"Did You Hire an Account Hog?"
10/15/24 Edition Stephen Says Column

Dear Stephen,

I’m a regional sales manager for a major manufacturer in a large metropolitan area. The way our region is set up, we have A&D reps, dealer reps, and then global account and end-user reps. Like many manufacturers big and small today, a lot of our business is specified from some major commercial architecture & design firms. #Gensler would be one of many examples.

You and everyone reading will know this story. #Gensler, and I could name three dozen other important firms, are always the coveted accounts amongst salespeople. It’s ironic because the design firms will have turnover on their own employees, people retire or change firms, yet often the same sales rep’s stay consistent on calling on the same firm for years for both dealers and manufacturers.

This has become an increasingly big problem for us as I go to hire new salespeople. Alternatively, when my salespeople become more senior, they tend to know only the older designers at a firm and are less relevant to the new, younger designers doing business at the major firms. 

I’ve lost potential A&D reps that I wanted to offer jobs to because I can’t give them one of our major A&D accounts, even to share. All of this because our #AccountHog gives me an ultimatum - they will not give up the account! Not even a portion of it. How do I deal with this? I hear about this also at floor covering companies, contract furniture companies, contract & residential companies….

The manufacturer and the manager at the manufacturer, like me, then become beholden to this one sales individual. I’ve never understood why companies like mine don’t have two or three people – literally a team, of A&D reps covering a major design firm…

Firstly, it represents better service for the design firm to have more than one resource to go to, second, there’s so much work coming from some of these firms that it is impossible for just one rep to do a quality job. Just as importantly, if I could have a team cover a major firm, it would give me the opportunity for us to grow our business and hire new blood with the incentive of them being able to come on to handle a major account.

Every time I have a conversation with the individual at my company who I consider to be the account hog, she threatens to leave and take her business with her. What should I do? 

Signed,
I Have A Hog!

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Dear Hog Keeper,

Don’t be afraid. You’re 100% correct that important design firms should be covered, particularly at big manufacturers, by several individuals with equal status. By the way, some manufacturers do this already. You’re right -- It’s impossible for just one person to maintain good relationships with everyone at a big company like Gensler.

As you pointed out yourself, a lot of the best reps are aging out. Their relationships retire, and they may not know or be able to relate to some of the new, younger designers that are coming on board.

As a recruiter, I see every day how many quality salespeople a company fails to attract because certain accounts are off limits when somebody new comes on board. This is a big mistake.

Having multiple sales reps on a major design account is not practical for all manufacturers. I totally understand that smaller manufacturers, as well as independent rep groups, will only have limited human resources and therefore one person covering an entire account is a commonsense solution. There’s been a long history of salespeople in floor covering, office furniture and textiles building their own thiefdom with one major design account, and it’s time for a change. I’m not sure I like your phrase “account hog” but yes, these sales individuals can become quite tyrannical – everyone reading this will know exactly what you’re talking about.

A regional manager such as yourself in a major market has a lot of clout with your corporate HQ. You need to share these thoughts directly with your VP of Sales and perhaps simultaneously with HR. Express to them that you need to go about a new way for hiring new people, and how having so many ‘blocked’ accounts is not working. Frankly I’m surprised you haven’t done it already since you are the local boss. You’re looking to hire more people, not just through more money but being able to offer a better variety of quality accounts to call on. You also just don’t want one salesperson controlling the flow of all your business. That’s just not good anywhere. Let’s face it – most of the great design firms are more about the product and how it suits their design; it’s very rare that an individual “owns” a relationship, especially if you work for an iconic brand. If that big design firm wants to specify an #Eames chair, do you really think they’re not going to do it anymore just because the legacy sales rep left for another manufacturer? You get the idea.

So, share your concerns with your bosses and start making some changes!

Signed,
Stephen

 
#Gensler #EamesChair #ContractFurniture #OfficeFurniture #MillerKnoll #PivotInterior #EmpireOfficeFurniture #EvensonBest #HermanMiller #Knoll #Haworth #HON #Allsteel #DesignTex #Kvadrat #Teknion #BDNY #Steelcase