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How salesperson can achieve genuine differentiation based on something the customer values and is hard for competition to replicate is discussed. Salespeople can identify opportunities to expand the offering by looking at the customer perspective. The four steps which are typical of the customer's experience with product or solution are also presented.

Some marketing and sales strategies that may help drive business success despite the economic downturn are provided. Businesses should demonstrate strength even in a weak economy to improve consumer confidence. Marketing and sales practices businesses should avoid are also discussed.

Methods for sales people, to influence customers' buying decision, are presented.

One of the most difficult businesses to market is the sales agency. However, there are several things to consider that will increase what buyers would be willing to pay for. These include business planning which should be well prepared and should identify strategic buyers. Balance and diversity of customers is also important. It is also helpful to enhance contracts with principals and to make sure that modifications are properly documented.

Sales agency managers must not be afraid of making mistakes, which are an almost inevitable part of any undertaking. What managers need to endeavor to do is to gain from these mistakes by taking to heart the lessons they impart. While recklessness is not encouraged, managers must not avoid risks in the thought that this will keep them from committing mistakes. They have to continue taking risks but need to immediately recognize a mistake and try to profit from it. Once a mistake has been done and the reasons behind its occurrence understood, managers must implement corrective action to ensure that it does not recur and affect the agency's operations.

The manufacturer's agents must be able to adjust to the drastically changed business environment if they are to survive. The 1990s has brought the fax, e-mail, voice mail and computers which make it more difficult to contact key people and mergers have drastically reduced the number of products which an agent can handle. A new sales strategy is consultative selling as opposed to product selling. This requires a knowledge of the customer's needs, knowing the customer's key decision-makers and providing proof that one's products or services really perform.

Basketball legend George Yardley transformed the company that bears his name into an award-winning and successful sales agency. George Yardley Co's formula for success is its emphasis on customer service rather than profits, the reason why it has grown from a solo agency to a 35-person organization consisting of five divisions and 32 principals. Yardley has established successful partnerships for the sale of instrumentation, filters, liquid pumps and vacuum pumps.

Jack Sutherland, owner of power tool and forgings distributor Sutherland & Associates, has successfully used territory management techniques in handling company growth. The method involves the breaking down of one's area into several subterritories. Each territory will be visited by the agents on a week by week basis. Sutherland has assigned several agents to handle territory management to free himself for other concerns.

Questions regarding proper territory management by sales agencies are presented. The issues are focused towards the use of agents by manufacturers. These include the need for call reports, jump-starting the performance of agents, holding of sales meetings and manufacturer to agent communications. Other issues were also discussed, such as planning sales visits, assigning two or more agents in a territory and the amount of end user selling.

Sales managers can use simple mathematics to help their subordinates monitor their performance. The ideal sales force has a combination of human relations skills and mathematical know-how. Business enterprises should revive the practice of tallying the number of phone calls, the number of appointments made via the calls, the number of proposals that result from the appointments and the number of actual sales made from the proposals. A useful formula called the Closing Ratio is discussed.

Sales personnel and manufacturers often argue who should be responsible for looking for new customers. However, both should realize that they must share the burden of business prospecting because they stand to gain from such activities. Primarily, manufacturers and sales personnel should look customers who are capable of absorbing volumes comparable to volumes shared by several customers.

Successful sales personnel know their products well. Furthermore, these top employees can identify what their customers want and can also identify with those business, as well as personal, needs. Top sales personnel can also face the challenge of objections, and will sell their products' benefits, not their features. Top employees will qualify even pre-qualified leads, because the more qualified leads that are called, the more sales will be made.

The science of athletic team coaching is considered to be using interpersonal relations to influence people, and manufacturers' agents managers and executives should apply the same principles to motivate employees both as individuals and as part of a team. Agent supervisors must recognize individual personality differences and communicate the corresponding response that will reinforce self esteem, relate to individual problems, identify goals and strengthen or change behavior.

Remmele Engineering Inc places substantial emphasis on the role of the advisory board of which five sales agents are members. The board also includes the president, Tom Moore and four vice presidents. Remmele's sales organization includes 23 agencies from whom 51 people are selling the company's precision machining equipment. At sales meetings, there are other company representatives present to make presentations about other areas of operation in the company to insure that the agents have a good understanding of doing business with and for Remmele.

Successful management of a manufacturers' agency can be accomplished with good leadership and attention to the individual character of the people that work for the agency. Agency management styles range from permissive to democratic to autocratic. The latter style leaves most decisions to the agency manager, whereas the first two styles leave more room for employee input. Authority is necessary in some cases, regardless of the style employed and good managers remain flexible and adaptable to change.

The concepts of continuous improvement, which are to be applied to sales management system, are discussed. The sales management system should be finely tuned for the increase of sales, which in turn increases the growth of business.

The process and methodology's that representative should follow in order to gain more returns to the efforts and maintain good customer relations is explained.

The need for the stable relationship between the representatives and the manufacturer is explained. The performance of the agency is evaluated on the ability to produce the amount of volume by the manufacturer and the representative.

Effective record keeping enables a sales agency to monitor its progress and facilitates in the preparation of income tax returns. Records should include a company's sales figures, employment taxes and assets. Specific employment tax records should include income tax withholding, Social Security and Medicare taxes and records that can facilitate claims for Federal Unemployment Tax. The length of time for keeping such records depends on the length of time that they may be needed for the administration of any provision of the Internal Revenue Code.

Sales agents who stock products should establish an efficient warehousing system to avoid business losses. An excellent computer-based inventory system should be able to predict stocking levels and manage inventory levels. Agents should also obtain information on standard turnover ratios from specific industrial groups to help reduce these ratios. Costs are also reduced by spreading stock to regions where storage costs are lower than those at headquarters.

Referrals are among the most effective sales devices that manufacturers' agents have at their disposal. Unfortunately, only few of them are taking advantage of these tools because many agents believe that referrals are only suitable in direct selling or in the insurance industry. However, those agents who rely on referrals find them very helpful. One agent said that he finds selling through referrals more effective that cold calling.

Sales agents should adopt various measures to handle the effects of social and economic changes. First, they should construct a prospect database that will provide data on trends and new market opportunities. Second, promotions should focus on the manufacturers' rep level and direct mail. Public relations are targeted towards creating a flexible image for the firm. Lastly, they should find new markets or develop new uses for their products.

Negotiation skills are important and could spell the difference in how much one earns. Five negotiating techniques are presented. First, never accept the first offer no matter how acceptable it looks. Second, nibble for something extra toward the end of the negotiation. Third, visibly flinch when the other side makes a proposal. Fourth, ask for something in return when the other side asks for a concession. And fifth, position the other party for easy acceptance and make a small concession at the last moment.

Manufacturers should coordinate with their sales agents in ensuring the success of plant tours. Well-prepared plant tours will not only help close deals but will also create future ones. Preparations should include follow-up information provided to potential clients, scheduling of the visits and the setting up of displays. Manufacturers can also use plant tours for public relations purposes.