Free resources for Principals
Everything you need to know about sales agents – and how to succeed with them
Please feel free to browse our articles below.
Factsheet – Working with Sales Agents – The Bare Essentials
Thinking about using self-employed, commission-only sales agents, or already have and want to understand what you are dealing with? This is the plain-English starting point: what a sales agent actually is, who these people are, how they think and operate, […]
Factsheet – The Secrets to Hiring the Best Commission Only Salespeople
So you have made the bold decision to recruit some self-employed commission-only sales agents, and naturally you want the cream of the crop. Hiring agents is not like hiring employees, and the companies that get it right treat it as […]
Factsheet – What Commission Rate Should I Pay My Sales Agents?
This is probably the most common question we get asked. Commission rate percentage rates are not always particularly important. Often it is the amount of actual money that this equates to that is more important. One way to think about […]
Factsheet – Sales Agent Types : Selling Agents vs. Introducer Agents
Broadly speaking there are 2 types of sales agents: ‘selling’ agents, and ‘introducer’ agents. Both are ‘sales’ agents, and will help you achieve the same ultimate outcome of selling to new customers on a commission-only basis. It’s the level of […]
Factsheet – Number Of Sales Agents Required & Territory Setting
How many sales agents do you need to cover the UK, and how should you divide the territory between them? Here is the realistic picture, including the areas that are harder to cover than you might expect. On this page […]
Factsheet – Sales Agent Interview Questions (& what NOT to ask!)
What questions should you be asking your prospective new sales agents when you interview them? And which should you avoid? First, where and how to run the meeting, then the full list of questions to ask, and the job-interview questions […]
Factsheet – Do I Need a Sales Agency Agreement?
Why bother? The issuing of a sales agency agreement can delay getting started. The sales agent might want his solicitor to check your contract out, and come back with issues and amendments. It could involve all parties in delays and […]
Factsheet – What’s in a name? Does it matter what you call your sales agents?
Let’s take a look at the various terms that sales agents are called, and how they’ve evolved over time. (And take a look at the end of the article to see if you can avoid the Commercial Agents’ Regs by […]
Factsheet – Who’s Best? Sales Reps vs. Sales Agents
Sales agent vs sales representative: which does your business actually need? There is an old saying that is relevant here: ‘different horses for different courses’. The right choice depends almost entirely on the type of customer you are selling to. […]
Factsheet – Should I Set Targets for Sales Agents?
Managing self-employed sales agents is not like managing an employed sales team. Three questions come up again and again: should you set targets, should you demand reporting, and how simple should you keep things? The common thread runs through all […]