The preferred sales rep

(Editor's Note: This is the third in a series of articles that examines the nature of the buying and selling relationship with superpower retailers.)

I have been fortunate to have worked with some of the finest sales representatives in the industry. Reps, I count among my good friends. Even so, there are times that I have gotten so mad at reps that my head almost exploded.

Why have I gotten so mad at reps? Well, let me count the ways:

• He called on my largest account and didn't let me know what happened.
• She called on my largest account, but didn't have time to present my line.
• He called on my largest account, but the buyer says she never saw my line.
• We called on the buyer together and my rep just sat there.
• I asked my rep how many dollars she will do with an account and she had no idea.
• There is a problem with the account and my rep is nowhere to be found.
• My rep missed the presentation window so my line was not seen that year.
• He told me the buyer would not like my line so it was not necessary to present it.
• She didn't return my phone calls.

This is all bad enough, but when the representative is calling on Wal-Mart, Target, Kmart, or Toys “R” Us, it is enough to make your head come off your neck like a rocket shooting into orbit.

Independent salespeople represent all but the largest toy manufacturers so they hold the fortunes of the companies they represent in the palms of their hands. Yet, there is no clear sense of best practices for these key players.

I am proposing a new designation for sales representatives who make key account calls for their manufacturing and importing principals: “Preferred Sales Representative.”

A Preferred Sales Representative calls on one or all of the principal's three or four largest accounts. In doing so, this representative is pivotal to the health of the company he or she represents and, as such, has special responsibilities and deserves special compensation.

Let's look first at just a few of the services a Preferred Sales Representative should be expected to offer the sales manager:

• Twenty-four hour availability.
• A response to phone calls and e-mails within 60 minutes.
• Daily updates on activities with the account.
• Quantifiable revenue projections on demand and regularly updated.
• Preferred Sales Representative status with the buyer that provides easy access to the buyer and his or her staff.
• A working relationship with and knowledge of customer operations, advertising, logistics, etc.
• Highest quality sales presentations.

Now let's look at what a Preferred Sales Rep should expect:

• Excellent products.
• Full transparency as to costing, marketing plans, advertising expenditures, sales volume and product availability.
• A long-term commitment to the relationship.
• A compensation package that provides some kind of fixed income base.
• Aggressive support to the representative's efforts in terms of pricing, sampling, special packaging and whatever it takes.
• Paying all commissions in full and on time.
• A sense of being a part of the organization.

I would bet that the sales manager reading this column is shaking her head and muttering, “No way am I ever going to pay a rep a fixed income.” I also bet that there are reps grumbling to themselves that they will never be available 24 hours a day.

Well, the way I see it, if we want to change the paradigm and move to another level, we are going to have to expect more and give more. In order to achieve this status, I would like to see the representative and manufacturing communities come together for the purpose of forming a standards commission.

This group would establish best practices for both sides and a process for carrying the title of Preferred Representative. This program, like that of other professions, would provide seminars and courses, mentoring, and a grievance process. Most importantly, it would set the standard and issue the credential.

To get the ball rolling, I would suggest that United League of Toy Representative Associations (ULTRA) and the Toy Industry Association (TIA) sit down together. Why these two organizations?

ULTRA clearly “gets it.” Its mission statement is: “To provide a strong unified voice for manufacturers representatives (in the toy industry) and to foster an environment to strengthen the relationships between the independent representatives and the industry.”

It goes on to list the organization's objectives. Numbers 2, 3, and 4 are particularly germane: “To evaluate the standards and methods of doing business within the industry. To bring about closer relationships between manufacturers and their independent sales representatives. To elevate and improve the moral and commercial standards of independent representatives.”

Clearly the vision is there. They just need to put it into action.

The TIA is part of the equation, because it is the voice of the toy manufacturing community. Overseeing sales performance is not part of its mission statement, but perhaps it should be.

Whatever direction is taken by the sales and manufacturing communities, let's stop getting mad and start getting better. It's about time.