Getting the Most Out of Meetings

July 31, 2007  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on August 2007 Putting together an effective sales meeting is not rocket science. It is a combination of courtesy, common sense and a dose of mutual respect between retail salespeople and a manufacturer’s representative.

Karen Sawyer, a manufacturer rep for Vanguard, said store personnel need to be prepped for a sales meeting, and that even something as basic as punctuality can be an issue.

“There’s nothing more disappointing than arriving at a meeting and the staff’s not there or is coming in late,” she said. “Make sure the appropriate personnel know and schedule for the time of the rep’s appointment.”

Set clear goals for the meeting. Are there particular products that need introduction, or particular people that need more time?

“Advise your rep of new employees,” Sawyer said. “Let the rep know if you have new salespeople on board that might need extra attention during the visit.”

Right Tool for Right Job

Are the right tools at hand for the meeting?

“Has the rep’s vendor shipped a new catalog?” Sawyer asked. “Make sure it’s available to staff at the meeting and not on the loading dock. A lot of times I’ll take care of checking on that and make sure it’s there.”

Dianne Ray, president of Garden City Furniture in Garden City Beach, S.C., believes the “people prepping” of meeting participants is half the battle in ensuring an effective session.

“The reps don’t meet the sales floor personnel every time, but they are welcome to, and they especially need to be aware of new salespeople.” she said. “Talk to them first. I encourage (reps) to speak with each salesperson, because they have the questions and issues about product that customers are asking.”

Ray also suggests including customer service personnel in meetings.

“(Reps) need to find out if the product’s clean, whether there are freight damage issues, and your customer service people need to know who to get in touch with at the factory.” she said. “How is product received after it’s shipped? A thank-you to the delivery staff makes a difference. They need to feel like they have some ownership in your company.”

As far as frequency of meetings, Ray said that’s a function of her store’s track record with a vendor.

“Especially if it’s a new vendor, I try to do a (meeting) every 90 days,” she said. “It takes three good sessions with a rep to really get the meat and potatoes of a line.”

Healthy Attitudes

Leslie Carothers, founder and principal of sales training consultant The Kaleidoscope Group, said a good meeting starts with basics.

“I would have a computer screen available so the rep can show the retail consultant how to use the manufacturer’s Web site,” Carothers said. “The rep has to show how to navigate the Web site, and what kind off information consumers can get before they come into the store so that the retail sales consultant is as well-prepared as the consumers.”

She said that while reps are used to using e-mail and the Web, that’s not the case with a lot of retail salespeople she meets.

“They don’t know how useful the Web can be,” Carothers said. “Make sure the entire staff is up-to-date on (the manufacturers’ Web site). If you want to have a really fun sales meeting, have the rep show the retail sales consultants what’s available on the Web site. Most don’t realize the capabilities these sites have.”

That Web site session is a good set-up for a discussion of samples, finishes and other options. “A good sales rep will do a fact sheet of what a new retail sales consultant needs to work their line effectively—a good rep will give a cheat sheet,” Carothers noted. “Most sales reps are trained to sell to the buyer or store owner, but the RCS is getting those types of questions. Buyers are more concerned with turns and margins. The retailer has to understand what kinds of questions their RCSs are getting asked on the sales floor. The savvy retailer will tell their rep, ‘This is how I want you to arrange the meeting.’ Typically, the retailer doesn’t give direction.”

Retailers must find out what their salespeople need out of a meeting, and should structure the meeting accordingly. What questions do they need answered? Reps need to answer those questions with respect.

“Try to have reps not patronize salespeople,” Carothers said. “There’s this little power game, sometimes, and (salespeople) see which reps care about them. Reps need to pay a lot of attention to their body language and how they’re perceived. That retail sales staff controls that rep’s performance on a store’s sales floor.”

A well-trained retail salesperson also is more likely to stick around to make those sales.

“We’d decrease turnover if we improved training,” Carothers pointed out. “In my experience, 30 percent of reps do a great job in training, 50 percent are okay, and the rest don’t do it at all. I don’t know of many manufacturers that call key accounts and ask, ‘How is my rep doing?’ It’s the national sales manager’s responsibility.”

Carothers echoed the need to make sure samples are current and up-to-date. “Touch base with the rep to make sure old fabrics are pulled off the rack. Sometimes manufacturers send a list of dropped selections and the retailer doesn’t act on it,” she said. “The rep can’t always visit, but they can send an e-mail to the sales manager that says to pull the sample, and copy the store owner.”

Vanguard’s Sawyer said she definitely sees more of a partnership than before in the business relationship between manufacturer’s representatives and furniture retailers.

“We don’t just come in and take orders anymore, and we can do a lot to help retailers get more sales out our lines,” she said. “We are really partners in this together.” HFB