Finding it hard working your way as a sales manager for distributors? Worry not as you are not the only one. We give you tips below on how you can make it easier for you.
Hire The Right Salesman
This is the one of the if not the most important aspect. Hiring the right salesperson is key as he will be representing you, your team, and the whole company to the public. Some of the characteristic that might help you in finding the right guy is that he ought to be persuasive, charming, and people oriented. He ought to be open to training, plus he ought to know how to be smooth when answering questions about the company.
Finally the right salesman is someone you can see yourself. This is because the right salesman might be the next you. He should be someone you have established rapport with.
Build Long-Term Relationships
Even though you are a sales manager and you are an employee, that does not mean that you should not build relationships with the people around you. Harness camaraderie with your team ad fellow managers, maintain a good working relationships with your channel partners. Remember that your distributors are proprietors and entrepreneurs. Therefore, they are worthy of your respect at all times.
Bear in mind that every one of us has our own way of maintaining our relationships. A great manager is one who can maintain relations with all the different types of people be it distributor, retailers, or colleagues.
Discuss What is Needed to Succeed
Set SMART goals. What are smart goals? They are specific, measureable, attainable, realistic, and time bound goals. Obviously an acronym, but these goals are also smart because of what they stand for.
Before aiming for anything, talk for with your team and set these smart goals. A bad goal is something like “we willdistribute all required deliverables by month end.” A smart goal for ten people who has a quota of 15,000 for two weeks is “We will distribute 150,000 pieces of deliverables in two weeks time.” The second one is more specific as it gives how many pieces the team will need to distribute. It is time-bound as it gives a deadline. It is more measurable, realistic and attainable as it compels the team to reach the quota that they have.
Build A Good Network
Sales teams are often divided based on geographical territory. Within a particular geographical territory there might be many dealers of same brands or different brands but of the same industry This is why creating a network and maintaining good relationships important for manager. This network, together with what you can consider as the the Ultimate Shopify Review Guide can come in handy at anytime. A player might anytime change over to the distribution of your brand. Likewise, you too might find a long list of retailers necessary to distribute your products. In this case your network will assist you as it will play a crucial role as the more people you get to know,the more new channel members you add to your network, the more likelihoods of success you have.
Provide Good Customer Service
Just like maintaining good relationships with your colleagues, partners, and dealers, the number one person that you should please is always the customer. If the customer has any questions, make sure to address them. If you do not know the answers, tell them that you will get back, and make sure to do so. Remember that word of mouth is a great marketing tool, and this will always be from good customer service.
Author Bio:
Julian Hooks the brains behind the Advertising Commissions digital marketing agency. Helping businesses grow their presence on the web is one of his many passions. Check out his Ultimate Guide to Local SEO or the Ultimate Shopify Review Guide for eCommerce.