Alright, so you’ve got your product market tested and ready for a wider sales distribution to the larger market. Now to the step of assembling a sales rep network – once you’ve decided to use independent sales reps. Now what? How do you efficiently and safely proceed to find, contact, interview, and hire an outside sales force?
You could try classified advertisements in various local newspapers, and that might work for you. But more likely you will end up spending hundreds if not thousands of dollars on ads that only run for a week, or maybe even a day. The result is gettting inundated by responses from people who are not at all related to what you’re looking for. Many of them won’t even be sales reps!
Assembling a Sales Rep Network Online
So you decide to look online to see what other options there are. That’s where RepHunter comes in. The first step in the process: find sales reps in the right markets and communicate with them, which is what we do! When you subscribe to our service, we GUARANTEE you contacts with manufacturer’s reps.
The next step is all you! Getting reps to take your line once you’ve contacted them is crucial. It’s extremely important for you to create the right impression of your product for the sales reps so that they WANT to represent you. You need to be able to “sell” your product to your sales reps, or how can you expect them to be able to sell it to retailers?
The most important step in this whole process of assembling a sales rep network is screening. Once you get in contact with independent sales reps and convince them to sell your product for you, you need to make sure they are right for you. Basically, can they move your product?
Sales Rep Letter of Intent
Once they accept your line, we recommend that you hold off on long-term agreements and in the short term use a simple Letter of Intent. This functions as a “handshake in writing” which protects both yourself and the rep, in case of disagreements. It also fills the important function of putting your rep into a probationary period, allowing you to easily map out your expectations.
A letter of intent can be nothing much more complicated than a one page email. Identify the basic points of the starting probationary working agreement. In it you should identify:
- The probationary time frame
- Mandatory communication schedules
- Progress milestones
- A clear cut vision of your expectations for the probationary period
An example letter of intent can be found here: https://www.rephunter.net/LetterOfIntent.pdf
But what if a rep decides they aren’t a match for you? You still aren’t completely out of luck in that avenue. In this case, you should send a response email, thanking the rep for considering your offer, clearly describing why your opportunity is a good one, a request to contact you should they find a home for your product in the future, as well as a request for names of anyone they know that may be interested in your line. A small finders fee can help encourage this last point. As in so many burgeoning areas of business these days, networking really is key.
Use A Sales Rep Recruiter
RepHunter has guaranteed Placement and Management Plans. We do the heavy lifting of sales rep recruiting for you: from search to independent contract.
With Guaranteed Sales Rep Placement plans, we recruit independent sales reps with a proven track record for you. We interview commission-only sales representatives in your industry and desired territory. Placement is guaranteed.
When you don’t have the resources for our self-service sales rep hiring plans, contact us about our proven sales rep recruiting service.
Great article. Thank you.