Hiring (or Out-Sourcing) a Wholesale Sales Representative

If the time is right for you to hire a Wholesale Sales Representative, whether that is in terms of direct employment or out-sourcing to an agency, it is so important to appoint the right person for the job. They will often be the first contact a business has with your company, and you need that first impression to be right. A lot of this boils down to soft skills and personality, which can make it hard to focus on what exactly you are looking for in a potential rep. Here are a few pointers to help make things a bit clearer.

1. Customer Service and Interpersonal Skills

These skills are paramount, as they will need to listen to the customer’s needs and concerns before and after the sale. They should be able to build good relationships with different types of people, both customers and other member of your team. Depending on where you trade you may also need to consider language skills and willingness to travel overseas.

Wholesale customers are, ideally, long-term customers so good interpersonal skills are essential. If your customers don't like the way your wholesale rep conducts business, they will take their custom elsewhere.

2. Self-Confidence

They must be confident and persuasive when making sales presentations. In addition, “cold calling,” requires a lot of confidence and composure, so look for these qualities if this is part of the role.

3. Energy

This role often involves travel, lugging around of samples, long hours and a lot of talking! Stamina is a very important quality for a wholesale rep.

4. Interest in the business

Keeping current with new products and the changing needs of customers are important. Sales representatives accomplish this in a variety of ways, depending on their industry, including attending trade shows at which new products and technologies are showcased. They might attend conferences and conventions to meet other sales reps and clients to discuss new product developments. They should also read about new and existing products and monitor the sales, prices, and products of their competitors.

So will you employ a wholesale sales rep or look to appoint an agency? That's a post for another day...