Being an independent rep in the decorative plumbing and
hardware business is both one of the greatest pleasures and
frustrations of my life. I started as a rep working for an agency where
there was no training program or a "how to" manual available. When I
eventually started my own agency, I learned mostly by the
trial-and-error method and subsequently, I was asked to share some of
the insights I gained through this process.
In the DPH industry, there are great reps, and there are
ineffective reps. That can also be said for each of our association's
member segments. I have always tried to learn from others what makes a
great rep and some of that information has come from the ineffective
reps as well. A rep is in a unique position - being the liaison between
the manufacturer and the showroom. A large part of a rep's job is to
build relationships with the showroom staff and management and bring to
them the correct product/product mix to make the showroom more
profitable and successful. Building relationships requires a great deal
of listening to the showroom staff and understanding what their needs
and issues are. You need to be able to hear the words that are being
spoken and then understand the underlying meaning behind them. A
showroom sales consultant may be bashing a product that they have had an
issue with when the real problem was actually the way the issue was
handled by the manufacturer's customer service department or that the
homeowner was difficult to deal with. I try to put consultants at ease
by getting them to agree to the fact that this is the exception rather
than the rule. And sometimes, you just have to let them vent. In our
very "immediate gratification" world, the expectations and the realities
of our business tend to move a little slower than others.
Training is another large part of a rep's job. Training can
be as involved as setting up a lunch-and-learn CEU or simply taking 10
minutes with a sales consultant to show them new products. Training is
not a one-size-fits-all program. Meeting each dealer and its staff has
unique needs, and abilities are required for training success. If a rep
can tailor training to meet these needs, then he or she will have a
customer that will trust them and work with them. Training is an ongoing
process, yet is the one task that seems to get the least respect and
attention of all of the rep's duties. A well-trained consultant can sell
more product in a shorter amount of time and for a higher profit
margin. The fact is that homeowners are looking for that knowledgeable
person to help them through their project. Correct training can also
make you the "go-to" rep when a dealer needs information about a product
and knows that you will get them the correct answer.
Do you have rep "best practices" you'd like to share? Please email me at dantonisales@gmail.com and I'll add them to next month's article.
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