First, a few tips for managing salesforce
#1: Cut the truly poor performers - don't prolong everybody's agony.
#2: Coach top performers to do even better if you're looking for the fastest results.
#3: Provide the best possible combination of environment, example and tools but recognize that real motivation is self-motivation. You'll drive yourself crazy accepting full responsibility for other people's actions.
#4: Focus on accountability. Accountability always improves performance.
#5: Help each sales person gain an understanding of how he uses his time and work with him to create some improvement in the amount of time used productively each day. Even small improvements in time use can lead to big improvements in sales.
#6: Consider a company directed program of obtaining qualified prospects to furnish to your sales people.
#7: If you do distribute pre-qualified leads demand reporting of results.
Marketing through sales people is necessary in certain businesses and desirable in many others but it does require a great commitment to supervision and coaching.
I also caution companies against advocating too much marketing responsibility to their sales force. I do not believe that it is necessary or advisable to sacrifice direct contact between company and customer in order to market through a sales force. The customer still needs some communication from the company and some opportunity to directly contact the company if dissatisfied in any way with service or information being provided by the sales person.
You might want to consider such ideas as a company published newsletter or magazine sent to all customers. A toll free customer problem hotline number given to customers and warranty cards or forms filled out and sent in by customers to be certain that you obtain all customer names and addresses. These ideas are especially important for companies that sell at wholesale to independent distributors or franchisees.
It's my opinion that regardless of the marketing structure and distribution system that exists between the company and the customer the company must have access to the customers and the customers must have access to the company.
I know for some, you will be grateful that I am finished with this topic of management of sales people. Quite frankly, it is an ugly job - no matter how you deal with it.
Dedicated To Multiplying Your Income
Dan Kennedy, http://www.dankennedy.com/
The Omnivore's Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals
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