Posted by BusinessTown on January 19, 1999 at 17:09:12:
I hired my first salesperson to sell advertising for a tiny map business I started
while still in college. I told her to call in every day with a progress report. Three
weeks later she first called in and reported nobody was interested. She had
lost her call reports, and she needed her paycheck!
Believe me, it's not easy starting up an outside sales force. It's the most
difficult and expensive sales solution by far, but the results can be great if it all
clicks together.
If you decide to hire outside salespeople, you'll need to pay a base salary, not
just commission, and keep real close tabs on them. For one, you want to
make sure they're really working. And for two, even if they are highly
experienced, you need to keep motivating them.