Category Archives: Feature

Eleven Ways to Hook Customers

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The challenge is the same for every salesperson who gets an order. What it takes is capturing the customer’s imagination. The competition isn’t another brand or a better product or service. The competition is another salesperson, one who knows how to hook customers.

The primary task for every salesperson is getting customers to want to do business with them. Without that, customers move on, looking for someone, as they say, “who makes us feel comfortable.” This applies to everything from selling paint to political ideas. Here’s what it takes to do it:

  • Stash Your Sales Pitch

Of course, it’s important … Read the rest

The Reputable Rep: Success in Sales and Life

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This month’s article is the ninth — and final — in a serialization of the author’s life and career as an independent manufacturers’ representative.

Reprinted with permission from The Reputable Rep, Success in Sales and Life, by Sig Schmalhofer.

Reputable Reps as Innovators

“Sioux Chief is a line for hands-on reps. It requires a pioneering effort. We look for reputable reps who are comfortable on the job site with boots and a hard hat. We look for reputable reps who use our breadth of product to find solutions and solve problems for contractors in the field. A reputable Sioux
… Read the rest

Avoid Speed Trap Policies

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If you want to differentiate your company in the marketplace, then you need to show how you can dramatically deliver service and products faster than your competitors. Amazon does it. Apple does it. Why don’t you?

Recently, one of my employees was having a problem with an item shipped to her from Amazon. She needed to return the product and was not savvy to the info on the website to make the return and get her money back. So she called and talked directly to a human being. An empathetic and understanding rep sent her a return packing slip via … Read the rest

The Ongoing Search for the Right Sales Fit

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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 … Read the rest

Hiring With an Eye to the Future

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As Kurt Kroemer and his partners in CEP Sales Inc., Zionsville, Indiana, looked to the future, what they saw was a good deal of uncertainty. “Faced with the prospect of half the sales force anticipating retirement in the next couple of years, not even counting what plans I might have, we had to make some decisions. One of the decisions we could make was to simply do nothing and just let the agency peter out. Another path we might take would be to try to sell the agency to someone. The latter course obviously takes a great deal of planning

… Read the rest

Steps for Finding the Right Salesperson

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Jerry Ballard offers that he’s happy to share his thoughts on the process of hiring salespeople for his agency and communicating what works and what doesn’t work. “I’ve been hiring and training salespeople for 40 years. I get a little better at it with each mistake I make. I could write a book on my mistakes, but only a pamphlet on my successes.”

Ballard, who heads Energy Equipment, Inc., Midlothian, Virginia, explains that “We have two rep lines and 10 specialty distributor lines. To be successful with our distributor lines, our outside salespeople have to think like a manufacturers’ rep … Read the rest

“Where’s My Report?!”

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A real-world guide to data sharing for reps and manufacturers.

Call reports, sales reports — reports, reports, reports.

I think we can all agree reports can be useful. Visibility, benchmarks, sales numbers — you name it. There’s a lot to be gained from effective and accurate reporting. There’s intelligence to be gained and strategies to be formed.

But time in front of a spreadsheet is time away from the road. Manufacturers want numbers. Reps just want to sell.

Where’s the balance?

Well, You Can Start With the IRS

After all, a manufacturers’ rep is an independent contractor. And performance requests, … Read the rest

It’s All About Using Your Head

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Think Your Way to Success

There are plenty of people in the workforce who do “something,” but not so many who do what needs to be done. And this is both a problem and an opportunity.

Success depends on being among the few others count on to get the job done right — and that takes thinking. Here are questions that can serve as a guide to thinking your way to success:

  • “What if this isn’t what my customer needs?”

What if I’m trying to force it, attempting to make it work — and it isn’t? Most of us tend … Read the rest

Selling to Value: The Art and Science of Discovery

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Pat was not happy as she left the meeting with a long-term customer, or should I say, former customer.

“Pat, we have done business together for a long time,” her customer started, “but we have decided to go in a different direction this time.” The customer went on to say how ABC Company, one of Pat’s biggest competitors, worked with them to integrate ABC’s solution into the customer’s systems, resulting in faster inventory turns with fewer shipping errors, and they were able to demonstrate how this will increase margins and profit for the customer.

The ABC Company’s salesperson sold value.… Read the rest

Don’t Listen So You Can Talk, Listen So You Can Learn

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Customer service is all about listening. According to Bernard Ferrari, author of Power Listening: Mastering the Most Critical Business Skill of All, good listening is the key to developing fresh insights and ideas that fuel success.

Organizations choose front-line employees for their social poise, their outgoing personalities and their ability to communicate well, meaning their ability to talk well. And they train them in what they can and can’t say and what they can do to help the customer. Finally, their performance is evaluated by how proactively they manage and resolve problems or calls.

It isn’t hard to understand … Read the rest

The Reputable Rep: Success in Sales and Life

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This month’s article is the eighth in a serialization of the author’s life and career as an independent manufacturers’ representative.

Reprinted with permission from The Reputable Rep, Success in Sales and Life, by Sig Schmalhofer.

The Reputable Rep

Relationships

“I love to see reps! When they’re with me, they’re not with my competitors!” — Louie Armstrong, Ferguson Enterprises

The reputable rep, like the distributors and contractors in his market, has both a financial and personal interest in the people he or she does business with. Reputable reps can be the glue that cements factory-customer loyalty.

“The reputable rep forges
… Read the rest

How to Communicate Effectively During the Sales Process

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In theory sales is pretty simple: communicate the right way with the right people, and you’ll make sales. It’s in practice that most people complicate the issue. So how do you keep it simple?

Assuming you’re selling something where someone has to deal with you for any length of time, in other words, you’re not selling batteries at Walmart, you need to get several points across:

  • You care.
  • You’re trustworthy.
  • You understand their problem.
  • You’re competent and can solve their problem.

That said, effective communication begins with mindset. First, you must be completely sold on and have confidence in … Read the rest

Planning for Instead of Reacting to Disasters

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As this is being written millions of Americans are wrestling with the wreckage wrought from the one-two-three punch delivered by hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. At the same time, residents on the West Coast can hardly be blamed for casting a wary eye south to the damage resulting from Mexico’s second earthquake this year. And then there are the wild fires that seem to continually plague California and Washington State.

And, who knows if there’s more to come.

What this all leads up to is the subject of disaster preparedness. That’s a subject Agency Sales initially addressed in 2012 in … Read the rest

MANA Members Deal With Mother Nature

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Late last summer and even into the beginning of fall, the United States mainland and possessions in the Caribbean — especially Puerto Rico — were buffeted with a succession of hurricanes that showed just how vulnerable citizens, their possessions and businesses were to the machinations of natural disasters. If anything, the experiences that were the focus of countless hours of media attention drove home the point that individuals and businesses had better plan ahead and be prepared to continue business if they hope to continue operating under the most unfortunate circumstances.

Taking a Look at the Houston, Texas, Area First… Read the rest

Why I Love Cold Calling

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I was at a sales leader networking event recently when during happy hour everyone was shocked when I said that I love cold calling. Their shock surprised me. I know it’s not a popular activity but you had to think some of these people would at least have some fond memories of cold calling. All I got was strange looks and people taking a step back. You’d think I was talking about the plague.

This caused me to reflect on a simple question: Why do I love cold calling?

The answer is not what you probably think. It has nothing … Read the rest

Proven Ways to Lose Your Next Sale (and How to Avoid It)

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Behind their assertions of self-confidence and annoying arrogance is an undeniable fact: It takes guts to get the endless unknowns and oddities of customers. But that’s what salespeople do.

At the end of the day, it isn’t how many calls you make, appointments you go on, or proposals you prepare. It’s how much revenue you chalk up. Some sales are better than others, but every sale counts. After losing a sale, how many times have you said, “I can’t believe it. I was sure I had that one”?

No one sets out to lose a sale. But it happens. That’s … Read the rest

The Question Is the Key

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Focus, focus, focus. That’s the phrase that I find myself repeating constantly in every sales seminar that I present. I believe focus is the greatest challenge for salespeople today, and the greatest single solution to their challenges. There are so many demands on our time, so many tasks calling for our attention, and so many opportunities available to us that we can easily become scattered and dissipated.

And in my 30 plus years of experience in the sales profession, I have identified several places where focus will gain you the greatest results. At the top of the list is focusing … Read the rest

Where’s Your Happiness Set Point?

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Why do people sabotage themselves when things get too good?

Over the years, all kinds of people have postulated about the reason this happens. My favorite explanation comes from psychologist Marc Schoen, Ph.D., author of the book Your Survival Instinct Is Killing You. He writes, “Scientists have found that we each have our own happiness “set point,” the genetic and learned tendency to maintain a certain level of happiness, similar to a thermostat for your mental well-being. We can say the same is true of our discomfort set point — the genetic and learned tendency to tolerate a certain level … Read the rest

If You Can’t Say Something Nice About Customer Service — COMPLAIN!

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In the customer service industry, we cannot avoid complaints. Complaints happen every day and when a customer complains it is usually for a good reason or genuine concern. They usually have made a purchase that did not meet their expectation — a product, service, or maybe a combination of the two. We must take care of the customer by listening to the complaint, and resolving it, to ensure a happy customer.

Fewer than half of unhappy customers will bring a complaint to your attention. Those who never say anything will tell an average of 11 or more people about their … Read the rest

The Biggest Mistakes Salespeople Make

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Mistake #1: Thinking That Servicing Accounts Is More Important Than Selling New Ones

I once had a coaching client show me a stack of folders and say, “This is why I can’t be out calling on new clients.” When I asked what had to be done, she picked up the first folder and said, “I’m waiting for a number from the State of Rhode Island on this one.” To which I responded, “Really? A salesperson is sitting in the office waiting for a number from the State of Rhode Island? No one else can handle that?” That is akin to … Read the rest

The Reputable Rep: Success in Sales and Life

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This month’s article is the seventh in a serialization of the author’s life and career as an independent manufacturers’ representative.

Reprinted with permission from The Reputable Rep, Success in Sales and Life, by Sig Schmalhofer.

The Human Element

The Well-Liked Rep

Reps that are well-liked are not necessarily effective reps. I’ve known many reps who are very well-liked, but for a number of reasons are not able to leverage their popularity into concrete business. Well-liked reps say the right things and are agreeable. They find it impossible to say no! What gets them into trouble is saying yes when … Read the rest

MANA Recognizes Long-Term Members

Thank you

MANA wants to recognize members who have been with us for many years.

Every January we list in Agency Sales those agent and principal members who celebrated their 60, 55, 50, 45, 40, 35, 30 and 25 year membership anniversary the previous year.

MANA thanks and congratulates the members we listed below for their long-term support and commitment.

Note: We also thank those long-term members whose longevity does not end in a “0” or “5.” Your company name was either published within the past three years or will be published within the next two.

Representative Members
60 Years

Brian Middleton… Read the rest

Maximizing the Benefits of MANA Membership

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During the course of an informal lunch with a 45-year member of MANA early this fall, he related that one of the keys to his agency’s continued success was the willingness of the agency staff to continually make use of the products and services that association membership provided.

According to the agency president, “Over the more than four decades we’ve been members, I’d maintain that we’ve gotten more than our membership dues back. But, it’s only because we took advantage of what is offered.

“We determined long ago that we wanted much more than just a MANA decal or membership … Read the rest

Update Your Toolbox at ERA’s 2018 Conference!

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As you have read earlier of this month’s issue of Agency Sales magazine, the Electronics Representatives Association (ERA) has invited MANA members to register for an excellent representative education program at ERA’s Management and Marketing Conference, February 25-27, 2018. Space in the conference and at the conference hotel are very limited, please visit www.era.org and click on “ERA Conference” for full details.

In this article ERA Conference Committee Chair Rick LaPiana shares his enthusiasm for what promises to be an outstanding representative educational opportunity.

To my fellow reps:
My message is twofold but very straightforward. The rep sales model has … Read the rest

Reps as Pioneers

Earlier this year, Agency Sales focused on the importance of reps communicating with their principals regarding the importance of having existing business in a territory before they take on a line. That discussion obviously struck a chord with one of our readers as the following letter and subsequent conversation shows.

Letter to the Editor

I would like to take this opportunity to formally compliment you and all the contributors to Agency Sales for the high quality of your publication. In my mind the August 2017 issue was exceptional inasmuch as it devoted much of its content to the subject of … Read the rest

They (Good Principals) Are Looking

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Are you ready to compete for the line?

In one of Charley Cohon’s most recent “Three‑Minute Business School for Representatives and Manufacturers,” he tells a story about a sales manager looking to set up a national rep network.

It is a good story with several good examples of “things to do,” but several other points need to be made.

A thoroughly professional rep firm needs to look at the market situation through very disciplined glasses. In order to be ready, remember: When preparation meets opportunity — the definition of luck! A rep firm in today’s marketplace has to have a … Read the rest

Tips for Working With Millennials

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In the November issue of Agency Sales, the subject of dealing with the Millennial generation in the work force was explored. Continuing that discussion, the following are several strategies to employ in order to better communicate instruction and content to that younger generation.

1. Set Clear Learning Objectives

Tell them what you’re going to teach them and why. Effective learning is all about context. Sure, I’ll learn something if you force it on me. But without understanding how it impacts the environment and how my doing it impacts others, I have little investment in the outcome.

2. Teach Them … Read the rest

The Reputable Rep: Success in Sales and Life

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This month’s article is the sixth in a serialization of the author’s life and career as an independent manufacturers’ representative.

Reprinted with permission from The Reputable Rep, Success in Sales and Life, by Sig Schmalhofer.

Sales by Segment

New Construction

The products installed in residential and commercial projects travel a similar route. They are manufactured, sold through a network of factory salespeople and or manufacturers’ reps to wholesale distributors, and ultimately to contractors who install them. The competition is fierce. There are many people that influence product decisions. Price is always an important factor, but is not the only … Read the rest

Building Your Sales Machine

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The “how-to” behind building a highly effective, competition-dominating, sales juggernaut is actually fairly simple.

What isn’t simple is executing the steps and sticking to the plan. The dedication and resolve necessary to start and complete the process is where the majority of people fail. That said, if you’re ready to skyrocket sales in your organization, here are the steps to get it done.

Super-Intense Sales Training

The most important tool a salesperson can have in their arsenal is great sales skills. Yet, while most organizations spend tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars on a new producer, send them … Read the rest

Empowerment — Your Most Valuable Tool!

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More and more companies are waking up to the fact that giving employees more power and responsibility can bring huge benefits for both the company and its workers.

Employee empowerment may be the most underutilized tool in all of customer service. Give employees the authority to take action. No one should have to go “higher up” to get permission to help a customer. Empower everyone to break the rules thus allowing employees to have input and control over their work.

President Harry Truman had a sign on his desk that read “The Buck Stops Here.” Actually that should be the … Read the rest