I hope you’re looking as forward to the long weekend as much as I am even though I’ve set aside some time on Monday morning to process all those Elite Dealer nomination forms that have been streaming in during the past few days. In case you hadn’t heard I extended the deadline to Sept. 6, so there’s still time. If you need an extra day or two beyond that, send me an e-mail and I’ll give you an extra day or two if you really need it. I know a lot of folks on the East Coast have been affected by flooding after Hurricane Irene, so I can be flexible whether you were affected by the rising waters or simply are a procrastinator.

Last week I brought up the subject of quotas and how perplexing these are in an era where the emphasis has turned to selling solutions and services. I want to thanks to BTA General Counsel Bob Goldberg for his thoughtful opinion on the matter. Bob wrote:

Quotas make no more sense than telling a child they have to go to bed because I told you to. In over thirty years I have never met a Dealer or Salesperson that did not wish to make every sale possible. Quotas are used as a weapon. Manufacturer innovation, sales programs, and support will sell more products than an arbitrary quota. In one manufacturer’s dealer agreement I included a provision that the Dealer quotas had to be adjusted annually in comparison to the actual results of their direct operations. Without fail each year the Dealers outperformed direct operations and Dealer quotas were not enforced. Quotas may also force Dealers to purchase inventory and if the Dealer guesses incorrectly as to demand, the end user, manufacturer, and Dealer all suffer when less than the best solution is sold to deplete inventory. A manufacturer with confidence in its product line and support will eliminate quotas and the Dealers will line up to represent them.

Enjoy the weekend.

New content this week includes: