Am I missing something...?

I'm getting mixed signals from my management. I have no sense of direction...

I'm in the print industry and got my job with no experience in sales but do have a marketing background. I have exceeded expectations. Trained in-house for a month (when the company had me pegged for three months), got out and started selling, and managed to generate almost $200k in seven months. That's a great feat considering my experience.

My issue is this:

• I was given a particular territory that had been worked with in the past, in which management expressed a need to be contacted, as it was an untapped opportunity.
• Researched the clients, made phone calls which ended mostly in "we're not interested", and made some in-person visits.
• When I went back to my management team to ask what was the value of this territory if most were uninterested (which they knew but didn't bother to tell me), I'm now told I'm too impatient and that things take time.

Now I'm confused. I know things take time to develop, but why am I now being told to slow down when all I'm doing is researching the sales potential--which is one of the things I thought I was being paid to do. How slow am I suppose to move?

Am I missing something? Any advice from the experienced would be greatly appreciated. -NewToSales

Hi! I'm also in the printing world.

I would just make sure you are selling the things the shop wants you to sell. Some print shops can be rather particular about the kind of work you bring in. I know it sounds counter intuitive but if the work doesn't fit the flow of the shop it will be looked down upon. Hopefully, you don't work for one of these!!

After that, I wouldn't slow down one bit. Keep the work coming in and you will impress the only people who need impressing, the owners and high management. Are you sure the senior sales reps have your interests in mind? Make sure you have a good relationship with the companies you outsource with as well.....people like me!

BTW, where are you located? -Thufir

Sounds frustrating...................

Perhaps you management are trying to tell you that your first 'no' is not a reason to stop calling?

There are many recored stats that indicate a sale being made on the 4th to 8th call thmbp2;

Hope this helps NTS and you can muscle through it hpy3; -PiJiL

I don't think this means slow down. It means your expectations for the time of developing your territory possibly need to be re-evaluated.

You can get more work through breakfast clubs, through the Chamber of Commerce, through finding out who is starting a business, through friends who know people an d so on. Exhaust every opportunity outside of your normal day-to-day efforts too (do both in other words) ... this will up your commissions and over time, if you keep banging away at your territory, you will make in roads.

It is a bit like banging your head against a wall. There is pain involved in breaking into a business like yours. No doubt.

But, if that is what you mean to do, it is doable.

Like I said, look for non standard prospecting methods to augment your cold calling and add creative approaches (right at the moment plans that increase your clients sales will get appointments!) they work very well.

Good luck. -Gold Calling

I agree with Gold...even though this may not be a new territory you are a new rep and it takes time to build a trusting relationship with some of these businesses. You will want to do all the things Gold Calling mentioned plus continue to call on the ones that are on your list until they begin to trust you. You have no idea what may have happened in the past with other sales reps and the businesses need time to know if they can trust you to be around to service them in the future. So...continue to call on the businesses on the list while you look for new business in the territory.

Happy selling

MP -MPrince

Or the timing is right. Remember, letterhead and envelopes get printed twive a year, they will tell you "we are not interested" and mean (somehting like); "Go away, I don't need that now!"

One more question will find out if their currently relationship is being protected or the timing just isn't right.

Work on a creative approach. This will generate more appointments right now then "quoting on their printing needs". The benefit is "increased sales" from a direct mail campaign - using special envelopes that get noticed whereas standard billing envelopes do not ... this kind of thing.

You can generate work with creative thinking, this is CREATING THE NEED or OPPORTUNITY. More money is made in commisions this way than any other method of "generating new business!"

The issue with the later is you stil need to know when their next big standard printing run will be if you are to gain teh repeat business that makes your territoryy a guaranteed money generating machine.

Oh, one more thing, realize there are others like you out there. Keep running hard because while you are stealign business, others are stealing it off of you (not that they will get all of it!).

Best of luck always. -Gold Calling