What are independent sales representatives? What is a sales agent?
A sales representative is a natural or legal person who provides services on behalf of a principal, i.e. a company, supplier or brand. Simply put, they act as intermediaries between a principal and a customer.
The sales representative is the principal’s agent, responsible for negotiating and concluding contracts on the principal’s behalf. They are paid a commission on sales, and generally have no fixed salary.
Often referred to as field sales representatives, they should not be confused with sales agents.
Synonyms: sales representative, traveling salesman or traveling salesperson.
What is the legal status of a sales agent? The legal status of a sales representative
Sales agents are self-employed, and have a status in their own right. As such, they can own their own company (i.e. be self-employed) or sole proprietorship, or work for a company, commercial agency, firm or contractor.
He can even work for several companies.
What does a sales representative do? What does a sales representative do?
Maintain commercial relations with existing customers.
Build customer loyalty by meeting their expectations and maintaining an excellent level of satisfaction.
Negotiate contracts with partners, customers and prospects.
Transmit information between customers and principals (merchandising information, orders, contracts, etc.).
What are the advantages of being a sales representative?
A sales representative can work for any type of company or market, and can even specialize in markets that interest him or her (construction, hygiene, beauty, food, etc.).
In contrast to salaried sales representatives, freedom to work is certainly the major advantage of this profession: you can choose how you want to work, which companies you work for and which customers you work with. In short, he’s self-employed.
Salary is another advantage of this profession. What independent sales representatives earn is directly linked to their performance. Even if this can be seen as a negative point, the majority of sales people are motivated by the monetary factor behind each sale.
What does it take to become a sales representative?
Morality and ethics are also important elements in the activity of a sales representative, who must act in the interests of his principal while respecting the laws and standards in force.
How do I become an independent sales representative? What qualifications do I need to become a sales representative?
You don’t need to have a higher education, or even a baccalaureate, to be a sales representative. However, it is advisable to have completed an ES, STMG or vocational baccalaureate.
To broaden their knowledge, future sales representatives can take the recommended higher education courses: a BTS in Customer Relations Negotiation and Digitization, a DUT in Marketing Techniques, or a Licence professionnelle in Business.
To become a sales representative, you need to beregistered with the “Registre des agents commerciaux” and hold a “mandataire” title. This title enables the commercial agent to act legally on behalf of his principal. It is also necessary to respect the code of conduct for independent sales representatives, which sets out the rules to be followed.
How much does a sales representative earn? How do I know if I'm properly paid as a sales representative?
According to talent.com, the average salary for a sales representative is 3,000 euros a month.
He is remunerated by his principal(s) on the basis of commissions on sales.
There is no average commission percentage for a sales representative. It can vary from 0.01% to 30%. In fact, it depends on many factors and can vary considerably depending on :
- products or services it represents,
- the terms of its contract with its principal,
- negotiation and sales skills,
- the general economic situation.
It’s important for independent sales representatives to negotiate fair compensation with their principal, commensurate with the value of their contribution. Negotiation skills are therefore essential for independent sales representatives to ensure they are paid what they are worth!
What problems might a sales representative encounter?
Independent sales representatives can face a number of problems in the course of their business, including:
- The difficulty of organizing their schedules: independent sales representatives often have to plan their visits to customers according to their availability, which can lead to scheduling conflicts and delays.
- Time wasted on administrative tasks : between placing orders, writing reports, negotiating contracts with principals and filing various returns, it can be easy for a sales representative to lose precious time.
Find out how to save time on administrative tasks with Moovago, the leading software for independent sales representatives.
- Travel costs: independent sales representatives often have to travel long distances to meet their customers, which can lead to high travel and accommodation costs.
- Competition: in many business sectors, competition is fierce, which can make it difficult for sales representatives to find new customers and maintain their sales revenue.
Sales representative tools
The modern sales representative can no longer make do with a simple book of contacts and a paper diary. To develop his customer portfolio effectively and optimize his rounds, he needs to equip himself with high-performance digital tools. A dedicated mobile application is now an indispensable asset, enabling you to manage your customer file, visualize your prospects on a geographical map and plan your rounds optimally.
These solutions also offer advanced sales follow-up functionalities: creation of visit reports, scheduling of reminders, management of daily tasks and tracking of business opportunities. For independent sales representatives, having an application specially designed for them represents a major competitive advantage, enabling them to professionalize their sales approach while boosting productivity.
These tools, which are often affordable, are perfectly adapted to the specific needs of field sales representatives and offer the flexibility needed to work efficiently from the field.Try againClaude can make mistakes. Be sure to check his answers.
