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What do your customers think about your outside salespeople? Do they view them as a valuable resource? Or a pesky nuisance?

Recent exclusive research conducted by Progressive Distributor and Benfield Consulting suggests that distributors might want to take an objective look at how their sales forces are perceived by the marketplace. What you learn may surprise you.

As we reported in this magazine last year, nearly half of the people who buy MRO supplies from industrial distributors say they don’t want distributor salespeople calling on them. Our followup research indicates that many customers believe salespeople call on them too often and also feel that if a distributor has a good catalog, Web site and inside sales reps, they don’t need to see the outside sales rep.

Considering that outside sellers are probably among the most highly paid people on most distributors’ payrolls, doesn’t it make sense that companies would want to make sure their salespeople are being utilized only where customers value their contribution?

As we write in Part I of our story analyzing the survey results, our objective is not to suggest that distributors fire all of their outside salespeople. Outside sellers continue to play a strategic role in most industrial distribution companies. From time to time, however, every business needs to reevaluate how it allocates its most expensive resources.

As we begin a new year, now might be a good time to ask yourself some questions about your company’s sales force. For example, how often do your outside salespeople call on customers? What’s their primary objective when making customer calls? Do you have too many outside sellers? Not enough? Do you have the right ratio of outside to inside sellers? Have you provided the necessary training to equip your salespeople to effectively communicate your value proposition to customers? Do you even know your value proposition or have it clearly stated? Do your customers think of your salespeople as solution providers who come armed with real solutions to their problems, or mere product peddlers?

There is no one right answer to each of those questions, and you’ll likely come up with many more questions as you begin your own evaluation process.

Fortunately, there is one good way to know for sure what your customers think about your salespeople. Ask them.

This editorial appeared in the January/February '02 issue of Progressive Distributor magazine. Copyright 2002.

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