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Agencies’ quest to locate and hire competent and hopefully successful outside salespeople remains a constant. If there was any need to have a reminder of the importance of that ongoing process read the interviews with agency heads that appear in this issue of Agency Sales. At the same time, it’s worthwhile to take a look back almost 10 years to an article that appeared in this publication (May 2009) entitled “In Search of the Right Salespeople.”

In that article, Mike Norton of AxiomOne, a company that provides diagnostic and evaluation tools to assist in the hiring process, detailed some of his thoughts on the importance of carefully approaching the hiring process.

At that time Norton professed great optimism in the future of the independent rep business model when he said, “I see great opportunities for reps. I believe manufacturers will turn to reps — as they already are in great numbers — because reps are such a flexible sales force. Those numbers turning to reps will only increase when the financial people who occupy so many of the manufacturers’ decision-making positions understand the message that reps:

• Work on commission.
• Don’t need the benefits and support the manufacturer commonly provides its direct sales force.
• Know the needs of their territories.
• Know who the customers are and have long-standing relationships with them.
• Tend to have deep roots in their territories.
• And, they work with 30-, 90-, or 120-day contracts.

“So for manufacturers, the question remains, ‘What better time than now to sign on with reps?’”

Mike Norton

Norton added that while these attributes provide the ideal opportunity for reps to shine, at the same time rep firm owners are faced with the challenge of growing their organizations by finding, hiring, training and retaining professional salespeople. The question remains, however, “How does the rep accomplish those tasks?”

He continued, “As many manufacturers continue to downsize, there’s an exponential challenge for reps to choose from among the many available people to make sure they get the right fit. To achieve that correct fit, what should the rep firm owner be looking for? I’m not going to volunteer that there are blanket capabilities they should be seeking. What they should be seeking, however, are individuals that they can measure or affix a benchmark to. In other words, they’ve got to be able to have someone in place so that they can say, ‘Here’s what I want you to be achieving in 90 days, 120 days, or a year.’ In the absence of that kind of benchmark or goal setting, they’re not going to be successful in finding what they need for their organizations.”

Norton emphasized that the obvious first step in the process he was referring to is recruiting. He cited one rep firm that “…formalized an approach that I’ve heard many other reps refer to, and that is simply staying alert to what he hears from others in the industry. Basically, when he learns of someone who’s good at their job, he asks that the person be sent his way — if they’re available.”

In order to be effective in this process, the rep needs to have a clear picture of the exact type of person he’s seeking to join his firm. Be able to ask and answer the following questions:

• What skills must they possess?
• What benchmarks are we looking to achieve?
• Where do we want to be in the future with this person?

“Once you’ve accomplished that, the rest just falls into place,” he maintained.

In addition to regularly touching base with fellow reps, Norton urged reps to make use of the networking organizations they belong to. He cautioned, however, on the practice of taking personnel from your rep peers. “That’s something I’d definitely stay away from; however, if you learn from one of your manufacturers or distributors that there’s someone very good available, there’s nothing wrong with acting on that information. If networking efforts don’t bring the desired results, don’t be afraid to search various job boards for individuals who might meet your position requirements.”

He went on to address questions that any sales manager has had to face and they are, “When it comes to selling, is it an art or a science? Is effective selling innate, or can the individual be trained to be effective?”

In answer, he maintained “I’m of the mindset that as you develop your job requirements, you keep in mind that if someone isn’t from a specific industry, but is a ‘killer salesperson,’ and possesses the drive and work ethic, they can be trained to be effective in your industry. I’ve seen some rep firms fall into a trap of sorts — they find someone from their industry, get all excited about them and the fact that they’ve made the right hire, and then as they approach various benchmarks, they realize they’ve made a serious hiring error.”

Once an agency locates a prospect, Norton maintained that rep firms have to go above and beyond the norm in order to attract the kinds of top-performing people needed. “In challenging times people tend to stick with the ‘devil they know.’ They’re not as willing to make a change as they would be during boom times when they’re much more willing to take a risk. As a result, to attract people the rep firm has to communicate to prospects that the firm is going to be around for the next 10 years. They can point to their stability in the territory as an indication of their roots in the community and then work to convince candidates that their organization has what it takes to keep the doors open. Finally, show candidates that there are plenty of opportunities to make money when going to work with a rep firm.”

If what Norton described constituted the “selling” job a firm owner needs to perform on a prospect, he cautioned against over selling in that area. “Be careful about selling yourself and your firm right out of the gate. Instead, save that till the very end when the prospect has already exhibited genuine interest in your organization.”

Once the recruitment process has been completed and the firm owner is faced with the question of who should be added to his sales team, Norton advised against comparing and contrasting the final candidates. “Don’t just sit there and look at whom you have and compare and contrast them with each other. If you follow that practice, what you’re ultimately going to do is go with the best of the worst. You’re going to choose the one who’s least offensive, the one with the fewest warts. Instead, refer to what I’ve already emphasized about the need to set measurements and benchmarks, and make your decisions based upon which of the candidates is best able to meet those mutually established goals. Let each candidate stand alone, and if the answer is ‘No’ on all of them, then move on.”

The consultant continued by maintaining that reps should also be cautious in the area of “personal chemistry” or “gut feeling” when it comes to making a final choice. “I always warn my clients about the danger of ‘falling in like’ with a candidate. Certainly we’re all aware of the fact that customers are more inclined to buy from someone they like, but that doesn’t mean you have a close personal relationship with the person you hire. If you objectively assess their talents and determine they can excel at their jobs, then they should be a ‘go.’”

Norton concluded his thoughts on the recruiting and signing of salespeople by noting that as rep firm owners consider how they’re going to grow and where they’re going to find the people to work for them, “They should have concrete plans to serve them in the future. A number of firms were started and sustained on the sheer drive, energy and talent of their founders. Those attributes may have worked well when the firm had three to five people, but it’s different as you continue to grow. You need a plan, a vision and mission to move forward. If you do and the new hire sees clearly where they can fit into that plan, you’ve unlocked the door to future growth and success.”

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