How Can a Salesman "Sweep the Floor" More Efficiently?
The term "sweeping the floor" is commonly used in the construction materials industry to describe a sales strategy where representatives visit residential areas, knocking on doors to introduce their products. While this method is widely practiced, it's often considered one of the least effective ways to build a customer base in a community setting.
Where Is the Problem? How Should It Be Solved?
(Current Situation of "Sweeping the Floor")
- Recruitment of Salespeople: Many building material companies post job ads in newspapers, online platforms, and at job fairs. These ads typically mention a base salary plus commission, with a preference for experienced candidates. However, they often end with vague terms like "long-term limited advertising," which can be misleading.
- Training and Onboarding: Once hired, new salespeople receive a brief introduction to company culture, product models, and pricing. Training usually lasts just a few days before they are sent into the field under the guidance of more experienced colleagues.
- Sales Methods: The typical approach involves visiting homes door-to-door, introducing the product to the homeowner, collecting phone numbers, and making follow-up calls the next day. If the owner isn’t present, the salesman might just note the apartment type and renovation progress. If no one answers, they move on.
- Collaboration and Information Sharing: Sales teams often exchange contact lists, leading to repeated outreach efforts by different team members.
- Results: After a month, many salespeople fail to secure even a single order. Their performance is often zero, leaving them with only a minimal salary. This lack of success leads to frustration and poor feedback from management.
- Cycle: The process repeats itself as the company recruits new salespeople, following the same outdated methods.
(Root Cause Analysis)
After speaking with both homeowners and salespeople, it’s clear that most sales reps are still operating in a "hunting" mode—relying on luck rather than strategy. They hope to hit a sale when they get lucky, but without a plan, they often return home empty-handed.
- Poor Hiring Practices: Not everyone is suited for sales. A good salesperson needs persistence, knowledge, and the ability to think strategically. Unfortunately, many salespeople leave after a few days if they don't see immediate results, leading to high turnover rates.
- Lack of Product Knowledge: Many salespeople have little understanding of their products or the construction industry. When they knock on a door, they may ask basic questions like, "Is your house already installed?" without being able to provide meaningful information or differentiate their product from competitors.
- Incomplete Data Collection: Salespeople often just knock on doors without gathering detailed information about the homeowner's budget, renovation stage, or reasons for choosing other brands. This lack of insight prevents companies from developing targeted strategies.
- Weak Follow-Up: Even when phone numbers are collected, they are not always used effectively, resulting in missed opportunities for collaboration.
- Lack of Communication: Although salespeople report back daily, there is often little sharing of insights or lessons learned. Most rely on personal experience rather than collective knowledge.
- Loss of Motivation: In the early stages, low performance is normal, but without support or guidance, motivation tends to decline. Without visible progress, salespeople lose confidence and eventually quit.
Improving the "sweeping the floor" method requires a shift from random door-knocking to a more structured, data-driven, and collaborative approach. By focusing on better training, stronger communication, and smarter targeting, sales teams can increase their effectiveness and achieve more sustainable results.
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