Direct Sales. Done Right.How to Build a Top-Tier Direct Sales Team from the Ground Up

Table of ContentsCh 1: Why Some Succeed & Some Fail

Ch 2: Creating Your Ideal Sales Profile

Ch 3: Personal Recruiting

Ch 4: The Interview Process

Ch 5: In-House Training

Ch 6: Field Training

Ch 7: Follow-up Training

Ch 8: Compelling Compensation

Ch 9: Cultivating Opportunity

Ch 10: Creating Good Culture

Ch 11: Why Some Fail & Others Succeed

Introduction: What Is Direct Sales, Anyway?

What is Direct Sales, Anyway?Before you read this book, take a minute and imagine your life in 10 years. What does it look like? Where do you live? Who do you spend time with? What are your earnings?

If you’re the kind of person that imagined a beautiful home, surrounded by great people, supported by a really healthy income, then direct sales may be the right career path for you.

There are lots of different ways that people sell stuff. Some people cold call. Others use referral marketing or networking. Others host events. While all of these types of selling – and others – can be really effective (it depends on the product and industry), direct selling can be a really powerful channel for growing business…and your personal income.

Direct sales differs from these other methods in that direct sellers go go directly to a consumer with a product. Typically, this interaction happens face-to-face, either at a sales event or door to door – whether in a consumer’s residence or place of business.

Without the right systems and support, it can be a grueling experience and many young and inexperienced representatives burn out.

With the right systems and support, however, it can be an exciting, challenging, and financially lucrative career.

This is why it's so important to build and support a direct sales team the right way.

If you’re the kind of person that imagined a beautiful home, surrounded by great people,

supported by a really healthy income, then direct sales may be the right

career path for you.

Ch 1: 3 Pillars Of A Direct Sales Team

Some Succeed, Some FailOne of the great things about sales... any type of sales... is that your income is driven by you. When you're starting a direct sales business, the same principle is true. The growth of your sales team, and your business, is completely up to you.

A company can provide you the tools, the training, and the prospects, but at the end of the day it’s up to you to take the action necessary to make it happen. To put in the reps, and do the work.

Some managers, and some sales teams, don't cut it. They don't invest in the right things. They burn out. They fail. But that doesn't have to be your story.

If you follow a good system – and, for the record, we think ours is pretty good – the sky really is the limit.

Direct sales is a business built around self-replication and exponential growth.

If you invest in the right talent and build the right team, you can build recruits into top performers, and top performers into leaders. And when you have built up a strong leader who can open their own office and begin to build more leaders in the same way, you can see explosive, organic growth in your organization.

And that’s what makes direct sales an awesome career for people who, when they imagine themselves in 10 years, can’t imagine a life without success.

Direct sales is a business built around self-replication and exponential

growth.

The 3 Pillars Of Building A Direct Sales TeamWe've distilled our basic principles of success when it comes to building a direct sales team into 3 Pillars: Recruit, Train, and Motivate.

In this book, we'll go into detail for all 3 Pillars and illustrate how they can help you build a top-tier direct sales team that can help you achieve exponential growth… for you, and for your organization.

Let's take a look at the pillars themselves:

RecruitBefore you can train a great team, you need to hire them! Elements of this pillar include

• Creating an Ideal Sales Profile • Personal recruiting, and how to recruit using your existing sales force • How to develop a truly great interview process

TrainIf you want the best, you need to train the best. This pillar includes

• Building an excellent In-House Training process • Developing talent by training in the field • How to utilize follow-up training and KPI’s effectively

MotivateIn sales, brilliant results stem from first-rate motivation. This pillar is all about

• Offering a compelling compensation plan • Providing opportunities for advancement in your organization • Creating a great company culture

Are You Ready to Succeed?So if you’re ready to learn the elements of success when it comes to building a direct sales team from the ground up, let’s start at the beginning: Who do you hire for your new team?

Ch 2: Determine Who You Want To Work With

Your Ideal Sales ProfileWhere Do You Start?Recruiting is the first pillar of building up a direct sales business. Your sales team is where the rubber meets the road, where the product meets the customer, and where the magic happens.

Building an effective sales team is hugely dependent on finding the right people.

People who will represent your company well. Who live by your values. Who are experts in their product line and driven servants for your customer base.

Find Your ProfileThere are a lot of people out there who like the idea of a sales job. Not all of them, however, will be a good fit for your sales team.

That means it’s important to know what you're looking for. And that takes an Ideal Sales Profile.

Remember- you're not just looking for anyone with a pulse! Hiring too many of the wrong people can make you lose your corporate culture, compromise your values, and set you back as an organization.

How do you avoid this? By developing your Ideal Sales Profile.

What is an Ideal Sales Profile?

The best sales reps aren’t always the most experienced ones.

They are the ones who are hungry, who exhibit the ideal personality traits and skills to be brand ambassadors and closers. These traits are part of the profile for your ideal salesperson.

This should be tailored to fit with the products that you offer, the customers you serve, and the compensation that you offer. (Some sales styles benefit from a high flexibility, high commission pay plan; others from a more stable base with smaller bonus incentives.) Put all of these traits together and use them as a template when recruiting new talent, and then you will build a sales team that is pulling in the same direction- toward your company's goals.

How Do You Build a Profile?Look at your best reps. The ones that consistently deliver and are constantly exceeding expectations. Now, look at their characteristics, their skills, their psychology. What motivates them? Why do they do what they do?

Building Your Team

Building an effective sales team is hugely dependent on finding the

right people. Remember - the best sales reps aren't the most experienced, by and large.

The “Top Dog”Are they the experienced sales dog? The ones who are smart and savvy when it comes to reading the customer and knowing which opportunities to pursue?

The “Go-Getter”Are they the younger, high-energy type? The high-volume door knocker, the ones who will leave no stone unturned in their search for new opportunity?

“Career-Driven”Are they someone switching their career, looking for an opportunity to advance to the next level of their personal success?

All of these can be valid profiles to build a recruiting strategy from. Keep in mind, the Ideal Sales Profile is not about finding a bunch of people who look and act exactly the same, or have the same likes and dislikes. This is about their approach to sales and whether their style can lead to success in your organization.

Looking to build your team? Do any of these profiles fit your ideal?

Where to Look for Your Team

Job BoardsIndeed. LinkedIn. Monster. Careerbuilder, ZipRecruiter, even Craigslist. They throw an ad up, get as many resumes as they can, and hope to find a diamond in the rough.

Is this a valid method of recruiting?

Sure! It's just not enough.

When you are using job boards, remember the overall recruiting principle we're laying out in this post: casting a wide net.

This means never rely on a single job board.

You may have more success with one board than another, but that doesn't mean you won't miss opportunities if you limit yourself to it. You need to capture candidates from each.

This is all well and good. But the big question you probably have is, “Where do I find this army of sales superheroes?”

Most people who are hiring sales talent head right to what seems like the most logical place: the job boards.

Where Else?Job boards are only about half of the equation. So where else do you look for top direct sales talent?

We’ll go into more detail in the next chapter: Personal Recruiting. You can use your personal and professional networks to find top-notch sales talent in unexpected places. Just remember not to limit yourself in where to look for talent.

Always approach your personal and professional interactions with your recruiting goals in the back of your mind.

So, let’s discuss personal recruiting in greater depth to really dive into how to make the most out of those opportunities.

Let's be honest: it costs money to recruit a quality candidate. And job boards are not the place you want to cheap out. Pay the money for high-traffic boards to find the right candidates. There are a lot of boards out there, and it's important to find the most relevant ones for your marketplace to invest in.

Ch 3: Personal Recruiting

Find the Best TalentLooking for the Best Talent?In our previous chapter, we talked about what to look for in your ideal sales candidates, how to build and hire from a profile, and how to utilize job boards effectively.

But job boards are only one piece of the recruiting puzzle.

In this chapter , we’re going to go into more detail about personal recruiting. Non-job-board recruiting. Outside-the-box recruiting.

Because that’s where you find the best sales talent.

Want to Hire the Best? Look EverywhereWe’ve talked about the importance of casting a wide net when it comes to recruiting. It never pays to limit where you can find top-tier direct sales talent.

That doesn’t mean that you should hire anyone with a pulse! But it does mean that you should keep an eye out for individuals that fit your Ideal Sales Profile… wherever you are.

Are you at a coffee shop, impressed by a gregarious and service-minded barista? Don’t hesitate to approach them with new opportunities. Meet somebody with a great attitude, and the right approach to succeed in direct sales, at a local networking event? Let them know what you do and see if they show interest. See someone on social media with the right qualifications? Call them in for an interview.

Also, consider customers as potential recruits! A customer who shows interest in your company after they’ve been through the sales process on the receiving end is ahead of the curve when it comes to knowing your business.

All of these channels are valid ways to find great direct sales recruits… even if they’ve never considered a career in direct sales before. Just remember to keep your ideal candidate in mind and keep your eye out for those traits.

For our money, the best qualified people to refer ideal candidates to your business are those who already fit your ideal profile. If you have a great sales team, utilize them to recommend like-minded people. After all, who doesn’t like to work with their friends?

Of course, make sure that they’re really a good fit. You’re running a business, not a social hour. Rely on your sales force to provide potential candidates, and rely on your interview process to vet them.

That being said, most people who are great at their jobs have a good eye for others who might be a good fit for that position. Which is why it’s important to encourage your existing sales force to be involved in the recruiting process.

Use Referrals from Your Existing Sales Force

How Do You Encourage Referrals from Your Sales Team?Getting referrals from your sales team is easier said than done. But if you build the right culture and expectations into your sales team, you’ll set your organization up for success.

Here are three key tips for encouraging referrals from your existing team:

Tip #1: Talk to Your Team about ReferralsThe first rule of encouraging referrals is to talk about referrals.

And that doesn’t mean be pyramid-schemey… don’t set an expectation that in order to succeed in your organization employees need to get 5 of their closest friends involved. But when a direct sales rep is seeing some success, they are going to have a lot of natural enthusiasm for the job. Use that enthusiasm to your advantage by reminding your top performers that referrals are both welcomed and encouraged.

You can either offer the bonus to the referring employee, or split the bonus between the referring employee and the new sales agent, depending on what works best for your organization. You save the money of posting the job and get a pre-qualified candidate.

Any Direct Sales team is going to have recruiting as a critical function.  

Anyone looking to move into management is going to have to master these skills.  Make personal recruiting fit into that equation by giving sales reps who are willing and eager to do so an inside track to leadership.  

Personal recruiting is a clear sign of a sales rep’s confidence in the business, and you want someone confident representing your company.  

Going back to the first tip, it doesn’t have to be an absolute requirement for moving forward, but it should be the preferred route.

Here’s the payoff to personal recruiting: If you generate a referral-rich culture on your sales team, you will never be in a situation where you lack talented individuals to help bring success to your company. The next step? A solid interview process to qualify the best candidates.

Tip #3: Make Personal Recruiting Ability Part of the Opportunity to Advance in the Company.

Tip #2: Add Financial Incentives for ReferralsMake sure that there is a financial benefit for team members who are part of the recruiting process. There is a cost-per-candidate when recruiting candidates from job boards. Depending on how many boards you use, that could be fairly high. Take that cost, or a portion of it, and offer it as a referral bonus.

Ch 4: The Interview Process

Our 4 Step Process for A Stellar Direct Sales Interview ProcessGood recruiting practices  will get you far in your direct sales business. By doing the right stuff, like casting a wide net for talent, using job boards effectively, and encouraging referrals from your existing sales force, you will be able to get enough new potential sales reps into your recruiting funnel to grow your sales team.

By now, you’ve created  a long list of candidates. So now it’s time to find the right fit for your sales team. And that means creating a solid interview process before you start calling those candidates in for interviews.

No matter how exhaustive your recruiting methods, you can still hire the wrong sales rep if you aren’t vigilant when it comes to your interviews.

Think about it: have you ever seen a candidate put something negative on their resume? The face that you see in an interview will most likely be the best version of that person. That makes sense… they want you to hire them! But it’s crucial to get a feel for how that person would actually be for the sales position at hand, and to fill in the gaps that are missing in that resume vetting process. So don’t pull the trigger on a hire just because you got a great first impression.

In this chapter, we’re going to walk you through a thorough, multiple-interview process that we’ve found to be extremely helpful for this. Every organization will have a slightly different interview process, so feel free to modify this to suit your team. The important thing is to have all the elements involved so that you can identify the best direct sales rep for your team.

No matter how exhaustive your recruiting methods, you can still hire

the wrong sales rep if you aren’t vigilant when it comes to your

interviews.

The Interview ProcessThe first step in the interview process isn’t the first interview itself. It’s that very first phone call.

Once you’ve narrowed down your resume to a list of potential candidates that you would like to interview, it may be tempting to just send an invitation via email. But that first phone call can be an important step too. In fact, there are two objectives for that first call:

Objective 1: Schedule an InterviewThe main objective of the call is to schedule a first in-person interview. It should be short, sweet, and to the point. Determine their availability and get them scheduled ASAP, preferably within the next few days. Scheduling interviews weeks out means risking the candidate finding another job before you can make an offer, especially if the job market is tight.

Again, this is understandable, especially in a tight job market. So provide a short job description on this first call and really let them know what the job is all about. They may not have a good understanding of what makes direct sales unique, or they may not have read the description carefully when they first applied. So remind them what the job is all about and give them the opportunity to determine whether they are still interested in moving forward.

Step 1: The Scheduling Call

Objective 2: Gauge InterestThe secondary objective of the call is to get a feel for the candidate’s real interest level in the position. A lot of candidates on a job hunt, especially in sales, have a sort of spray-and-pray approach to the job boards. They just fill out application after application and see what sticks.

Step 2: The Initial InterviewIf the candidate is interested on the phone, get them in for your first face-to-face interview.

Now, this interview usually has a lot of pressure built into it. On the company side, there’s a spot open on the sales team that is just waiting for someone to jump in and start making more money for the organization. On the candidate side, there’s a ton of pressure to put their best foot forward to try and prove that they are the right sales rep right away.

The Interview ProcessThere’s a time and a place for pressure, but not here.

A first interview is sort of like a first date. It’s all about getting to know the candidate. You don’t end a first date with a proposal- and you don’t need to end the interview 100% sure that the candidate is a good fit for the company. You’re just trying to see if they can fit.

Keep the tone light. Conversational, even. And not too long, either- keep it to 15-20 minutes. You don’t want to put them through the wringer. (And if you’ve done your recruiting right, you shouldn’t have to.) You just want to get a sense of their attitude, whether this is the sort of person that you would like to have around your office.  In a first interview, questions about a candidate's previous work experience are good, but also pepper in questions about their background, hobbies, etc., to get an accurate feel for their personality and how they would fit in with your team.

(As a side note, be aware of the questions that you shouldn’t ask during an interview. For example, depending on which state your business is in, it may be illegal to ask about prior compensation in previous jobs. When in doubt if the question is too personal, hold off.)

Once you’ve asked enough questions about the candidate, have a good “elevator pitch” for the job description.

Make sure a potential candidate knows what they’d be getting into when working for your company.  

Pay attention to the candidates expressions and body language to gauge their interest.  If they’re visibly excited about their prospects for the job, then this is someone you want to talk to again.  If not, then you want to give them an opportunity to walk away without using up any more of your time or theirs.

Remember!Make sure a potential candidate knows what they’d be getting into when working for your company.

The Interview Process

Now that you’ve got a feel for who the candidate is as a person, and you’re still interested in potentially hiring them for your sales team, it’s time to get them in for a follow-up interview.

While the last interview was about getting to know the candidate, this interview is all about how the candidate reacts to the position, and to your organization as a whole.

Paint the picture of what it’s really like to work the job they are interviewing for.

Tell them what the average day is like. The average year. And see what observations and questions they come up with as a result.

Do their questions indicate that they are serious about the job? Are they insightful? You’re looking for an active listening ability and a good understanding of what the job entails.

A good candidate will have questions about performance, so be sure to know your main scenarios… what a top-performer usually looks like in terms of goals and performance, what an average performer looks like, etc. You can tell a lot about a sales rep’s attitude and approach to sales by how they react to these: do they react with excitement when you talk about high-level goals? Or do they seem hesitant and nervous about hitting the ‘average’ goals?

Bring up their homework from the last interview. (Did they come prepared? If they didn’t bother to do their homework, that’s a red flag.) Try and bring their personal answers in line with the job position… if their 3 goals for the next 5 years line up well with the growth opportunities in your organization, for example.

If you’re satisfied with their understanding of the job, conclude your interview by asking them if this seems like the right fit for them.  Remember, your goal isn’t to bring in everyone, but only those who show a true enthusiasm for the job and clearly see the opportunity in front of them.

If you are 100% sold on the candidate after this, then congratulations all around. But what if you or the candidate still have some hesitations?

Step 3: The Follow-Up Interview

Step 3.5: The “Overcoming Hesitations” InterviewIf your second interview ends with a hint of doubt, either from you or the candidate, that doesn’t mean that it’s time to write that candidate off just yet.  Someone who is slow to jump into something might be exactly the person you want, if it means they will be fully committed when they jump on board.

The Interview ProcessSometimes, a candidate may have had a bad experience with a previous sales job. Or maybe the idea of direct sales is just so new to them that they need to process it more. There could be any number of reasons for hesitation that may not be relevant when it comes to how well you all can work together.

The purpose of this interview is to figure out what’s holding you guys back and determining whether it’s a crucial element or not. If, for example, a candidate has never worked for commission before and is nervous about the prospect: that is a hesitation that can be overcome by realistically portraying the compensation results of your team. If, on the other hand, the candidate is firmly opposed to cold-calling, that hesitation may be a good indicator that they’re a bad fit for direct sales.  Getting a solid no out of the latter candidate can be a win as well. Remember, at the end of the day, building an all-star sales team is all about finding all-star teammates and not settling for the last picks!

If you can eliminate the reasons for hesitation on both sides, then congratulations! You have a new sales team member.

The last step in the interview process is a favorite for everyone involved: calling to let the candidate know that they got the job!

Here’s an important thing to remember, though. Once a candidate hears that they got the job, their brain will probably click into celebration mode. Which means that it’s about the worst time to expect them to retain details.

We’ve had new hires that were told their first day over the phone but promptly forgot the date by the time they hung up. Since it was too embarrassing to call back and ask for the information again, they ended up missing their first day!

Give clear expectations for the next steps in the onboarding process.

Make sure they know their first day, what paperwork they need to complete and bring with them, etc. And once you’re off the phone, send a follow-up email!  Make sure that your newest team member has all the information they need to start off on the right foot.

From there… well, it’s all about training.

Step 4: Set Expectations for Onboarding

Ch 5: In-House Training

In-House TrainingYou’re working on building your direct sales super team. You’ve been through the recruiting process. You’ve interviewed and hired someone with the top traits of sales success. Next step, profit!

Well, not so fast.

Having someone with the potential for success doesn’t necessarily mean they are guaranteed to be successful as a direct sales rep. In fact, much of their success depends on how well they are equipped.

So if you want your direct sales recruits to hit the ground running, make sure they have the kind of training that empowers them to get out there and start making sales!

There are three levels of direct sales training: in-house training, field training, and follow-up training. In this chapter, we’re going to talk about the type of training that happens in the office before you let the sales rep engage with customers.

First off, consider the pacing. On the one hand, it’s understandable to want to get this out of the way ASAP. You don’t want your new hot-shot agent to get comfortable in sales-training student mode-- you want them to get comfortable out in the field, working with customers.

On the other hand, it’s really important to make sure that the new sales rep is given all of the tools they need to succeed.

If you throw information at new hires so fast that they feel like they’re drinking from a fire hose, chances are they won’t retain what they need.

So with that in mind, start ASAP. (Preferably the same day as their employee on-boarding.) Then break down the training process so that they learn everything they need to function in the field in digestible chunks. This can take a day or two, or it could take a couple weeks if you’re in a complicated industry or have a lot of product to learn.

If You Want The Best Team, You Need To Train The Best Team

How to Train In-House

In-House TrainingStep 1: Product TrainingHere’s the thing… when it comes to product knowledge, it doesn’t matter how charismatic your new recruit is. It doesn’t matter whether this is their first sales job or their 10th. If they don’t know their product, they won’t be able to sell it. If they think they’re ready, but they aren’t, it can derail a new sales rep completely.

Before you get into sales training, you need to focus on product training.

Take your new hire through the products you offer, and have them analyze the catalog with an engineer’s mindset. They should know the features and benefits. They should know the limitations and specializations. All the details, and all of the competitive advantages that your products have over other comparable packages. What needs do the products meet? Can they recommend different offerings based on different needs?

If they can navigate your offerings with proficiency, they will be able to offer them to customers with proficiency.

Step 2: Sales ApproachOnce your new hire is comfortable with your products and offerings, make sure you talk to them about the fundamentals of direct sales approach before you set them loose in the sales field.

This step is absolutely crucial. Really. Don’t skip it. A sales rep with enthusiasm for the products they sell can be a powerful force to be reckoned with. But nothing can stop that momentum faster than the barrage of rejections that come from a bad approach.

This isn’t a detailed training, analyzing last week’s game film and strategizing upcoming tactics. (That comes later.) Rather, this is broad strokes stuff. Making sure they know your team’s basic processes.

A great way to encourage product literacy? Sell your new hire on the product! If you can get them to believe in the products they will be offering, chances are they will do an awesome job offering those same products to their customers. If they are showing enthusiasm, looking to purchase the products themselves or recommending them to others in their circles, you know that you’re on the right track.

In-House TrainingEvery direct sales team will have a slightly different sales process, and your new hire should be comfortable with that process. Can they open up the conversation with an ice-breaker? Can they present the product effectively? Can they ask for the sale?

Regardless of how your team’s sales process is structured, make sure that your new hire can move step-by-step through the process and keep moving to the next step. Role-play with them and make sure they know how to overcome some common objections that could keep them from advancing the process.

That process should be trained and practiced before the sales agent hits the field. That way, if they do encounter a setback in the process, they will be able to understand where they are and where they need to go. This means that they are less likely to give up, and more likely to close sales.

Step 3: Relationship Management SkillsRelationship management is a huge part of any successful sales rep’s process.

Again, this is something that will be addressed in more detail when the new hire is going through follow-up training. You don’t need to get into the specifics when training in the office. But this is important stuff that can impact their future sales, so it’s important to make sure that new hires are aware of these issues from the start of their employment.

Set the expectation that relationship management is a crucial element of the job. Talk about following up with customers. About opportunities to upsell additional products, and when that’s appropriate. About the importance of referrals, and how to ask for them.

If the new hire is aware of these things before they hit the field, they’ll be more likely to remember them when they’re presenting those products for the first time.

After you’ve gone through this training, run the new recruit through your process. Check and see if there’s any glaring holes in their knowledge. Don’t nitpick, don’t micromanage… nobody can learn everything all at once. But if they don’t know anything about a major product offering, or if they consistently forget to ask for the sale, it may be worth running them through another day of in-house training before moving forward.

If, on the other hand, they have retained the main process and seem to have a good grasp of the product line, get them ready for some field training!

Assess New Hires for the Field

Ch 6: Field Training

Field TrainingTraining Doesn't End at the OfficeYou’ve put your new hire through the sales training process. They know the product they need to sell. They’re familiar with the process your team uses. They know the importance of managing customer relationships. Does that mean they’re ready to hit the field and make your organization money?

More than likely, no. No matter how sharp or enthusiastic your trainee, you owe it to them to equip them for the dos and don’ts of direct sales success.

No matter how in depth your training, there’s no way a classroom environment can entirely prepare a new sales rep for the field.

And that’s why Field Training with an experienced rep is an important part of the new hire sales training schedule

In-House training, as we’ve discussed in our previous chapter, is a great way to teach product knowledge and the structure of your sales process. But as most experienced salespeople know, there’s only so much you can learn from a book.

Where In-House training imparts good sales knowledge, Field training reinforces good sales practices.

What Does Field Sales Training Look Like?

Have an experienced member of your team follow the new rep in the sales field.

It may be tempting to have the new hire shadow that experienced agent for a day or two to “learn the ropes.” But, for the most part, this is a waste of time. Shadowing is not effective field training.

Most salespeople don’t learn by watching. They learn by doing, and you want the trainee to get comfortable in front of prospective customers as soon as possible.

Remember!Where In-House training imparts good sales knowledge, Field Training coaches good sales practices.

Field TrainingWhy Train in the Field at all?So if most of the knowledge a trainee requires is learned in-house, they already exhibit the traits of success, and it’s beneficial to get them in front of customers sooner than later... why is it necessary to train in the field at all? What is left for a new hire to learn?

It’s one thing to learn about riding a bike, it’s another to get up there and start pedaling.

Learning how to overcome objections in a classroom is different from overcoming a real, live objection from a real prospective customer.

Learning to ride a bike takes a few falls. That’s true for direct sales, too. It’s helpful to have somebody who’s been through this process alongside a new recruit to dust them off, help coach them on ways to improve, and help keep their enthusiasm intact while they get through the growing pains of their first few demos.

So if having a new hire shadow an experienced rep is a bad idea, how can you engage in effective field training?

How can you Effectively Train New Sales Reps in the Field?

Push Them out of the Nest (Gently)To start, have the new hire watch the experienced rep go through the process with a prospective customer. Not all day, just 1-3 times max. Shadowing all day will be wasted time, but it can be helpful for a new hire to see the process they learned in the classroom put to action once or twice.

This also takes off some of the pressure that comes with first-pitch performance anxiety. Have the trainer prove that customers don’t bite before handing over the reigns.

Then, hand over the reigns.

Learning how to overcome objections in a classroom is different from overcoming a

real, live objection from a real prospect.

Field TrainingGuide Them Through The Elements Of The SaleSo if having a new hire shadow an experienced rep is a bad idea, how can you engage in effective field training?

1. Getting Your Foot In The Door: Can the trainee get the ice broken enough to introduce themselves and their product?

2. The Product Presentation: This will be industry and company specific, but this is where that product knowledge they learned in-house comes into play. Can they present the features and benefits? Are they making a compelling pitch?

3. Asking For The Sale: To close a sale, you’ve got to ask for it. Does the trainee know how, and when, to effectively ask for business? Can they do it in a way that's conversational and assumptive at the same time?

4. Overcoming Objections: There will always be objections. Do they stop the trainee in their tracks, or are they able to keep moving?

Plan to spend at least a whole day, (or more!) worth of training for each element of the process. A rep may move through it faster, but don’t make any assumptions about how quick they’ll be able to pick up the new material.

Teach, don’t tell.It’s vital that you really teach this process, not just tell them what to do. A rep should know this process in their bones and be able to demo in their sleep, not just have a process memorized that they don’t really understand.

So be sure to go at the trainee’s own pace.

Ask questions to gauge their knowledge along the way. Make sure they can do each piece before moving on to the next. The best way to know if a trainee has a firm grasp on what you’ve taught them is when they can teach the material back to you.

Every salesperson is different, and they will have different strengths and challenges.

Maybe they are enthusiastic and knowledgeable about the product, but they are naturally introverted and have a hard time breaking the ice. Maybe they’re gung-ho about asking for the sale, but it takes them more time to learn how to overcome objections on the fly.

Regardless, move at their pace and make sure they are comfortable with each of these elements… because they are all crucial.

Field TrainingDon’t Criticize. Encourage Self-Awareness.Most people are their own worst critics.

Let’s say an experienced salesperson spends their efforts pointing out every little thing that the new hire does wrong. Chances are, the trainee already knows that they screwed up, and now it’s being pointed out to them. Consistently.

Is there anything better guaranteed to kill enthusiasm?

Instead of nitpicking every little misstep, the goal for the trainer is to encourage the trainee to have confidence in their own ability.

The best way to do this? Ask questions.

Since most trainees understand when they did something wrong, you don’t need to point it out. Ask them questions about it. “Do you know what happened there? Why do you think they responded that way?” Many times, the trainee already knows the answer and is able to learn and adapt.

These types of questions move the focus away from the fact that something did go wrong to the question of what went wrong. And, from there, how to improve.

By leading trainees to be aware and self-correct on their own, it builds confidence… and an expectation to be constantly learning and growing in their position.

When Are They Ready to Sell on Their Own?So if every new hire moves at their own pace, and the field trainer is being sensitive to that, how do they know specifically when they are ready to move on without backup?

It’s important not to cut a new rep loose too early. If they are not prepared to sell, they will see an exponentially high amount of rejections and failed presentations at an impressionable time in their career.  

If you don’t see the trainee performing at a level where they can regularly succeed, don’t let them continuously fail.

It will torpedo their confidence and set an expectation of failure, rather than success.

So have trainers keep an eye on how the new hire moves through the sales process. Can they move from step to step without faltering or relying on help? If they get stuck at a particular step, make sure you spend enough time with them to get them through their sticky points.

Field TrainingNow, put yourself in the customer’s position. If you were in a position to buy your product, could the trainee sell you?

If the answer is yes, they are ready to hit the field running and contribute to the success of your sales team!

Of course, when it comes to learning and improving, a sales agent’s work is never done. Which is why follow-up training is important. We’ll talk about that in our next chapter.

Ch 7: Follow-up Training

Follow-up TrainingWhat’s the Best Way to Do Follow-Up Sales Training?You’ve hired a new sales agent. Training has been completed, both in-house and in the field. Now the sales rep is out there making connections with customers, presenting your products, and making sales for the company. Congratulations.

You’re still not finished with direct sales training, though.

Just because your shiny new salesperson can get through a presentation and close sales doesn’t mean that they are constantly growing and improving. It doesn’t mean that they’re picking up good habits and avoiding bad ones. Which is why one of the the best sales training ideas is to stay invested... even after the rep is in the field.

We’re talking about follow-up sales training.

It’s about seeing where there are shortcomings in the process and learning how to overcome them. Cementing good habits and avoiding bad ones.

What is Follow-Up Sales Training?By the time that your direct sales rep has finished with in-house training, they have all the knowledge they need to sell your products. By the time they’ve completed their field training, they’ll have the tools and techniques to succeed in closing deals. So what is follow-up sales training, and why is it necessary?

Follow-up training is about filling in the gaps.

Is Follow-Up Sales Training Just for New Reps?Follow-up training is a growth tool, which means that it’s for everyone. Anybody can benefit from having an experienced eye take a look at their process and show them ways to grow and improve.

That being said, it’s especially important for new hires, within the first 3 months. Why?

Because that’s when habits develop.

Staying invested keeps your new hires on track and continuing to develop good sales habits and techniques, and nips bad habits in the bud before they have the opportunity to become ingrained.

Your new sales reps lack self-awareness when it comes to their sales process. They don’t know the difference between bad habits and good ones… unless you are there to help guide them through that learning process.

Follow-up TrainingWhat’s the Best Way to Do Follow-Up Sales Training?Follow-up training is all about having a good process.

Every organization has slightly different processes in place when it comes to sales and training. Regardless of the process you choose to put in place, make sure it contains the basic elements of follow up training success.

If the close rate is poor, that helps you to see that there’s probably something in the pitch that’s going awry. If they have a high close rate but aren’t making high sales numbers, they may need to get in front of more people, or are having issues with their ice breaker.

Regardless, having the data to analyze performance is the first step to identifying the gaps in performance that a trainer will need to address.

#1: Keep (and track) Daily KPI NumbersIn order to see how your direct sales reps are doing in the field, it’s important to keep track of their performance. You do that by finding real measurable results, keeping track of them daily, and observing the trends.

Observe the data that makes the most sense for your team when it comes to monitoring success. You can measure every presentation made, for example. And if you also measure every successful sale, you will be able to calculate what percentage of pitches the rep was able to convert into a sale.

#2: Have Time Set Aside (Daily) for Follow-up TrainingFollow up training is your friend. Make time for your friend. If you invest time into follow-up training, you reap the rewards of having a top-notch sales team.

If you ignore opportunities for training, or try and cram it all into a marathon once-a-month session, you’re allowing bad habits to form and steal earning potential from your sales reps… and your organization.

Add a short training session as a part of your sales meeting, or your morning check-in. If you make the time for solid follow-up sales training, you will see the benefits.

Follow-up Training#3: Practice In The Office Before They Hit The FieldThere’s a reason why in-house training happens before field training. You have to learn knowledge before you can learn process and execution.

So don’t assume that direct sales reps should just apply any follow-up training they get out in the field. Allowing them to ‘work it out’ on real prospects without having the chance to practice can get real expensive, real fast.

Nobody wants to blow an opportunity. And nobody wants that sale more than your new direct sales agent. So do them a favor by helping them hone their pitch in the office before sending them out into the field.

If you set them up for success, you’ll boost their confidence along with their ability.

Let’s be real for a minute: the sales field is full of pressure. Talking to real customers with real objections will always be different, and more challenging, than running through a scenario with a fellow team member. There’s skin in the game.

Which is why it’s so important for your new agents to internalize their new training. If they haven’t, the pitch can go haywire in the field.

If they do struggle in the field applying new concepts, that’s okay: they just need more practice. Pull them back into the office and really spend the time analyzing where the breakdown is occurring and help them learn ways to overcome those issues.

#4: Observe How They Act In The FieldThat being said, just because somebody has learned a good pitch in a classroom/office environment doesn’t mean they can replicate that pitch in the field.

#5: Take It One Step At A TimeChances are, there will be several issues that a new sales rep will need to work on. That’s completely fine! There will always be ways to grow and improve.

However, don’t make the mistake of trying to fix all of a rep’s issues at once.

Trying to fix every problem means that no problem gets the full attention it deserves. When that happens, progress happens at an incredibly slow rate… when it happens at all.

Follow-up TrainingFrom the sales rep’s perspective, being constantly told they’re doing something wrong, without seeing measurable improvement, leads to a complete destruction of confidence. Which, in turn, reinforces the bad habits that you’re trying to correct.

Instead, pick 1 thing. 2 things tops. And work on those things until the rep has them completely nailed down before moving on to the next thing.

Following this process will fill up the rep’s confidence tank instead of emptying it.

By working through a difficult problem and seeing massive improvement, the direct sales agent (rightly) believes that they can work through anything and consistently improve their sales performance.

So follow these 5 elements to a good follow-up sales training process and empower your sales reps to improve!

Who Should Perform the Follow-Up Training?Here’s a little secret: one of the best ways to learn is to teach. So empowering experienced sales reps to teach new hires is a great way to instill good behavior in the trainee while reinforcing and honing good techniques in the trainer.

Not every great salesperson has the temperment to teach, but keep an eye on your sales force for traits of good leadership and mentoring. Those sales agents on your team that show promise should be empowered to help grow the newer members.

This helps take some of the work off of higher-level leadership, it encourages potential future leaders to grow in their new skills, and it helps new hires improve and feel part of a team that works together. It builds everyone, and establishes a great culture.

So engage in good follow-up training habits and you will have a direct sales team with all of the talent, skills, and techniques to take your community by storm.

Now you just need to keep them motivated. In the next chapter, we’ll examine how to motivate your team to consistent growth.

Remember!By working through a difficult problem and seeing massive improvement, the direct sales agent (rightly) believes that they can work through anything and consistently improve their sales performance.

Ch 8: Compelling Compensation

Compelling CompensationShow Them the MoneyWhen it comes to sales compensation, a lot of direct sales team leaders get weak in the knees.

Why? Because it’s a difficult equation to balance. If you pay your employees too little, you won’t be able to retain them. Who wants to stick around when they could make more money elsewhere?

If you pay them too much, they won’t be motivated to perform. If they’re happy with their pay after making 5 sales, where’s the drive to go out and push for 10? A good sales rep is hungry… and that should be encouraged. You don’t want to overfeed them for underperforming.

So where’s that magic compensation number? The one that keeps your employees happy to work for you but motivates them to keep pushing for more wins every month?

Well…

If you are planning to attract sales talent to your direct sales firm by learning what your competitors pay and offer just a little more to edge them out… you might get some good talent. And then lose them when a competitor tries to do the same thing to you.

People aren’t loyal to a number.

There are a lot of sales compensation plans floating around out there. And there are plenty of magic formulas for nabbing your next top performing sales rep. But the real fact of the matter is that, no matter what compensation plan you offer, you need to build value in your workplace that exists independent from the numbers.

So if there’s no sweet spot for salary, how do you go about choosing a motivating compensation plan?

There is No Magic NumberSorry. That would be too easy.

Compelling CompensationDo Your Research.First step: know your industry. Know what your competitors pay, why they pay the way they do, how it’s working out for them. Scope out similar industries and see if their model makes sense for what you do. Ask direct sales reps in your industry what they’re getting paid and how happy they are with their sales compensation plan.

Remember, you’re not getting this information to edge out your competitors, so there’s no need to make this a clandestine operation.

The fact is, running a direct sales firm requires a lot of good community and relationship building.

Leading an effective team doesn’t happen in a bubble. Get out there and get connected with a local network.

When deciding on a compensation plan it’s important to know your industry, your local market, and even issues like cost of living in your area. (The fact is, a competitive compensation plan in Iowa may not pay the rent in San Francisco.)

Only when you have the relevant information in hand can you consider the elements of direct sales compensation.

Reward Reps Who Do More.There are 3 potential elements to any sort of sales compensation plan.

• Base salary

• Commission

• Daily/Weekly Incentives

In certain industries, where consistency is valued more than high-yield performance, plans may skew more toward base salary, with lower commission percentages.

In an industry where you’re counting on sales reps to drive growth, it makes sense to skew more toward most of their pay coming from commission.

For a sales rep, success in direct sales is all about driving to achieve more. You want your direct sales agents to be motivated- and you want to reward them for being hungry.

Compelling CompensationIf you have a good commission/bonus structure, your top performers and high-yield drivers will always be motivated to get out there and make more sales… because they always want to make more money! It’s a natural inclination, and a good one for both you and the individual members of your team.

So how do you develop a good commission plan and bonus structure in your direct sales compensation plan?

Always be asking yourself this question: “Am I rewarding the reps who do more?”

In a fair bonus structure, you’re setting the standard for what numbers are unacceptable, which are okay, and which are worth being rewarded. You want the plan itself to encourage reps to get out there and close more deals.

Here’s how to do it:• Set a Low-End target goal that everyone can hit. It should

be the minimum accepted number, a number just above the average median performance. (This is your ‘OK Number.’)

• Set a High-End target. This is the “unicorn number.” It shouldn’t be an impossible number… but it should definitely be at the higher end of possible. Something that should be a challenge to hit and a bigger challenge to surpass. (Don’t be afraid to raise that number based on your top performer if they push past it! They’re setting the tone for great growth on your team!)

• Now, set a sliding scale of bonuses between those numbers. There should always be a next level goal that feels attainable for your reps to push for.

Commission & Monthly Bonus Structures

Compelling CompensationYou should augment monthly income with daily and weekly incentives. These are great for short-term motivational boosts when you’re encouraging your team to hit a small, time-sensitive goal or a big month-end push.

Commissions and bonuses are great. They keep reps motivated to do more, consistently. But it’s also their primary source of income, which means that their eyes are set toward the month’s end. They may need another small incentive to help them see a reward for the short-term challenge.

Daily and weekly incentives don’t have to be high dollar value. Actually, having a short-term incentive be too lucrative can backfire in a few ways. You don’t want your team to lose sight of their monthly goals for the sake of the small, short-term goals.

Instead, offer small incentives and contests for pushing towards a small goal. Free lunch, for example, or a coffee gift card. Something with real value that enhances the spirit of pushing toward that short-term goal.

Regardless of your incentives, be sure to continue to reward your team for providing results. A great company culture with good training, combined with a fair and rewarding compensation plan, is a great way to build value in your organization when it comes to attracting and retaining top direct sales talent.

Of course, it’s not just about the money.

Daily/Weekly Incentives

Ch 9: Cultivating Opportunity

Cultivating OpportunityYou Want Your Team To Move? Give Them Open DoorsBy this point, you’ve developed a compensation plan that keeps them happy and makes everybody money. So how do you keep that team motivated to sell?

One word: Opportunity.

It’s an old adage in sales: if you’re not moving forward, you’re moving backward. This applies to your organization as a whole, your sales team, and the individual members of your sales team.

Everybody wants to grow. To advance. To be better. It’s a natural human impulse to want to move upward. Nobody wants to feel stagnant.

That’s why it’s important to have clear, defined ways to advance built into the structure and culture of your sales team.

That means keeping growth as a goal is imperative.

In sales, growth is all about maximizing performance.

If the individual performers on your team are consistently exceeding expectations, they need to know that their careers will not be static. Most salespeople don’t want to continue knocking their numbers out of the park, month after month, knowing that management wants to keep them there forever. They need to know that there’s a place for them to grow.

So build growth into your business model! Have a structure that motivates the growth from individual performer into a team leader.

Direct Sales is all about Growth.Direct sales is an industry where the ability to replicate yourself and generate new sales leaders can lead to exponential growth. The more you maximize and expand your organization, especially in the Telecom industry, the more successful you will be.

Build Leadership Opportunity Into Your OrganizationA well organized direct sales firm will have two layers of leadership built in. Beginning leaders and advanced leaders.

Cultivating OpportunityLow-level, doesn’t mean low-importance. A beginner leadership position is a great way to motivate top performers toward further growth, while maximizing the performance of the whole team.

For example, consider training.

As you’ve learned from this point, hiring and training a top performing direct sales rep is no easy task.

It’s labor intensive. It’s time consuming. It takes a considerable amount of time and resources away from the management of the higher level team functions if the office manager or sales team leader is doing all of that training on their own.

Empowering an experienced sales rep to a training leadership position not only frees up time and resources for the team leader, but also helps teach fundamental leadership skills to the trainer. The team leader gets more time for high-level functions, the trainer has the opportunity to learn and grow in their leadership ability, the trainee gets expert help in learning how to be productive.

You’ve just strengthened your entire team by opening up that low-level leadership position.

The advanced level leaders are the individuals in your organization who are making the big-picture decisions in how to move the firm forward.

If your direct sales firm is growth-minded and scalable… (and it ought to be,) your goal should be to help transition beginning leaders into high-level, advanced sales team leaders. If you, as a sales team leader or branch manager, can replicate yourself and train up another benchmark sales team leader, you can empower them to open a new office and expand the reach of your firm.

This doesn’t just give your sales performers an attainable goal that they can push for to keep them motivated.

It makes your organization a place where growth isn’t just incidental… it’s expected.

And that helps keep everybody motivated.

Beginning (Low-level) Leadership Advance (High-level) Leadership

Cultivating OpportunityWhat to Look for in Potential LeadersNow that you understand the importance of advancement opportunity to the members of your team, and the importance of sustainably growing leaders within your organization, a logical question arises.

What do you look for in potential candidates for leadership, anyway?

You’ve heard it said that those who can’t do, teach.

Forget that.

In direct sales, great leaders have to know the ins and outs of what makes good sales performance and be able to step in and lead other reps and leaders in that direction.

Make sure that your leadership candidates have a history of good results to make sure they know the process and are able to replicate it.

Good Performance

ConsistencyLook for candidates who are consistent.

If you have a rep that fluctuates between having really great months and really terrible months of performance, you may be looking at somebody with great personal ability and magnetism... but they may have issues with motivation, or lack a thorough understanding of your sales process.

A candidate that’s consistently delivering good numbers, even if they seldom take first place for the month, is a much better candidate for a leadership role.

A leader is going to pass on the traits of success that they know.

A consistent candidate will be better able to pass along lessons on consistency than a potential leader with numbers all over the board.

A Servant MindsetIf you think you’re looking at a potential leader, be sure to look at their motivation.

Not just whether or not they are motivated… but what they are motivated by.

Now, there should be a financial incentive tied to leadership. Hard work should be rewarded, and it’s best to have a performance based incentive tied to their leadership work to continue to keep them motivated.

Cultivating OpportunityBut someone who is entirely motivated by money is a poor candidate for leadership… they may not see the big picture if it extends past their wallet.

In the same way, hiring somebody who is entirely motivated by praise, title, or status can also be a detriment to leadership. Results don’t come from a position, and they may not be motivated to do less glamorous work that doesn’t get them the kudos they expect.

Instead, look for a potential leader who is motivated by the people around them. Do they enjoy helping others? Are they motivated when the team performs well? Do they help enhance the morale of the entire team?

Somebody with a mindset of service to the organization, in positions both above and below them, is exactly the type of person you want to encourage into leadership.

You just need to find a different way!

Usually, top performing salespeople who don’t have leadership interest fit the lone-wolf profile. They’re usually financially motivated, or motivated to overcome challenges out of a sense of competition.

If you’re working with a lone wolf salesperson, that doesn’t mean they have no opportunity for growth. But instead of leadership, leverage their skills and find higher-value products to sell. Give them more challenges and bigger sales opportunities. If you give them the financial motive, or the right challenge, they will continue to grow themselves.

Regardless of how you encourage scalable growth, be sure to keep your team moving forward through bigger and better opportunities along the way… and by building a company culture that encourages that.

Not Every Top Performer Is A Budding LeaderOf course, not everybody is cut out to be a leader. And that’s okay.

If you have a top performer who is consistently rocking your sales leaderboard, and they show no desire or aptitude for leadership, that doesn’t mean they can’t grow.

Ch 10: Creating Good Culture

Good CultureSo, What is this “Culture” Thing, Anyway?These days, you hear a lot about company culture. But what is it, really?

Is “Company Culture” a buzzword for the hip, unconventional office environment that attracts millenials? Or is “Company Culture” lifted from the pages of the latest fad business book?

The answer: not at all. In fact, company culture is nothing new. It’s an essential part of any business, and building a strong culture that motivates is an essential part of running a top-tier direct sales team.

Here’s a Clear DefinitionTo put it simply, company culture is the collaboration of incentives, leadership, training, and core values that establish the identity of an organization. Every company has its own culture, for good and for ill.

It’s something that’s hard to describe, but pretty easy to see. It’s the living, breathing organism that keeps your team moving while you, as a leader, are on vacation. (Or sleeping, if that’s a thing you do.)

Sharing a common company culture helps your sales team speak the same language and stay on the same page when it comes to issues like values, goals, and expectations.

Remember!Sharing a common company culture helps your sales team speak the same language and stay on the same page when it comes to issues like values, goals, and expectations.

Here’s a Clear DefinitionYour sales team already has a culture. Is it constructive or destructive? There are some indicators of good and bad company culture that you can keep your eye out for:

Bad Company CultureToxic company culture can poison your sales team from within. It can torpedo your team’s results, ruin their confidence, and negatively impact your employee turnover. An unhealthy company culture is an unhealthy company.

Good CultureDoes your sales team’s culture need rescuing? Look for the following signs:

• Your sales team doesn’t communicate

• The team isn’t engaged or motivated to achieve common goals

• Your sales team doesn’t have a good understanding of goals and expectations

If any of these warning signs are present, look to your team’s leaders. Do they understand the culture, the values, the message you’re trying to get across? If they don’t understand the message, or don’t agree with it, they won’t be able to communicate it effectively to the rest of the team.

Having leaders that are out of step with the company’s vision can poison the well of the team’s culture… and that means that either your message or the leaders in question need to be changed.

Regardless, an organization where the vision and the team are out of sync is an organization with a culture that needs to be addressed.

Good Company CultureIn contrast, the best company culture is filled with team members who are engaged, motivated, and willing to raise up other members of the team.

A healthy company culture:

• Has a clear organizational message, incorporating shared values and mission statements

• Has a clear organizational goal that is shared with the team, so that they are a part of where the company is headed

• Gets together socially and has lots of opportunity to communicate about their personal goals in relation to the goals shared by the team.

In a healthy company culture, there is no disconnect between the company’s vision, the leadership, and the sales team members.

Everyone pulls in the same direction and does their part to achieve the organization’s goals.

Good CultureHow to Build a Good Company CultureIf good company culture is determined by how well the team works to accomplish shared organizational goals, it only stands to reason that the first step towards building a healthy company culture is to establish solid goals for your company.

Organizational goals should be tangible, measurable, and easily communicated to the sales team.

Salespeople are social animals. They want to feel a part of the company’s success, which is why it’s important to bring them in on goals that are easily shared.

Top-down goals tend not to stick. You need the company vision to go viral and take root at every level of the organization. A good way to do this is to set up a series of small, common goals… or determine a common enemy that your team can rally together to defeat! Nothing quite motivates and unites a sales team like a little healthy competition with a rival organization. Regardless, make sure you communicate goals in a way that celebrates how everybody in the company wins.

This can be tough to do in a small organization where you’re building culture from scratch, which is why it can be a good idea to partner with a larger organization with an established company culture that can help support and motivate your team.

But once you do… the sky’s the limit

Ch 11: Get Ready For Success!

Failure, Or Success?Are You Ready to Fail?Of course you aren’t. Neither is anyone else who goes into the direct sales business. But some do, regardless.

You’ve been equipped with some pillars of success that will get you started on the right foot. But it’s equally important to keep an eye out for some of the most common pitfalls we see young direct sales firms make.

What are these common mistakes? We’ll lay out a few, and explain the importance of avoiding them.

Don’t Focus on Sales - At the Expense of GrowthRemember Chapter 10? Direct Sales is an industry of growth.

The more you can grow your team, the more top performers and leaders you are able to generate, the bigger and stronger your organization becomes.

Unfortunately, it can be far too easy to get caught up in the daily/weekly/monthly grind of keeping up on sales numbers. New leaders of direct sales team leaders often place way too much emphasis on making and exceeding quotas, and not enough emphasis on identifying, equipping, and encouraging future leaders.

Remember: boosting the performance of a single rep is great.

But growing additional leaders who can then train 4-5 more top-performing reps? That’s a goldmine of exponential growth.

So be sure to keep the big picture in mind- don’t neglect those leaders!

That being said, we’ve seen firms make the complete opposite mistake: they are so focused on growth that they neglect to keep the team performing to their full capability.

Some teams grow, grow, grow. They spend so much energy on recruiting that they max out their team’s ability to train new recruits properly. New hires don’t get the training they need, and that means that they underperform.

Having a team of enormous size doesn’t help if the team’s numbers don’t rise at the same rate. The quality of your team matters as much, if not more, than the quantity.

Make sure you grow at the rate that your training team can handle, and always have a scalable approach to your growth.

You never want to let quality slip just for the sake of getting bigger. More ill equipped direct sales reps just means more problems.

But Don’t Focus on Growth at the Expense of Sales

Failure, Or Success?Don’t Forget About Quality Control

Maybe you’ve heard the old adage: as a salesperson, you sell yourself. But as a direct sales firm, you are representing a client, and that client’s product. Which means that your sales practices reflect the quality standards of your client’s organization.

Don’t forget that your firm is responsible to uphold and exhibit those standards as you present their product to your prospective customers.

Follow your client’s quality guidelines to the letter. Always make sure that you are in compliance with their standards and ensure that your reps are following those guidelines. You want to make sure you handle any issues of quality before it impacts your client, not after.

It’s natural to want to reward good performance and punish bad performance. It’s how we’re wired as people, for the most part. But just because it feels natural doesn’t mean that it’s good for your team.

If you treat your bottom-level sales reps like they are inferior, and hold them to a different standard than the rest of the team, they won’t have the confidence to improve.

If you treat your top performers like they are irreplaceable, and don’t hold them accountable to the same rules and expectations as the rest of the team, they might get cocky or feel like they are better than their fellow sales reps.

These are morale killers. They are sales team cancer. They will literally eat your direct sales firm alive until nobody is happy and nobody is performing to the best of their ability.

Combat this by having high standards and keeping everyone accountable to the same rubric. Don’t grade on a curve. If everyone lives up to the same benchmark, then your team will have healthy expectations for performance and growth.

Remember: Your Top Performers Aren’t SpecialAnother common mistake we see young direct sales leaders make? Not being consistent with how they treat their sales reps.

Failure, Or Success?Don’t Go it AloneStarting a direct sales office in the Telecom industry is a great way to start running a business with a small initial investment, while having unlimited growth potential. Someone who has experience running a direct sales team can quickly get started as a subdealer with the tools and resources Solcomm can provide them with.

On average, a direct sales office can set up shop at a low cost of entry — around 10% or less of the average business or franchise start up cost. Since the master dealer is handling the majority of the finances, it frees the office manager to focus on the revenue-driving stuff: getting more sales, building new leaders, and obtaining new customers!

If you’ve run a direct sales office before, you know that direct sales is an industry that is scalable and people-driven.  

Clients who have quality products to sell are always looking for partners that can provide them with that growth.  

A subdealer’s success is driven by their ability to engage with their community, while being supported with tools and resources from their master dealer.

Remember!Clients who have quality products to sell are always looking for partners that can provide them with that growth.

A subdealer’s success is driven by their engagement with the community and the ability to grow and thrive within it, while being supported with tools and resources from their master dealer.

Think of it as having all the benefits of entrepreneurship with less risk. A good master dealer will set you up with a plan for success: like if Lewis & Clark were given a road map!

This is why it may be smart to work for a Master Dealer rather than try to be one yourself. If you want to be very successful in business, you need to focus in on what you are good at... and minimize time and energy on things that you are not.

Failure, Or Success?A great Master Dealer can:

• Handle the product providers, and the finances, making sure that you get paid as quickly as possible

• Leverage their size to lower costs through bulk purchasing, to offer contests and additional incentives, and get the best territory from the Client

• Support a community of like-minded Subdealers… who can support each other to grow their businesses

• Offer additional assistance with recruiting, payroll support, and handling customer issues

In essence, a good Master Dealer will make your job as simple as possible and unleash the potential for you to grow your sales business as big as you want it to be.

If you’re ready to take the Telecom Direct Sales industry by storm, Solcomm would love to meet you.

Solcomm is leader in direct sales with fast-growing offices all around the country. Join our family and you’ll have an opportunity to build your own business on the back of

world-class training.

Visit us at https://www.solcomm.com/subdealers/ and learn how you can get started building a top-tier direct sales

team, with all the support you need to be one of the teams that succeeds.

Now, get to it. Good luck, Godspeed, and Happy Selling.

Thanks for reading! If you or someone you know is interested in an awesome opportunity for growth, please connect

with us online at solcomm.com

- Christian Cherniawski, President, Solcomm