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MenuHow to push sales to retailers while I work full time?
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Congrats on finding early success in your new venture. I've had 10+ years of experience building my own and helping others build their business development processes (including in the retail space) - I definitely agree that developing/improving your business sales protocol is critical if you want to continue to meet and beat these early results.
For example: If or how you would recruit a sales team member would largely depend on a few factors: what industry you are in (from within retail I mean); also, where you are sourcing the leads from (i.e. will this sales person need to generate their own or will they be given to them); how much account management will be required of the sales person; and what is the time commitment required each week from the person (to name a few.)
So, before you know who to recruit/hire there are some details that you need to work through in order to get the best package and plan together - generally speaking, it would be possible that you can recruit a commission-driven associate, but outlining their responsibilities and setting expectations with how you recruit or on-board them is the first step you need to take.
I'd be happy to connect and walk you through hiring/planning and even some technical options you can consider with scaling up your efforts. Send me a message if you're interested and we can
Hello!
Thank you for your question.
Back in the days I have experienced similar challenges.
Here are some approaches that have helped me:
1. Create valuable content around your target group especially giving advise on how to solve the problem your service is dedicated towards. Create a Blog, a facebook group and other content based accounts using channels that most probably will be used by your targets. Creating content consumes time and is a long term game but is extremely helpful in building trust and “free” organic traffic.
2. Find a partner instead of a sales person. The benefit of having somebody at your side who is a real partner instead of a disconnected commission based seller is that a partner will grind as much as you do for the project to grow. For example you can offer a young ambitious student the option of “virtual shares” + commission + “co-founder-badge”.
3. Rethink your mailing strategy and rebuild your cold mail content. Most important is having a strong set of emails that serve the most important aspects of human behavior. Also you don’t just want to send one email. Instead send a series of logically connected emails which you will regularly update / change for a/b-testing. There is tons of free content about effective cold mails on the internet.
Apart from those activities it important for you to guide yourself through this early stage with courage and believe in your growing skills.
If you ever have any question or want to elevate to the next level, Im looking forward to talk to you in more detail.
Keep up the hustle!
Yours,
Max
Related Questions
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What do (bootstrapped) startups offer to new sales hires? Commission only? What are some good examples to keep people motivated and still survive?
Generally bootstrapped startups should avoid salespeople, for a few reasons: a. they typically can't afford the base and overall comp required to attract sales people who can actually sell / or afford to support them with marketing, management, etc b. it will be very difficult to find the rare person with the right mix of sales and startup DNA along with the critical domain knowledge, consequently the startup is likely to settle c. the founders need to be very involved in the selling and customers will demand it That said, if the plan is still to hire a salesperson, find someone who has demonstrated sales success in startups and is excited by the early stage in company building. Create a comp plan heavily leveraged on sales results (unless you are in an industry where 100% commission is a common practice, would recommend against $0 base as this creates the false impression that your hire isn't passing time with one company while looking for another job with a richer comp plan - you want your rep focussed). Sell the vision and opportunity to be part of a growth story. I have written a several blog posts on hiring sales people into start-ups. You might find these useful: http://www.peaksalesrecruiting.com/ceo-question-should-i-learn-to-sell-or-hire-a-sales-person/ http://www.peaksalesrecruiting.com/start-up-sales-and-hiring-advice-dont-stop-selling-once-you-hire-your-first-sales-rep/ http://www.peaksalesrecruiting.com/hiring-start-up-sales-reps/ http://www.peaksalesrecruiting.com/startups-and-salespeople/ Good luck!Eliot BurdettEB
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Whats the best way to find commission sales reps?
This is not my specialty, however, I have been in your position many many times -- maybe this will help. If the product is in-tangible, then look for JV partners on the Internet. Try to find an expert that deals with these JV opportunities (like me). If the product is physical, then look for sales organizations that have networks of sales people across the country. You do the deal with the organization and the independent network of sales people sells your product. It's a sweet setup if you can negotiate a margin that works for everyone. Hope that helps - Cheers - NickNickolas PassigNP
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Are you the manufacturer or reseller? If you are the reseller, typically about 40-50% above cost. Use the MSRP as an indicator.Zack RosenbergZR
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