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 The Salesperson's Bill of Rights - Article 1 - The Right to Earn a Commission

12/29/2015

2 Comments

 
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These are the rights afforded to a salesman.  Because it will never be complete, I will periodically add articles 2 to 200 to this.  Feel free to make comments in the notes section.  

​I will sometimes use the masculine pronoun because it is easier.  For those who know me, I have always been a believer that women are better salesmen than men.  Also I think it is annoying to keep typing "he/she"  

All rights come with responsibilities attached.

Article 1:  A salesman has the right to be paid a commission

This article is twofold.  A salesman should get these rights from his employer AND prospects

First, The salesman shall have a right to earn a commission on all sales that he is responsible for.  A salesman has a right to understand how he is to be paid.  Gone should be the days where a salesman has to read through a 16 page document detailing a comp plan.

This right comes with the responsibility for the salesperson to
  • Always work hard to achieve these commissions.  If the salesperson is receiving a base salary, then this should not be used as a crutch.  That base salary should be just enough to get by, but not enough to quench the hunger that should be deep within that salesman.
  • Always negotiate honestly.  I have heard salespeople who have discussed with their prospects on how best to negotiate with management.  This is dishonest to his employer.

Second, The salesman has the right to earn a commission and a prospect should know this.  

Why is this important?​

A prospect should know and understand that a salesperson will likely get paid based on a sale being made.  While it is rarely in good taste for a salesperson to explain that he needs a sale so he can feed his children, it is likely that this is an unwritten truth.  Nobody works for free.  A prospect should understand that if his intentions are not to buy from this salesperson, then he shouldn't be wasting too much of his time.  

A prospect should also respond with a "No" as opposed to going silent.  Way too often, I hear from salespeople who say that a prospect just stopped calling back.  I get it.  If you are going to turn someone down, it is much easier to ignore them, and hope they go away.  A prospect has the duty to be honest, even when it is uncomfortable.

The salesman has some responsibilities.   
  • A salesman should never discuss the commission he is going to make, and the commission should never influence the sale.  Either they need your product or they don't.  A salesman shouldn't base his recommendations completely on the commission.
  • At the beginning of the process, the salesman should discuss what the goal of this process should be.  "My goal is to discuss your current business, and understand if our solution can help you achieve your goals.  If we find that we can help you, I would like to take the next step and enter into an agreement".
  • A salesman should always install a safety valve.  A safety valve is put in place when there is high pressure in a gas line.  If the pressure gets too large, the safety valve will fail, so that there isn't any explosion.  A salesman safety valve works the same way.  If at any time, your prospect wants to say no during the process, he can do so...safely.  That way, you aren't wasting time on a prospect who was too embarrassed to say no.

Anything to add?  That's what the comments are for.

Article 2, coming next week.

Have a happy and safe new year.

Mike







​

2 Comments
Kathy link
6/21/2016 02:25:34 am

This is a good reading post. Thank for share here

Reply
Best-Photographer link
7/10/2017 04:02:38 am

Thank you so much! Really rich content and very useful information.

Reply



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