05.27.10
The Invisible Salesman
The phone rings, voicemails are left, voicemail is full, emails are sent, emails bounce inbox is full…… Aaarrgh, why won’t my rep get back to me?
Are any of your reps the invisible salesman? All of us have probably had experience with a rep who worked for us or called on us but never answered the phone or did not make regular sales calls. Perhaps the only time we find out is when a frustrated customer calls and is ready to throw their samples and displays to the curb. How do you keep it from getting to that point? No earth shattering revelation here- it takes being in the field with your reps and creating customer relationships where your customers are comfortable approaching you in the good times and bad.
Here are a few ideas to build those relationships:
Pick up the phone and call a few accounts at random. Thank them for their business and ask for feedback regarding the overall service of your company.
Schedule regular ride-a-longs with your reps (when was the last time you were in the field?). Instead of letting the rep choose which accounts to visit, you select a few that you want to see and that might have been neglected.
Ask the question in person or on the phone- how are we doing? Most customers will tell you the good and the bad.
If there is an issue the customer shares, do your best to resolve it as soon as you are physically able then follow up with the customer to let them know the outcome.
Visiting customers face to face keep small issues from developing into larger problems. It helps your reps feel like management understands their business and customer base; which in turn leads to reps who are not invisible but are eager to connect to each customer.
Have a memorable and blessed Memorial Day.
Brian Boek
Caren McCabe said,
May 27, 2010 at 6:17 pm
Brian,
You are so right! Solving the case of the invisible salesman is pretty straight-forward. Sales managers have to spend time in the field traveling with reps while calling on customers. It actually serves two purposes. You covered the first — solidifying customer relationships. The second purpose is for the sales manager to coach the rep. All too often we are blind to our own deficiencies. It helps to have someone help us realize where we could improve.
If you can’t get out of the office for whatever reason, at the very least you have to stay in contact with the customer. All that takes is a phone call.
Keep up the great blog postings Brian!