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Undermining a Rep, Using Promo Items, and Forecasting a Best Guess

1/1/2009

Letters From the RoadQ: Is there any situation where you would call on a fellow sales reps account or customer?

A: Im going to assume that your supervisor asked you to make the call; Im sure that, on your own, you would never contact a colleagues customer without him or her knowing about it. First, as you know, it goes against all sales ethics. Second, there could be issues you are unaware of, like internal conflicts, back-order problems, or even contract disputes.

If some higher-up in your company is looking for information from the customer, suggest to your supervisor that it might be better for the customer if the call came from the actual rep. This kind of interference can cause years of inactivity with clients. If your supervisor insists, reach out to your colleague in confidence. Discuss how to work collaboratively to obtain whatever information the supervisor wants without confusing the customer.

Now, some of you may think that Im advocating undermining the supervisor in lieu of undermining the rep. This would be true, but a supervisor who is asking for this kind of subterfuge obviously does not understand the effects such a request could have on an account. So in effect, I am advocating for the company when I counsel you to ignore your boss and work with your colleague on the customers behalf.

Calling a colleague’s account without his or her knowledge goes against all sales ethics

Q. Ive used promotional items as part of my sales repertoire to great success over the years. My new company doesnt believe in them. How about you?

A. Im a big believer in promotional items. Theyre great tools for field salespeople to open doors and close sales. When you have a prospect who is turning you away without even seeing what your product is, for example, a promotional item can be a carrot to get the appointment-- a gift can be a fair exchange for his or her time (but be careful that its not construed as a bribe). Once the appointment is made, personalizing the gift suggests that you actually thought about the customer before you showed up. Its good practice to send a gift after the meeting to express appreciation for his or her time. If youre going to leave catalogs and sales sheets behind, put them in useful binders and pads imprinted with your company logo. A good site to check out for a range of promo items is alltypesadvertisinginc.com.

Q: Im new to education, working with a technology company, and not getting a lot of guidance. How do I forecast in this market?

A: I happen to be an expert on forecasting, so the answer is easy: GUESS!