The best part is...

What do you enjoy most about sales representative work? What do you dislike the most? Is it challenging? Are there many opportunities to learn and advance?

What keeps you at your job?

I love meeting people and making the sale. I love traveling. I do not like losing commission because of my past due accounts. I am a sales rep, not collections. I call them after it goes 30 days past due (they are all on net 30 terms), and after 60 days, my commission is taken. Regardless if the customer pays my company in full (after the 60 days), I am still out my commission. What is my motivation to take time to travel back to the account, continue to call them about new product, etc., if I just lost 300 in commission? This month I lost 400 in commission because of past due accounts.
Other than that, I love the challenge.

Host said: What do you enjoy most about sales representative work? What do you dislike the most? Is it challenging? Are there many opportunities to learn and advance?

What keeps you at your job?

MOST OUTSIDE SALE PEOPLE LIKE BEING OUTSIDE AND CALLING ON ALL THEIR FRIENDS THEY HAVE MADE IN ALL THEIR ACCOUNTS. I HAVE OVER 27 YEARS EXPERIENCE, AND TWO NATIONAL SALES AWARDS AFTER YOU HAVE BULIT UP 25-35 GOOD RELATIONSHIPS YOU CAN SELL THEM ANYTHING.
BUT IT WILL TAKE YOU TIME TO DO THAT.
BE NICE TO PEOPLE AND LISTEN TO THEM,
YOU CAN HAVE ANYTHING YOU WANT IF YOU
HELP THEN GET WANT THEY NEED.

Salesrep1 said: I love meeting people and making the sale. I love traveling. I do not like losing commission because of my past due accounts. I am a sales rep, not collections. I call them after it goes 30 days past due (they are all on net 30 terms), and after 60 days, my commission is taken. Regardless if the customer pays my company in full (after the 60 days), I am still out my commission. What is my motivation to take time to travel back to the account, continue to call them about new product, etc., if I just lost 300 in commission? This month I lost 400 in commission because of past due accounts.
Other than that, I love the challenge.

I HAVE BEEN IN OUTSIDE SALES FOR 27 YEARS,
WITH TWO NATIONAL SALES AWARDS. IT IS REAL BAD WHEN A COMPANY WILL WASTE THEIR SALES PEOPLES TIME AND HAVE THEM COLLECT MONEY , IT IS BEST TO HAVE ONE PERSON IN CHARGE OF COLLECTING MONEY. WHEN A SALESMAN IS COLLECTING MONEY HE OR SHE IS NOT SELLING. IF YOU HAVE TWO OR THREE SALES PEOPLE YOU CAN SEE WHAT YOU LOSE IN SALES.
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE YOU SALES PEOPLE MAKE NEW SALES CALLS. IF YOU MAKE 5 GOOD SALES CALL A DAY , YOU WILL GROW YOUR AREA REAL FAST.

EARL-GREENVILLE, S.C. in Rock Hill, South Carolina said: I HAVE BEEN IN OUTSIDE SALES FOR 27 YEARS,
WITH TWO NATIONAL SALES AWARDS. IT IS REAL BAD WHEN A COMPANY WILL WASTE THEIR SALES PEOPLES TIME AND HAVE THEM COLLECT MONEY , IT IS BEST TO HAVE ONE PERSON IN CHARGE OF COLLECTING MONEY. WHEN A SALESMAN IS COLLECTING MONEY HE OR SHE IS NOT SELLING. IF YOU HAVE TWO OR THREE SALES PEOPLE YOU CAN SEE WHAT YOU LOSE IN SALES.
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE YOU SALES PEOPLE MAKE NEW SALES CALLS. IF YOU MAKE 5 GOOD SALES CALL A DAY , YOU WILL GROW YOUR AREA REAL FAST.

Do you get commission taken away because of past dues? I was spending so much time on past dues, it was taking me off the road. Accounting doesn't seem to care...They just sit there and make their regular paychecks week after week. This has caused me to go under my draw. I don't approve credit, they do...In my opinion, they should see it taken out of their paycheck, not me. This has made me literally sick. I have lost 1k since the first of this year on past dues. If the customer pays up, even a few days after the 90 days (from the invoice date), the company gets their money, but I get the entire commission taken from me, so that transaction was basically a waste of time and money. My numbers are really good...last month, they were 48% over last year in April, but I am seeing less and less in my paycheck. My motivation has hit rock bottom. I think this is unfair.

Salesrep1 said: Do you get commission taken away because of past dues? I was spending so much time on past dues, it was taking me off the road. Accounting doesn't seem to care...They just sit there and make their regular paychecks week after week. This has caused me to go under my draw. I don't approve credit, they do...In my opinion, they should see it taken out of their paycheck, not me. This has made me literally sick. I have lost 1k since the first of this year on past dues. If the customer pays up, even a few days after the 90 days (from the invoice date), the company gets their money, but I get the entire commission taken from me, so that transaction was basically a waste of time and money. My numbers are really good...last month, they were 48% over last year in April, but I am seeing less and less in my paycheck. My motivation has hit rock bottom. I think this is unfair.

I know what all of you are talking about.
When I took my position as a sales rep I thought I would spend my time selling. I guess I was wrong. I spend 70% of my time collecting.
Does anyone else feel strange being a collection agent and and sales rep?
I think it is wrong to take our commision away. We did our job, we sold the product. Why should we get screwed for someone not paying?
I hate this crap.
Thanks for the companys that value there sales reps.

Hi Mike,
Well, I complained enough to get the policy changed. It just wasn't right. I cornered the owner of the company at a trade show. We were just chit chatting, and I said, "what are we going to do about these past dues". He didn't know what I was talking about. He didn't know it was happening. I also emailed him about it. It wasn't fair, and they knew it. I kept bugging the heck out of accounting, wanting to know if they had already called the account about it being past due (because I didn't want to call the account a second time, if accounting had already called), what was the true amount they needed, etc. Sometimes I would call an account and within minutes, I would have a credit card to put it on...Why couldn't accounting do that? It was taking my time off the road. I emailed my direct boss, all the time about it. It never got any further. I guess the email and "the talk" to the owner worked. In August, they sent all of the salesreps an email saying they were changing the policy, that we were no longer responsible for past dues...THAT should be accounting's problem. I thought accounting should be partially responsible for past dues, if that is the case, because we (the reps) don't approve the accounts to be opened....THEY DO, so take a percentage out of THEIR paychecks, and let us do our job! Anyway, I am happy now. We still get the past due report, but we don't have anything taken out of our commissions. Besides, what was our motivation for going back to an account after we have made nothing on it? What would be our motivation for even calling them or taking an order if we know we aren't going to get commission for it...that is wear and tear on the car, my time, when I could be on the road and phone with someone who WILL pay their bills....Maybe it won't work for you, but it worked for me and my sales rep friends!! Good Luck!!!

I've sold my small mini-mart, which I've owned for 25 years. I think I have the ability to do route sales or to do the sales rep. thing. I love talking to people.What do I do to get started in this?

Stephen

Just go to Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com. Some of your previous vendors you had in your store may have an opening since you already know the product you were selling. I love my job. You work out of your home and on the road, and mostly, I won't say all weekends are free, but most weekends you won't have to work...you will find yourself catching up to plan your "attack strategy" for the next week, though, on weekends. That is what I normally do. I worked in retail furniture sales for years, and I it took me months to even enjoy the weekends because I was still shock after working at least one day of every weekend for seven years. I didn't know how to act!!Everybody has their own ways of doing things. As time goes on, you find easier and better ways of selling and keeping up with your territory. I like to work smarter, not harder. I have been with this company for two years. Last year, I was awarded for having the most new accounts, and this year, I was awarded for highest sales in existing accounts and another for highest sales in the company for 2007!! I couldn't believe it! Still can't!
Good luck!!

IM A SALES REP FOR A LARGE MANUFACTOROR. I HAVE SPENT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OUT OF POCKET TO PROMOTE THERE PRODUCT. RECENTLY I RECIEVED A PHONE CALL OUT OF THE BLUE TELLING ME THEY WERE GOING TO GIVE MY TERRITORY TO ANOTHER PERSON AND THAT I WOULD NO LONGER HAVE IT. I WAS SHOCKED, LAST YEAR I WAS NUMBER ONE IN THE COMPANY. MY QUESTION IS CAN THEY DO THIS? IM OUT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS IN DEVELOPING THIS TERRITORY. THANKS I'LL AWAIT YOUR RESPONCE.

TIM

I work for a computer service company in LA. We provide tech to small business and home users. I bring new deals to the business and maintain all current clients. I have recently been having trouble closing. My boss is up my ass and my motivation is going down. What can I do to jump start my sales. I blanked last month.

EARL-GREENVILLE, S.C. in Rock Hill, South Carolina said: MOST OUTSIDE SALE PEOPLE LIKE BEING OUTSIDE AND CALLING ON ALL THEIR FRIENDS THEY HAVE MADE IN ALL THEIR ACCOUNTS. I HAVE OVER 27 YEARS EXPERIENCE, AND TWO NATIONAL SALES AWARDS AFTER YOU HAVE BULIT UP 25-35 GOOD RELATIONSHIPS YOU CAN SELL THEM ANYTHING.
BUT IT WILL TAKE YOU TIME TO DO THAT.
BE NICE TO PEOPLE AND LISTEN TO THEM,
YOU CAN HAVE ANYTHING YOU WANT IF YOU
HELP THEN GET WANT THEY NEED.

can you please give me some advice on my posting ?

gqtoughpolo2000@yahoo.com subject: sales advice

Host said: What do you enjoy most about sales representative work? What do you dislike the most? Is it challenging? Are there many opportunities to learn and advance?

What keeps you at your job?

I was asked recently if I enjoyed my job. Do I love it? I realized then that it’s almost impossible for me to put an answer into just a few words… so naturally, I felt it would be a great topic to blog about.
The easy answer to that question is that I love everything about my job. But that would be a boring blog post, so let me elaborate:
I love being a leader. I love being a positive influence on others. I love creating an environment for people to succeed. I love making a difference. I love working with people smarter than me. I love challenging people. I love working with people that work as hard as me (or at least as smart). I love having the opportunity to build a team that strives to do great things—and does. I love the feeling of accomplishment I get every single day. I love shifting gears all day every day, sometimes a dozen times per hour.
I am a sales rep for YourAreaCode.com. It’s an advertising company combining widget technology and text messaging for bars and night clubs. That’s right, the night life. Everything about my job and this company excites me. From its conception to its sunset and how it grows throughout its lifecycle. YourAreaCode.com is dynamic. Every day I learn new things from my friends and colleagues. Sometimes it can be overwhelming. But, in reality, it is very exciting to be in a world that is constantly adding and augmenting the way we work and deliver results.
I think you all should check it out. www.yourareacode.com