People who sell in the field.
WHAT THEY DO
Visit customers Take orders Collect payment, in some models Merchandise and check stock Report market information
WHY THEY MATTER
In distribution, most orders come from a visit rather than an enquiry.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH
Territories, defined clearly Customer lists per territory Visit frequency by customer type Targets
WHY TERRITORIES MATTER
Overlapping territories produce conflict and double-calling.
WHAT VISIT FREQUENCY SHOULD REFLECT
Customer value and order cycle.
WHAT TO ESTABLISH
A journey plan: which customers on which days.
WHY A PLAN
Unplanned calling covers convenient customers and neglects the rest.
WHAT TO VERIFY
That visits actually occurred.
HOW
Orders taken, customer confirmation, location data where used.
WHY VERIFY
Field staff are unsupervised and visits are easily claimed.
WHAT PAYMENT STRUCTURES EXIST
Salary Salary plus commission Commission only
WHAT COMMISSION DRIVES
Volume.
WHAT IT RISKS
Selling into customers who cannot pay Overloading customers with stock Neglecting small accounts
WHAT TO DO ABOUT THAT
Base commission on collected revenue, not on orders.
WHY
It aligns selling with getting paid.
WHAT TO TRACK PER REPRESENTATIVE
Calls made Orders taken Order value Collections New customers Customers lost
WHAT TO TRAIN
Product knowledge The customer's business Credit rules Handling objections
