A three-step approach to helping reps learn to prospect more effectively
Cold calling on new prospects or territories may be the toughest part of selling
for many new reps. Even experienced salespeople may need help, particularly if they
have spent most of their recent careers developing an existing customer base.
Two veteran sales managers in very different businesses use a similar three-step
approach to helping their reps learn to prospect more effectively.
Milton Paris is executive vice president of Pronovia, a wedding gown manufacturer
in Lawrence, NY. He has 16 independent reps, located all over the U.S.
Independent reps have plenty of incentive to expand their customer base. Paris,
a 36-year sales veteran, imparts the skills. The steps are Watch, Show, and Watch
Again.
“On the first day, I watch them and provide lots of advice about selling,” Paris
explains. He travels with the rep from call to call. In between calls, Paris emphasizes
the basics of prospecting: learn by listening; think positively; target the sales
pitch. Along with learning about the prospect, reps must focus on the products they
sell and explain why Pronovia's line is best.
On a first call, a rep should only sell if that is possible without any pressure,
Paris believes. But the rep can always achieve two things: 1) leaving a favorable
and lasting impression on the prospect and 2) making sure the prospect has a phone
number to call for more information.
Next comes the Show step. “On the second day, I sell,” Paris explains. He and the
rep visit prospects that have not bought previously. Paris tries to sell to them.
All the while, Paris is demonstrating selling techniques that the reps need to learn,
along with the basics.
“On the third day, they’re on their own, with me in the background.” Paris says.
He watches the reps make their calls, sees what they have learned and watches for
improvements. In between calls, Paris advises reps on their style and points out
deficiencies.
The three-day sessions are followed up with reinforcement. Paris summarizes the
reps’ strengths and weaknesses in brief letters.
If necessary, he will schedule another visit to see if lessons have been learned.
For some reps, that is the final step. “They may have improved, but I want to see
what they’re lacking,” Paris says. “If they are still not doing well I part company
with them.”
Edward Marohn also accompanies his reps on calls for three days. He judges three
days is just about the right amount of time. “Don’t overdo it, you don’t want to
police them.”
Marohn is sales director at Continental General Tire of Charlotte, NC. He has managed
more than 100 dealer reps.
Marohn pays particular attention to reps who want to be effective and need skills
more than motivation. What about the unmotivated? Sometimes, Marohn says, “they’re
too weak to develop.”
Continental sells tires for light trucks. It is a little less romantic than selling
wedding gowns, and Marohn emphasizes the basics of industrial-equipment selling:
Reps must watch their appearance. They must have all the necessary technical materials
with them. And they must have a clear idea of what they hope to accomplish on each
call.
But his teaching technique is similar to Milton Paris’s. Managers should “take a
back seat” during these calls, Marohn says. Let the reps do most of the selling.
One reason: Marohn wants the customers to call the rep, not the manager, if more
information is needed. He says it is demoralizing to reps if managers take over
the sales call.
Marohn stays in the same watching-and-helping mode for all three days. At the end
of each day, he reviews the calls with his reps, explaining what they did not do
or might not have noticed. Since he is focusing on the hard workers, his aim is
not just to build skills. He also wants to “build their confidence.”
Focus on “the ones who work the hardest but need reinforcement.”