How to find a good sales rep - James Cryer reveals all

While finding the right sales rep in the first place can often be a difficult task, the process that follows where the candidate and employer sit down to negotiate the famous 'starting package' can prove even more painful. This is what James Cryer from JDA Print Recruitment refers to as the 'birthing' stage.

According to Cryer, one of the worst mistakes that can be made is to put all of the risk back on the new rep by placing them on a reduced pay package for an initial trial period. “The rep starts with the feeling that management does not really have faith in their abilities and it becomes a self-fulfilling recipe for disaster,” says Cryer.

It is these signals sent to the rep during the 'formative stage' that virtually set the scene for success or failure. “It's called imprinting,” says Cryer, “whereby babies – be they ducklings, humans or even print reps – get their cues from the first few moments of entering their new world.”

The solution for this is to allow the rep a reasonable time frame to re-build their client base. “They should be measured during this early stage on how much smart energy they are expending generating quotes, not necessarily on how much is actually coming in the door,” says Cryer. And if they can't afford to start a rep on a decent sales package that shows they have faith in their abilities, then in most cases the employer shouldn't proceed.

Careful consideration needs to be made before the life of a new sales rep is brought into the world. “Don't do it unless you have the resources, intestinal fortitude - and most important of all, the willingness and patience to support and assist the new rep during this most critical period,” says Cryer. Additionally, when searching for that right person to take your printing solutions from the factory floor out into the industry, you should live by the motto - “there are no bad reps, only bad sales managers.”