Mistake # 70: In search of that right sales rep

Executives and upper management are always in search of that one “magic bullet.” They are constantly agonizing, “what if we did this?” “What if our strategy was that?” “What if we streamlined to this?”

 The actuality is that there is no “one way” of selling. There isn’t even magic behind it. In today’s economy, there really is only one answer: get the hell out there and sell. Yes, it’s hard work, and, yes, it’s not easy.

 The one caveat, or qualifier, is that you have great sales people. It makes all the difference in the world.

I’m still having problems with one sales rep that keeps claiming he knows this industry and has been in it for a long time. He has. But, instead of actually selling – picking up the phone, sending emails, meeting people face-to-face, he conducts all of his work by email. Back and forth all day long. He works remotely and it’s unclear of how he spends his time. But, I do know that he only communicates via email. Although I discussed it with him, he continues to work in the way he feels comfortable. Further, he fails to tell me how he accounts for his time and what his daily activities are. And, yes, the sales reflect his style.

Another rep that works remotely spends most of his time focusing on the details. In fact, he gets lost in the details. So as he is drowning in details for one client, another client gets away.

 A third rep that works remotely is constantly on the phone, emailing, and digging up ‘dirt’ to get to the next client. I am a big believer in multiple ways to get people’s attention brings in clients. Send them something, leave voice mails, emails, and set up appointments.

The bottom line is that it really doesn’t matter if the sales rep is remote. It’s who you hire and how they spend their time that matters.