National Sales Center

Sales Reps Roles

By, Nick Moreno

The roles and responsibilities of a territory sales rep are well understood at a fundamental level. Get past the fundamentals and things can get blurred. Let’s spend a moment appreciating the roles and responsibilities of territory sales reps. You’ll find that there’s more to it than just quota attainment. I also want to discuss some twists and turns you may not have been considering.

Role Of Territory Sales Reps

The obvious role of a territory sales rep is to generate revenues each and every month. How that revenue is generated takes the role of a territory sales rep to new levels.

 

Territory sales reps represent the companies that employ them. They are the “face” of those companies much more so than any advertising or brochure. Therefore, additional factors must be included in the role of territory sales reps and those factors must focus on what image the corporation wants to send to the marketplace. Such factors may include but are not limited to the following,

• Ethics
• Punctuality
• Precision
• Professionalism
• Energy
• Compassion
• “Supportiveness”

 

Yes, the “feet on the street” give an identity to the corporation. Unfortunately, understanding this role played by sales reps gets too many hiring managers in big trouble. Allow me to explain.

 

 

Sales Reps Roles Change

Many high technology companies want to be viewed as “leading edge” and “high energy”. They want to be viewed as innovative corporations that leave the past behind by introducing new and advanced products and services. So, do you hire reps in that image and if you do, are you avoiding older candidates? If so, you are not only missing out on a great opportunity but you may also be breaking the law.

 

A few gray hairs will not interfere with the image aspect of a sales reps role. Wanting to be viewed as “leading edge” still leaves plenty of room for the value of experience and how that relates to the sales process. Hiring manages that are focused on image must never consciously or unconsciously use age as a determining factor concerning who gets hired. After all, the word “experienced” should be part of the image a corporation wants to portray.

 

Responsibilities Of Territory Sales Reps

Let’s move past quota attainment because that’s an obvious responsibility of territory sales reps. Instead; let’s focus on the role “Knowledge” plays as it relates to the responsibilities of territory sales reps. Those responsibilities include but are not limited to a knowledge of…

 

• Products
• Competition
• Policy
• Procedures
• Guidelines
• Order Entry
• Contracts
• Systems
• Industry
• Marketplace
• Clients
• Prospects
• Contacts

 

A list of territory sales reps responsibilities to knowledge could go on forever and there is one important item missing from the above sample. How about the knowledge and expertise of sales skills? Knowledge requires training and sales reps get a lot of training but never enough sales training. The culprit is Ego!

 

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Every company believes they have the best sales reps and every sales rep thinks they are the best sales rep. This ego factor is both a blessing and a curse. Sales reps need positive egos because confidence is a big part of selling. However, that ego is no substitute for a territory sales reps responsibility to consistently improve sales skills through advanced sales training. Knowledge of products and procedures are important but its sales skills that generate quota attainment.

 

In addition to training on sales techniques, territory sales reps responsibilities cannot overlook the improvement of prospecting skills. A territory sales rep will never succeed if they can’t find qualified prospects that are willing to buy from them. Park the ego because there is always something new to learn and that learning must be part of territory sales reps responsibilities.

 

I promised you a few twists on the role and responsibilities of territory sales reps. I hope you’ll put these points to good use and I hope you’ll get your hands on a powerful sales course.

I wish you great sales success!

Nick Moreno

 

Tags: Sales Training