Art Post
Seems to me like this would be just the opposite of “10 Tips on How to Lose Your Top Sales Producers” blog I wrote….., well, not entirely.
1. Don’t lie to them. If you do and you’re found out to be a liar, the rep will have no respect for you or your company.
2. Double and triple check commissions to make sure they are correct. Who knows, maybe you’ll find an error in your favor and you didn’t see in on the first pass.
3. Check and approve the commission form before the new system or service is installed. This way if there is a discrepancy it can be resolved before the pay period or the install. This will also help the sales person to see exactly what they are getting paid and they can then “count” x amount of funds in order to pay their bills.
Side Note: Over the years I’ve been amazed at the amount of people who think our commission money is extra money, mad money or our slush fund. Get a grip people we use our commission money to pay or bills and support our family.
4. Get your reps a monthly commission report at least 10-14 days before commissions are paid.
5. Go through your price book and eliminate the mistakes, and update your price books as soon as a new system or service is launched. You’re paying your people to sell so why have them waste time with incorrect pricing or information that is wrong.
6. Every once in a while throw your top reps a bone—whether it’s a dinner for two, a gift card or just plain old cash. Better yet, give them a call and tell them that they are valued members of the company.
7. Have a year-end trip planned for you top producers and don’t skimp or be a cheapo. Plan it for five days; yes that’s right and make sure it starts on a Monday!
8. Do your reps get vacations? If so offer your top producers that you will lower their quota when they take a vacation. Thus, it is a true vacation for them. Example: Rep takes a week vacation and the monthly quota is $40K, you then reduce their quota for that month to $30K. Your top reps will still produce because they have pride and always want to be the “top dog”.
9. DO NOT micro manage your top reps. They did not become your top reps because they were micro managed.
10. Support them with a lead program. These top producers have the most accounts and do the most work with managing customer e-mails, phone calls, and follow ups. Compare this with new reps that don’t have many accounts to manage and all they have to concentrate on is getting new accounts.
It’s plain and simple, you may not hear it from your top reps, but I’m telling you that if you’re ignoring them and don’t have any empathy for your reps, they will leave you.
Good selling!
