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There are really only a few, very important, things that a principal must do in order to make their agents happy and really want to sell a lot of their products. All agents want to be treated as professionals and true partners with the principal. Below are the main attributes each principal should strive to achieve if in fact they want to be considered “perfect.”

• Integrity
• Teamwork
• Open communication
• Friendly
• Mutual respect

Integrity

Without a principal being totally upfront and honest with an agent, there is no chance for a great relationship. The agent will never trust the principal and therefore the agent will not do a great job of selling the principals products. Of course, the agent must be totally honest with the principal so they have complete mutual respect for each other. Everything that applies to the agent must be transparent. These are a few examples:

Commissions: The agent must get a full accounting each month of every detail of each order. The agent must know how much money he or she made on every order. The agent must receive reports showing how much each client has purchased over specific periods of time. When the agent calls the person that figures the commissions, there must be open and honest communication. Nothing should be hidden regarding the agent’s compensation.

Inform the agent when any clients in the territory have communicated with the principal: This way the agent can conduct the proper follow-up with the client. The principal and the agent must work as a team to improve business with each client. The agent needs to know about all phone conversations and e‑mails that the client has had with the principal. The principal does not want to leave the agent in a position where the agent could be “blindsided.” It is a terrible experience for an agent to call a client and give the client information and the client tells the agent that they received different information from the principal. The principal must communicate to the agent, immediately after finishing any communication with a client, all information that was discussed between the client and the principal.

The Principal Must Be Available to Help the Agent Sell the Products in the Line

Too often, when an agent calls the factory for help, nobody is available to offer the assistance the agent needs. The principal must have people in the organization who are well-qualified to answer questions from the agent and work as a teammate with the agent to sell the principal’s products. When agents call the principal, they need answers now. Agents do not want to hear that the person that handles that is not available now.

Friendly

Who wants to sell a product line of a company that can’t have fun and treat the agent with respect? Hopefully nobody. The atmosphere at the principal — from everyone that works at that principal’s office — must be friendly. These people will be communicating not only with the agent, but also with the agent’s clients. The owner of the principal company should call the agent from time to time to see how he or she and the company can help the agent sell more of the principal’s products and make more money. Most senior managers/owners of principals do not do this and this is something that is so easy to do. This also goes a very long way in making the agent feel good about representing the line. How we all feel is very important because we will naturally promote the companies we represent where we have a good feeling about the principal. The principal must be able to put themselves in the shoes of the agent that is selling their line. They must know that the easier they make working with their company, the more the agent will sell. It is really pretty simple to understand.

Works With the Agent to Help Sell Specific Projects

Many sales managers and owners are very poor at this. Usually the owner or sales manager comes to visit the agent, makes a few sales calls and leaves. Usually there is no follow-up from the principal on specific projects. The best principals have people that actually work with the agent on specific projects helping to make the sale. This is true teamwork and this is what most agents want. Most agents do not look forward to just “dragging someone from the company around to meet some clients.” It is very refreshing when someone from the principal company works as a teammate rather than just someone that flies in to say hi to a few clients.

All Quotes Are Controlled by the Agent Unless the Agent Asks the Principal to Quote

The principal must understand that the agent is the salesperson for the principal and the agent calls the shots on how he or she wants the territory to run. We all have clients that want to “go around” the agent and try and get a better price from the principal. The principal must refer all inquirers regarding quotes to the agent so the agent can properly run his or her territory.

Open Communication at All Times With the Agent

The agent must feel as though he or she is part of the principal’s “family.” The agent must be kept up to date on new products, new marketing information, new people who are working at the principal’s company. This is all so easy to do, however, so many principals fail to do this. If an agent does not feel as if they are “part of the team,” he or she will not feel great about promoting the line and this is not good for either party.

The principal-agent relationship must be a win-win situation and both parties must have the other’s back. As an experienced agent, I know first-hand how gratifying and rewarding it is to work with a principal where both parties respect each other and work towards a mutually beneficial relationship.

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