Supplemental Sales Force: A Real Asset to Support Your Sales Efforts!

What if you reinforced your sales team for a specific period?

To successfully implement this sales outsourcing or supplemental sales force (SSF) strategy, it's crucial to prepare well in advance. Luckily, we're giving you some tips in the following paragraphs.

Supplemental Sales Force: A Quick Overview

The concept is simple. Using a supplemental sales force service simply means calling on a provider to temporarily reinforce and support your internal sales force for a specific need. This support is ideal for those who want to respond to a (very) sharp increase in activity, to support a communication campaign or product launch in the field, etc. This operational team will be able to concentrate maximum sales efforts on a defined period, a specific territory, a particular brand, or a specific product range.

Many Advantages to Boost Your Sales

Using a supplemental sales force allows you to benefit from numerous advantages during a product launch, a peak seasonal period, or simply to gain market share throughout the year... Indeed, in the case of In no particular order, here are some of the advantages of supplemental sales force support:

1 - You will be able to maintain a more significant field presence.
2 - You increase your overall competitiveness (sales, margin, inventory turnover...).
3 - You gain visibility at your points of sale.
4 - Your technical and sales message will be amplified.
5 - You will deliver a consistent, well-researched, and precise sales pitch across your entire field sales presence.
6 - You ensure that your negotiated commercial agreements (DN/DV) are being properly respected.
7 - You ensure that your shelves and products are properly displayed and that the associated merchandising is in place.
8 - You improve your relationships with your distributors by providing operational support to stores.
9 - You bring life and interaction to the aisles.
10 - You increase your sales presence without the need for permanent recruitment.
11...

As you can see, the benefits of using this service are numerous and can be tailored to your specific objectives.

Outsourced Sales Force: What Missions, What Roles?

Outsourced sales force allows you to bring in various profiles externally:

• Salespeople
  
• Product specialists
  
• Sales promoters
  

However, to maximize results, it's essential to plan ahead for the implementation of this sales force by training the representatives on the products and brand messaging (training can range from one morning to five days depending on the technical complexity of your products). During peak sales periods such as Black Friday, sales events, and back-to-school season, this outsourcing will be a real asset. You'll be able to increase your in-store touchpoints and significantly boost your revenue.

Preparing Your Action Period with Your Supplemental Sales Force

When outsourcing all or part of your sales force, it is essential to define a precise framework for intervention based on:

• Analysis and segmentation of your customer portfolio.
• Definition of the actions to be carried out by the team members (creating a roadmap for each store).
• Product selection and drafting of the associated sales pitch.
• Booking of equipment needs: tablets, testing or demonstration products, point-of-sale displays, uniforms, etc.
• Structuring a provisional budget.
• Setting individual and team objectives.

So, if you're looking to build a supplementary sales force in the sports industry, whether integrated into a marketing activation plan or not, Agence I.S (an event communication agency located in the Île-de-France region, near Paris), through its IS Brand division, specializes in consulting, supporting, and managing this type of project. Whether your project is local, regional, or national in scope, if you have an idea or a project in mind, we can answer your questions and guide you through its optimal implementation.