percent of total commission income is not significant.

Summary: The individual salesperson compares his or her results by line with the rest of the reps for the company.

Where there are significant differences, the question has to be: “Why?”

The salesperson has to be able to provide these answers.

2. Territory Review — Geographic Analysis

The salesperson must consider the geography that comprises the territory. What major markets exist?

How do the various metropolitan areas compare in size and commission potential?

How do the sales results for the territory compare to other geographic areas and why the differences? This means that the rep firm must provide comprehensive data to the sales force.

Assuming that potential can be equated to size, how do territory results compare as a percentage of sales.

Why are certain areas outperforming others? Are areas that one salesperson works similar geographically and demographically, but very different in commission production? If so, why?

3. Customer Review — Who Are the Significant Customers?

Remember the five percent rule. Looking at the significant customers, how do they compare in their results line-by-line? Are there major differences? Why?

Do one or two customers dominate the market? Is there a reason for this? What changes can the salesperson see coming in the market?

4. Customer Personnel Review — Organization Analysis

Which customer has the strongest personnel? Which customer does the most to market and sell the rep firm’s products? Why are the relationships with the best customers so much better than those with the average customers? Remember we are talking about only the “good” customers — those that produce significant commission income. All of these customers are important.

Are there a few customer salespeople that are truly outstanding selling the rep firm’s products? These are super stars. Why?

What can be done to increase the number of customer salespeople who are super stars for the rep firm’s customers? How can we make this happen?

5. Competition in the Territory Review

Who is the key competition looking at each of the significant lines?

Which customers are performing best for the competition and why? What does the competition do that makes the performance of their customers superior to the performance of the rep firm’s customers? What can we do about it?

6. Final Analysis and Self-Rating

Honestly and objectively rate individual performance and territory performance vs. others in the rep firm and competition. Why does one territory salesperson outperform others?

What can be done to significantly improve the performance in each territory?

Check the boxes and evaluate every salesperson and territory to increase results.

Good luck and good selling!

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