Stuff happens! There is no avoiding occasional negatives for your rep firm.

One of the most troubling negatives is losing a good person for any reason. It is critical that rep firm management recognize that communication with manufacturers about personnel changes is absolutely critical and urgent.

Your manufacturers (I like to call them principals) have every right to know everything about your team — their sales force — as soon as something develops.

A Great Letter

I recently received this letter from a rep client:

“I regretfully announce that Charlie Smith [fictional name] will be leaving The Smith Group this Friday, October 24, 2021, to pursue a new career path with one of our close partners, US Manufacturing. Charlie will be moving to Chicago at some point in the near future.

“We are very excited for him.

“We want to thank Charlie for his many contributions to The Smith Group’s successes and his tireless commitment to this rep firm. We respect his decision and wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

“Please forward any questions or concerns to me directly.”

First Class All the Way

This is a rep firm that prides itself on being very personally involved with every principal and every employee.

The loss of this person is a business setback, but it is absolutely essential that any negative implications be minimized immediately.

Of course, the rep firm needs to replace the employee with someone who can do just as good a job as the previous person as quickly as possible.

Backselling Opportunity

Getting the word out immediately is the first step in the backselling process. Using the rep firm’s “team” as the background for the communication is a very powerful way to reinforce the manufacturer’s view of the agency and to make it absolutely clear that everything is under control — even if it is not.

Sudden personnel changes are difficult and troubling, but it is very important to keep all of the difficulty and trouble inside the firm. Employees must be instructed not to discuss the “loss” of this person with anyone, especially people from the manufacturer.

When questioned, the stock answer should be, “Yes, it is too bad that he is leaving, but I know the boss is already searching and interviewing. I expect that we will have someone in place very quickly.”

It doesn’t matter what the facts are or how difficult it will be to replace Charlie. The company line must be maintained at all times.

Top Management Follow-Up

As soon as the letter goes out, the top management of the agency should be on the phone with every key person at every significant principal discussing the change, perhaps getting recommendations for replacements, and letting these key people know that everything is under control, all customers are covered, and nothing will get out of control in any way, shape or form.

Controlling the Messages

This tight, organized control of the messages that are going out from the rep firm is critical to maintaining a positive framework for backselling to the manufacturers.

The rep firm must be seen as professional managers. The rep firm must be seen as in complete control of the situation. The rep firm must be seen as pro-active and aggressive in managing its team.

Top Priority!

When a personnel change occurs, it becomes a number-one priority for the top management of the agency. No matter what else is going on, the task of replacing a key person has to be a primary, everyday activity for at least one person in the rep firm.

No matter what is going on with customers or manufacturers, the replacement of this person must be a very top priority.

Time cannot be wasted. Someone in top management must wake up every day and be on top of this immediate, high-priority need.

Summary

The proper communication and prioritization of a personnel change is a critical management need within a rep sales environment.

These are a few thoughts to review if you are hit with a change in your team.

Good luck and good selling.

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