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It's Only Common Sense: Reps Need a Better Deal, Part 2

Last week, I discussed why PCB and PCBA reps need a better deal. This week, I will discuss some ideas and suggestions of what that better deal—that better contract—should look like to make sure it is a win for both the principal and the rep. The idea is to improve the contract one issue at a time.

1.  Reps must wait too long before they see the first dollar, sometimes up to 10 months.

Create ways to pay them for their accomplishments along the way:

• Pay the rep $50 for every quote from a qualified customer. According to research on customer acquisition, it can cost up to $5,000 to get a new customer to even give you a quote. Using that as a benchmark, $50 is a steal. Think about it: 10 new customer opportunities for $500. It’s a steal. Even if you make it $100 per customer opportunity, it’s still a deal. The best part is the rep starts earning money immediately.
• MBO: Management by objective. Come up with a pay per objective plan. Set up solid and fair objectives that you want the rep to accomplish, and then pay as you go. Here are some examples:
  • Payment when they bring quotes (as stated above)
  • Payment for first customer visit on your behalf
  • Payment when they score their first order
  • Payment when that first order is shipped, due when it is shipped and not the normal wait for the customer to pay the principal
  • New customer incentives: Payment when the rep lands a new qualified customer. Pay the rep $500 when the customer places that first order, then $500 when that customer reaches a certain pre-determined level of business, and so on.
  • Change the payment schedule. The most successful rep/principal relationship I ever witnessed was with a quick-turn PCB shop that paid commissions on shipments. Because they were quick turn, orders shipped in less than three days. Their reps could actually book an order on Monday and receive payment on Friday. I spent a week on the road with their sales manager, visiting reps, and I never saw more motivated sales guys in my life. We were busy visiting customers from morning until late at night. Those were the happiest reps I ever worked with. Think about that. You are going to spend the commission money sooner or later so why not change the method of payment into a motivational tool?
  • Let the rep share in the profit. If the rep is getting a 5% commission at the price you set, then offer her one-third of any profit made over that price. For example, if your price is $10 per board but she manages to sell it for $13, she gets $1 of the $3. Talk about a turn-on to really sell. She can be part of the deal; she can determine if she wants to make more money. And in this example, she can double her earnings. I had a friend who did this years ago and he created a tremendously loyal and motivated sales team. Here’s another stroke of genius: He paid his reps in time all the time. There was never a lag. Sometimes he even paid earlier than the scheduled payment was due.

Any or all these ideas will work, and in the end, they will work for your benefit. All you need to do is open your mind to treating the rep as your equal partner. I can guarantee that your accounting department will hate these ideas, so help them figure out a system where they can successfully handle these motivational financial incentives because they are vitally important to the success of your company.

2.  They are not treated as equal partners.

Solving this one is easy. Start treating them as you would want to be treated. Respect them. Keep them in the loop. Value what they do for you and your company and cherish the relationship. The greatest rep-principal partnerships I have ever seen were when the rep and the principal respected one another to the point of mutual admiration and even friendship.

3.  Create 30-day termination clauses.

What are you afraid off? These termination clauses are akin to having your divorce lawyer in the church at your wedding. They signal a penchant for failure even before the ink on the contract is dry. To the rep, a 30-day termination clause represents a complete lack of faith in the possibility of the relationship working. It is a too easy escape hatch for the principal. Look, you either have faith that the relationship will work or not. And if you don’t from the onset, then why do it? Create a fair termination clause with enough time for the rep to be successful. By the way, if you follow this advice, I can guarantee you will not need to worry about how quickly you can get rid of the rep but rather how long you can keep him around. Your relationship with your reps will be so successful that you take comfort in knowing you have a long termination time.

I worked with a company once that wrote into the contract that neither party could terminate without sitting down face to face to talk and try to resolve their differences. Imagine that.

It’s only common sense.

Dan Beaulieu is president of D.B. Management Group.