Category Archives: Feature

Sales Metrics That Matter

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Just because you can measure it doesn’t mean it needs to be measured.

I see too many sales managers and salespeople measuring things just because it’s easy, and for some reason they think it’s going to make a difference.

I’m going to walk you through 10 metrics that can have a huge impact on your efficiency and success. Are you looking at these?

1. Number of Conversations With Prospects or Customers

This excludes customer service calls — these are true sales calls. This is pretty simple.

2. Number of Calls Made to Prospects, Not Customers

This is key because oftentimes … Read the rest

A Patient Approach to Sales Presentations

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I talk a great deal about prospecting and closing deals, but there’s something in the middle of the process that’s also quite important: the time when you make your pitch and state your case.

After contacting cold prospects and dealing with your fair share of rejections, it’s a nice feeling when you land an in-person meeting. This meeting is your chance to build a relationship with the prospect that hopefully leads to a closed sale. We commonly refer to these meetings as “sales presentations,” but that term is actually misleading.

Just because it’s a “sales presentation” doesn’t mean you do … Read the rest

Four Steps to Keeping Customers

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We all make mistakes. If anyone tells you they never make a mistake, that’s a lie. More likely, what those people actually are telling you is that, even when they make a mistake, they won’t own it.

Owning our mistakes is a critical step in service recovery — and service recovery is critical to the success of your business, no matter what that business is.

I estimate that, in the United States, 80 percent of employees lie when there’s a problem instead of confessing to it and solving it. When you make a mistake, you can either solve it and … Read the rest

MANA Board Chairperson Named IUCAB Agent of the Year

Tommy Garnett, president and CEO of Garnett Component Sales (GCS), along with his team, has been awarded the George Hayward Commercial Agent of the Year Award by the Internationally United Commercial Agents and Brokers (IUCAB).

The award was presented during the IUCAB Annual Delegates’ meeting in Vienna, Austria, and accepted on Garnett’s behalf by Charles Cohon, CEO and president of the Manufacturers’ Agents National Association (MANA).

Garnett was nominated by MANA, one of the 20 members of the Europe-based IUCAB, which serves as an umbrella association for manufacturers’ representatives globally. The award is presented annually to an exceptional representative firm … Read the rest

Keys to Hiring Personnel

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“You can’t grow business without people.” That was a major message contained in a podcast conducted by MANA member John Beaver earlier this year.

After having said that, however, Beaver hardly left his audience in a vacuum as he explained that finding, evaluating and hiring new people is not necessarily an easy task and the road to finding the right people isn’t easily traveled. It can be filled with potholes — mistakes are going to be made along the way. “Your own people aren’t always going to do the job perfectly. As a rep you can certainly try to do … Read the rest

Dealing With the Pain of Parting Company

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In Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare may have written, “Parting is such sweet sorrow,” but in the words of one rep who terminated his nearly 30‑year relationship with a manufacturer, “parting really hurt.”

According to the rep, here’s what happened to result in that painful parting of the ways: “We repped this company for close to 30 years and finally realized we had to terminate the relationship about four years ago even though they represented about 80 percent of our income. What brought us to this decision was a combination of things including:

  • Quality went down.
  • Prices went up.
  • Lead times
… Read the rest

Going Above and Beyond

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“Going over and above the call of duty while exceeding customer expectations.”

When Marc Carver appeared in the pages of Agency Sales three years ago, he pointed to his company’s M.O. (above) as a major reason for his lengthy success as a rep.

As if there has to be some validation that no truer words were ever spoken Carver went well over the call of duty this year as he was named vendor of the year by the Alaska Commercial Company (ACC) at its trade show and conference in Anchorage.

As noted in that July 2021 article in this publication, … Read the rest

Continual Learning as a Form of Insurance

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For seven years, I taught juniors and seniors in the business college at my local university. I was occasionally amused by the things students would say in our after-class discussions especially as the spring semester waned.

“I can’t wait for graduation,” said one burned-out senior, “so I never have to study again.”

I had to smile when I heard that comment. Not wanting to burst her bubble, I said nothing, allowing her to enjoy the excitement of her approaching graduation. It wasn’t the right time to tell her that her education was actually just beginning.

In order to succeed in … Read the rest

The Value of Rep Councils From a Rep’s Perspective

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During my 40-year career, I served on a rep council for three different manufacturers. For one manufacturer I was selected chair of a four-member council. It was the first rep council that this manufacturer convened. Each rep council lasted for two days. The reps needed two days for travel, so each council required a commitment of four days.

In the commercial construction industry, few manufacturers held rep councils during my career. The three on which I served were the only ones out of a total of more than 40 manufacturers I represented over the years. Manufacturers either did not understand … Read the rest

Building Resilience in Sales Teams

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Sales is a high-pressure field characterized by frequent rejections, intense competition, and ever-changing targets.

These challenges can take a toll on even the most experienced sales professionals, making resilience not just a valuable trait but a necessary one for success. Resilience in sales teams leads to better coping strategies, sustained motivation, and improved performance over time. This article provides practical tips and techniques for building resilience among sales teams, ensuring they remain focused and motivated, regardless of the challenges they face.

Understanding Resilience in Sales

Resilience in the context of sales is the ability to bounce back from setbacks, maintain … Read the rest

The Data: What Percentage of Salespeople Are Really Coachable?

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I was recently sharing with others our experiences coaching salespeople, sales managers and sales leaders, and comparing those who were and weren’t coachable. It wasn’t personal. It wasn’t about whether we liked them as people. It was about those who did or did not make changes and improve.

When it comes to coaching salespeople, many conditions must be met.

Let’s begin with the coaching environment itself.

  • Salespeople must have a relationship with their sales manager that is strong enough to withstand constructive criticism.
  • Salespeople must trust their sales manager’s intentions.
  • Salespeople must respect their sales manager’s coaching.

If those three … Read the rest

Sell More by Saying Less:
Tips to Enhance Trust Through Stronger Listening

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Over the 30-plus years I’ve worked with teams to enhance their customer service and selling skills, I’ve observed one simple, seldom-used communication skill that builds trust. Those who apply it create stronger, higher-value relationships professionally and personally. The secret? Being seen as a strong listener. Unfortunately, there’s a catch.

Most of us think of ourselves as being good listeners, yet the way we actually communicate may unintentionally come across as dismissive or condescending. Not good. To ensure you’re drawing others in rather than putting them off, here are four ways you can enhance trust through stronger listening.

1. Rethink “Impressive”… Read the rest

From Baseball, to Sneakers, to Repping

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What happens to a pitcher when his arm wears out before any dreams of professional baseball can be realized? Naturally, he may pivot to another career path. This was somewhat the case for Brandon Goldberg. Following the dashed hopes of baseball stardom and a brief stint as an athletic shoe salesman, Goldberg eventually found his calling as a manufacturers’ rep.

“As a kid growing up in Dayton, I realized early on that I had talent on the ball field,” Goldberg recalls. “I was a left-handed pitcher who could throw hard into the high 80s and 90s, and I could hit. … Read the rest

Reps Need to Be Paid

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Reps don’t work for free.

That was a major message emanating from a MANA special interest group discussion for reps who sell in international markets earlier this year. The reps who participated in the far-ranging teleconference were adamant that their levels of expertise and the time they spend to develop business for principals were too valuable to be contributed free of charge.

For instance, according to one rep, “I’m not going to spend an unlimited amount of time and money to develop business for principals without being compensated for my efforts.” To counter the desire of many principals to have … Read the rest

An Alternative to a Market Development Fee

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A rep and a potential new manufacturer have discussed signing a rep contract. The manufacturer’s products have no sales in the rep territory. The manufacturer is depending on the rep’s reputation with his customers to develop sales volume. The rep suggests the manufacturer pay a market development fee.

Naturally, the manufacturer wants to know what that fee would be, on what basis it would be established, and for how long the fee would be paid. As an alternative to a market development fee, I suggest both the rep and the manufacturer demonstrate to each other a commitment to a long-term … Read the rest

Proactive Positioning of the Agency

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Everyone has to be selling the agency all the time.

Positioning the agency for significant market success is a 24/7-365 job for everyone from the receptionist to the president. Looking for opportunities to backsell principals should be a never-ending target — everyone at the agency should sell the agency to everyone who comes in contact with the rep firm as a customer, customer salesperson, customer’s customer and, just as important, the employees and prospective employees of the rep firm.

Also, most essential, principals who are looking for representation in the rep firm’s territory. The profile is the first element of … Read the rest

How to Stand Out From Other Salespeople

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In sales you simply must stand out from other salespeople, not just the ones in your industry, but all the salespeople that are calling on your prospects and customers, as they are also competing for their time, attention and money. Here are several ways to be unique in sales.

1. Exceed Customer Expectations

Go above and beyond; under-promise and over-deliver. Do more than the customer expects you to do. You exceed customer expectations by delivering more, better and/or faster. Deliver earlier than expected (assuming the customer can take delivery sooner) and deliver more than expected. If your customer tells you … Read the rest

The Importance of Coaching Salespeople

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I have written on the topic of coaching salespeople more than 400 times or 25 percent of my articles.

Why?

Because sales managers are not coaching — still — at least not consistently or effectively. As a reminder, consistent daily coaching increases revenue by 28 percent and when it is paired with effective coaching, revenue increases by 43 percent. It’s simply incomprehensible that sales managers aren’t picking up the clue phone. But it’s not really their fault. The people they report to, senior sales leadership, either sales VPs, CROs or CSOs, aren’t providing the time, framework, incentive, motivation, guidelines, expectations … Read the rest

Mind Software and Thinking

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The recent proliferation of AI (Artificial Intelligence) has surfaced a lingering issue: If we can create software to increase the capabilities of a computer, can we not create software to increase the capabilities of the greatest computer we know of — our minds?

Let’s unpack this idea. First, a definition of software. Here’s what Wikipedia says: “groups of binary values signifying processor instructions….”

If software gives instructions to a processor, can we not build a set of instructions that will enhance our ability to think more effectively? If so, wouldn’t that be mind software?

To make sure we are all … Read the rest

Never Mistake Marketing for Sales

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On separate occasions I recently met with two small business owners. These guys don’t know each other, but they have a lot in common: despite great effort, neither is happy with their revenue. Both companies are “getting by” but not thriving.

A quick examination revealed the same reason why revenues are falling short — both owners are mistaking promotional activity for selling activity.

Allow Me to Explain

Both of these entrepreneurs tirelessly promote their companies. They belong to service clubs and chambers of commerce. They show up at networking events. They lead active social lives. They advertise. They buy social … Read the rest

Building a Rep Firm

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Talk to husband-and-wife Johnny and Laci Davis about their growing rep firm and the word that surfaces the most is “grit.” That shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise given the agency name. But it’s important to understand how they came upon that name and what it means as they continue to grow their agency.

In 2022, after a 16-plus-year career in the pool and spa industry, Johnny Davis, the agency’s CEO and co-founder, together with his wife Laci, made the decision to build something of their own.

According to co-founder and Chief Content Officer Laci Davis, before they … Read the rest

Group Tackles Single-Person Agency Concerns

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If participants in a MANA single-person agency special interest group discussion earlier this year learned anything it was that they’re more alike than they are different when it comes to the challenges that they face.

That conclusion is borne out from the variety of subjects that were introduced by the group, all of which showed that just about every one of them shares the same concerns and challenges as the others. Whether it was having difficulty getting appointments with customers, pulling timely quotes from principals, or dealing with manufacturers who are anxious to have reps conduct pioneering work for them, … Read the rest

Single-Person or Multi-Person Agency?

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I am not aware of any recent studies detailing what percentage of independent manufacturers’ representative businesses are single-person or multi-person agencies. During my 46 years as a rep, I met hundreds of reps at manufacturers’ sales meetings and rep councils. Most of them owned single-person agencies or agencies that included family members.

Business Model

Prior to launching my agency in 1975 I had earned both industrial engineering and MBA degrees. My work experience included nine years with two Fortune 500 companies where I managed sales teams and inside sales support teams. A multi-person agency was a logical business model for … Read the rest

Total Customer Knowledge Is Key to Sales Success

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Knowing everything about your customer opens doors. Selling is about relationships. No one questions that fact, but does the rep salesperson really understand the process of knowing their customers in depth?

What should be involved with gaining complete knowledge of the customer?

Knowing the People

This is the first step. Who works for the customer and what do they do? Who are they as people — wife, kids, hobbies, activities, other in-depth knowledge about every person at the customer who can possibly influence or interact with the salesperson, the rep company and the manufacturer? Which dealer/distributors does each person at … Read the rest

Follow These Basics to Ensure Sales Success

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John Wooden, perhaps the best college basketball coach ever, used to start each season by showing players how to properly put on their socks and sneakers, as a mistake here could “domino‑effect” its way all the way to lost games. Vince Lombardi, the great Green Bay Packers coach, once said that football basically comes down to two things: blocking on offense and tackling on defense, and those great Packer teams spent 80 percent of their time practicing those two basics. Red Auerbach, who coached the Boston Celtics to eight consecutive championships, is known for having players practice basic shots like … Read the rest

This Is Why You’re Failing to Meet Your Sales Targets

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Let me tell you a little story about Stuart. Stuart has an MBA from one of the best universities in the country. He’s got all the right contacts and he’s just been appointed to a new leadership position in sales. Go, Stuart!

Unfortunately, Stuart has not been able to meet any of the sales targets of his predecessor; a friendly, humble and hardworking man named Bob. No, Stuart! Sure, he’s great on paper, but what could he be doing wrong? I heard a rumor that he even did his thesis around sales in this particular market. Son, where did things … Read the rest

Considering the Sales Masters

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What sets the best salespeople apart from the average?

For 35 years I have pursued that question. I’ve read more than 300 sales books, authored 13 of my own, worked with more than 500 sales organizations, talked with thousands of sales managers and executives, and trained tens of thousands of B2B salespeople to sell better.

I believe I have an answer. But, first, let’s define our terms.

The best salespeople are the top five percent in their industry. These are the people who are so far above the mass in their performance that they will often produce about 50 percent … Read the rest

When All Else Fails, Default to Action!

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I met with a friend this week, who told me about a saying one company uses to keep people focused on success: “Default to action.”

Do you ever find yourself paralyzed with indecision? Sometimes we get so busy that we don’t know what to do first. “Default to action” tells us to at least do something. Getting started with something right now is better than fretting about what to do first (because that just leads to procrastination and no progress).

Do you ever find yourself in a down market and therefore demotivated? Default to action! When all else fails, and … Read the rest

Service Strategy: The Most Powerful Tool You Can Have

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The reason most organizations deliver poor or mediocre customer service is that they don’t understand the power of a customer service strategy. What do I mean by this?

Strategy is a powerful tool you can use to gain market share and market dominance. When you develop a customer service strategy, you will crush your competition and grow the value of your business by 100 to 400 percent. It’s a powerful and cost-effective tool, but it requires commitment and relentless support from top management. Only a handful of companies deliver great service or understand the real financial impact it has on … Read the rest

Reps Build Something of Their Own

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The three partners of The Garham Group have been able to achieve their goals of successfully creating and growing a business all their own while “Bringing Products to Life.” As stated on the agency’s website (www.garhamgroup.com), the products they “bring to life” reside primarily in their customers’ backyards.

Anthony Zasuwa, one of the agency’s three partners, states: “We specialize in exterior building and outdoor living materials. These include decking, railing, cladding, foundation, and hardscape products. During the last five years, there’s been a real emphasis on backyard spaces. As an agency, we focus on selling innovative products that last a … Read the rest