Each more or less large company has a sales agent (there are even several). Most often, sales agents are necessary for the presentation and sale of goods, however, when it comes to services, their activities can be no less effective.
So, you have come to the point where you need a sales agent in developing your business. However, how to find a suitable specialist who can cope with the tasks assigned to him? According to the results of recent studies, more than 52% of the company's sales are due to the work of only 27% of agents!
What traits inherent in the candidates should be paid attention in the first place? You may be surprised, but it is a stereotype that all successful salespeople are sociable, open-minded, assertive and a little aggressive, energetic. Many great sales agents are courteous and even a little shy people. Among them there are men and women, tall and short, able to speak beautifully and not possessing this subtle art, extremely neat and not.
For many decades, specialists have been striving to draw up a detailed portrait of a successful salesman. McMurry, for example, believed that the sales agent should be a real “boyfriend”, a person who was used to always achieve the intended goal. Other important features are energy, self-confidence and attitude to any objection as a challenge to yourself.
A more brief description of the image of the ideal candidate was made by Meyer and Greenberg. According to them, the main qualities of a sales agent are a sense of empathy (the ability to penetrate the emotions and feelings of a potential client) and self-righteous determination, a powerful personal need for successful sales.
As for the selection procedures themselves, it all depends on the employer. However, professional tests will tell you more about the candidate than the most detailed resume.
An important point is the training of sales agents. What do they need to be taught? Do not sell, of course. And to feel like an integral part of your company, sincerely interested in its development and promotion. Be sure to make a presentation of the goods (to talk about the procedure for their manufacture, purpose and advantages over analogues). You also need to tell the future sales agent about the target audience and competitors.
Responsibilities of a sales agent - successful sales. Does he cope with them? There are several ways to evaluate the effectiveness of salespeople:
- comparison of the results of individual agents;
- comparing current results with previous ones.
The first method, as practice shows, is more effective. After all, each sales agent strives to surpass his colleagues (his salary directly depends on this). The more additional incentives he will have (bonuses, incentives, or vice versa, the fear of dismissal), the more efforts he will make in order to stay in a heated place or move to an even more sunny place. Be sure to ensure that each sales agent performs the duties assigned to him in full - this will allow you to reduce costs and maximize profits.