Good morning!
A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned attending a Home Show (January 29 blog, I believe). The piece was about connecting the visual with the perceived quality of the work to be done. Unappealing or “low bid” trade booth graphics do not translate into customer confidence when dropping five figures on, say, a new stone patio.
Neither does a bad salesperson.
How do you know your salespeople are effectively and properly representing your company? Yes, management and ownership, I am speaking directly to you this week. You are far more likely to get a compliment or a complaint regarding a salesperson that you are a general comment such as, “He/She was so obnoxious that I didn’t even return the voicemail message and would certainly never consider awarding an appointment.”
We are in year two of our extreme makeover. Last year was all about taking down trees, ripping out overgrowth, and planting new trees and shrubs. This year, we have three major items on the agenda: New gutters, new driveway, and a new patio.
The last sales rep we saw was simply horrendous for reasons I won’t get into (mostly because my wife reads these blogs, too, and she will get angry all over again!). Let’s just say, he sucked.
But what will I do with that information?
Certainly, there is no way his company is getting the work. But the thing is, the owner has no idea this offensive sales schmuck is out there killing business.
When is the last time you went on a four-legged sales call with one of your salespeople? I’m not talking about meeting their top clients and hearing how wonderful the sales rep is, but rather jumping in the car and witnessing firsthand how they approach and interact with potential new customers. There is no better way to find out if your company is being properly represented or if you’ve got a major problem…
An incredibly terrible sales rep.
