This document provides tips for independent sales agents. It discusses how the sales model has shifted from high-pressure sales teams to more educated prospects and outsourced sales. As an independent agent, networking, social media, due diligence, contracts, prospecting lists, communication, referrals, and continuous learning are important for success in this new sales environment.

1. TIPS FOR THE
INDEPENDENT SALES
AGENT
Nicole Scruggs
Sales & Marketing Professional

2. The Old Business Sales
Model
• High Pressure Sales Agents
– Less emphasis on educating and informing the prospect and
more on pressuring the prospect to complete the sale as quickly
as possible.
• Low information Prospects
– Greater ability to maneuver around gatekeepers and find a
prospect not very informed about your product outside of what
he may be currently using for his business.
• Institutional Sales Teams
– Sales Staff working directly for the organization they represent
and reporting to a central office.
– Culture of the business (whether productive or destructive)
tends to permeate the entire sales process.

3. The New Look of Sales
• The Outsourced Sales Team
– Organizations are outsourcing some or all of their efforts to Individual Contractors or
firms specializing in various stages of the sales process saving the organization the costs
associated with direct employees but decentralizing supervision of the public face of the
company to potential clients.
• The Educated Prospect
– Today there is a far higher probability that a prospect knows more than you think about
your product before you sit down to discuss it with her and before you even get that
meeting you have to maneuver past the gatekeeper who has become very adept at
recognizing and rebuffing sales calls.

4. The Independent
Sales Agent
Whether you work autonomously for
an organization or are an independent
contractor responsible for securing your
next assignment; there is a wealth of
opportunity available to dictate and
achieve tremendous success within
this new sales climate if you have a desire
to learn and don’t mind the preparation
required to embark on this journey.

5. The Independent
Sales Agent
This presentation focuses on the
Independent Sales Agent as a contractor
who must market to, secure, sell for,
manage and service her clients.
This Independent Agent must cultivate
skills beyond what she may have
previously utilized to achieve success as
an employee for an organization.

6. Building The Business
Networking
• Genuine Networking is a tremendous tool for
meeting potential clients.
• BEWARE - There are tons of events packaged
as networking opportunities that are really
giant time wasting social gatherings.

7. Building The Business
Networking
• Attending events sponsored by your
Chamber of Commerce, Business
Journal and professional organizations
have a far better chance of connecting
you with the right audience.
• Don’t be afraid to pay to attend
reputable tradeshows, conventions and
meetings. The cost of admission could
be reimbursed several times over with
just one successful client lead.

8. Building The Business
Social Media
• Social media is a tremendous tool for exposing
your services to potential clients IF you take
the time to market yourself effectively.

9. Building The Business
Social Media
• Linkedin – Join industry related
groups including groups associated
with your ideal clients. Engage in
discussions and take the opportunity
to attend face to face forums and
events when possible.
Organize your Linkedin page to clearly
display your skills and availability for
contract work.

10. Building The Business
Social Media
• Facebook – Create a business page
and, if they don’t mind, engage your
business-minded friends to help you
get attention.
• Providing educational resources, tips
and advice will create top of mind
awareness for anyone interest in your
services.

11. Building The Business
Social Media
• Twitter – A potentially great enhancement to your
online presence is a business twitter account.
• Follow industry insiders and your ideal clients. Utilize
popular industry hash tags to find contacts and
comment on the industry (ex. #Sales).
• Keep your account free of personal commentary and
separate from your personal account.

12. Due Diligence
• Having a business express interest in your
Sales services can be thrilling but not every
contract is a good fit for your business. A
little research can go a long way in exposing
potential challenges in a business
opportunity.
• Research your clients Business, Industry
and even Competition. Don’t be afraid to
turn down a contract with insurmountable
pitfalls.
• A bad contract can be far more costly than
the immediate revenue from the deal.

13. Good Contracts are like
Good Fences
• A well constructed contract should clearly outline
expectations and protect both you and the client.
• The contract should reference project expectations,
meeting times, working hours, compensation
schedules and even contract severability.
• Working with an attorney familiar with business law
can save money in the long run.

14. Getting to Work
Prospect Lists
• Ask your client for a list of contacts he wants you
to connect with or even old lists of failed
contacts that may gain new life with your help.
• Get creative with list sourcing. news articles,
trade publications and company directories can
be great resources. Many public libraries offer
free access to Mergent Online, S&P and Access
Business through their online portal for library
card holders.
• When needed; utilize paid list services like Jigsaw
and Sales Genie. The guarantees associated with
these lists can save lots of time.

15. Getting to Work
Beyond the Boiler Room
• Approaching your prospects with more
than the highlights of your product or
service will reap benefits many times over.
• Research the industry and it’s trends and
provide value to the customer BEYOND the
product
• Your sales presentation should emphasize
industry research expertly packaged to
educate the customer while marketing your
solutions.

16. Getting To Work
Communicate! Communicate! Communicate!
• Whether a campaign is going great or facing challenges strong
and consistent communication with your client builds trust
and creates opportunities instead of limiting them.
• Providing a weekly report of your progress is a good habit that
keeps clients abreast of the campaigns progress and enables
them to provide guidance and additional assistance when
needed.
• Scheduling standing meetings with your client ensures that
you maintain the same goals for the campaign and helps to
manage expectations.

17. Referrals
• So you’ve done a great job for a client and
he can’t stop singing your praises. Asking
for referrals from this client is the easiest,
least costly and most reliable way to gain
new business.
• Don’t leave this tremendous marketing
opportunity to chance. A simple post
campaign questionnaire that includes
room for referrals easily incorporates this
step into your client management
process.

18. Never Stop Learning
• The world of sales is constantly evolving
so becoming a student of the craft is the
best way to succeed in your chosen
profession.
• Besides reading materials and seminars;
YouTube is a tremendous free source of
education for the hungry sales scholar
• Sort through the information you gather
to tailor styles and techniques that bring
you the greatest success.

19. TIPS FOR THE
INDEPENDENT SALES
AGENT
Nicole Scruggs
Sales & Marketing Professional