Worldly thinking

“The functions of a minister sent to a foreign country are chiefly two: one is to care for the interests of his Sovereign in that country and the other is to discover the interests of others.” — M. Callières, 1716

It's time we change the title of key account sales representative to Ambassador. It should be: “Ambassador to the Court of Wal-Mart” or “Ambassador to the Kingdom of Target.” How about the designation of National Sales Manager? Let's change that title to a more appropriate: “Secretary of State for Consumer Products Sales.” This humorous point underscores an important question: Do we have the right kind of people representing our company's interests to our largest customers?

To bend a phrase: Customers are like a foreign country—they do things differently there. Customers, like foreign countries, often have distinctly different cultures than we at home have. For example, in one company we may be encouraged to go to dinner or even give gifts. In another company, such behavior can result in the death penalty.

On a more subtle level, some customers may expect us to negotiate while others may assume that they will dictate a price or policy and we will follow. Some may want us to check with them before making a change in sales representatives and others may consider such communication as a breach of ethics.

Failure to recognize such nuances and communicate them back to management can be the difference between success and failure. When doing business with one of the “superpowers,” such a failure may have catastrophic results.

The people who most frequently travel to the headquarters of these companies are key account salespeople. Let's take a hard look at their role as our company's ambassadors and their subsequent need to be trained as diplomats and not just hard-driving salespeople.

Say we don't call them ambassadors but just think of them that way. What questions should we ask about the skill sets they will need? Should they be a super salesperson or a diplomat? Do we want a good talker or a great communicator? What is preferred, a short- or long-term thinker? Is it best that they have a great personality, or have skills as host and guest? Do we want them to represent just sales, or the entire company? Ultimately, do we need someone whose job it is to get the sale, or to grow the company's relationship with the customer?

If we find that we need an ambassador, then what type of person might this be?

• Someone who can separate themself from the bad news they may have to deliver in either direction.
• Someone who can not only intelligently meet with their buyer counterparts, but also with accounts payable, receiving, merchandising, logistics and senior management.
• Someone who can anticipate and deliver information between companies in an exact and productive fashion.
• Someone who can mediate a dispute between their own company and that of the customer.
• Someone who knows not just what to say but when to say it.
• Someone who can strongly empathize with customer without forgetting dedication to their own company.
• Someone who can find out what the competition is up to.
• Someone who can find out what the customer is up to.

A key account salesperson calling on a superpower customer is in the position to make the company successful or sink it into oblivion. That is a great deal of responsibility for one person to have. CEO's and sales managers should sit down and consider whether the key account function, as it is currently designed and manned, is appropriate for the specific customer. If not, then the first step is to redesign the job responsibility.

Once done, consider who inhabits the position. Do they have skills, abilities and a personality appropriate to the position and the customer? If not, are they trainable? If not trainable, should they be replaced or reassigned to a customer that is more appropriate to their strengths?

As the retailing community continues to shrink, the influence of a few superpowers is going to get greater. The health of a manufacturer may well depend on how well it understands and communicates with its customers.

Who is your ambassador?

This is the first of a series of articles that will examine the nature of the buying and selling relationship with superpower retailers.