Working remotely isn't new to manufacturers' reps.  Most reps have home offices due to, among many reasons, the large distances within their territories, which makes it impractical to get to a central office.  While the bulk of the work force is only recently learning about the benefits and pitfalls of working remotely, reps have long known what it takes to adapt to an everchanging environment.  

There are definitely some big differences in working from home pre-pandemic, and working from home during the pandemic, but there are lessons to be learned from manufacturers' reps. 

1.  Be prepared

• Get dressed like you're going to the office
• Plan your week - schedule your time leaving room for unexpected problems
• Plan your sales calls - respect your customer/clients time

2.  Add value

• Know your customer - go above and beyond; they can find regular information online themselves
• Follow up in a timely manner - be dependable, make sure you respond to them quickly
• Send articles or links to blog posts that will interest them

3. Learn new stuff

• Educate yourself - technology offers new ways of doing business; make sure you know how to use it well
• Keep up-to-date on new industry rules and regulations
• Know the latest COVID-19 guidelines for the states where you do business

4. Set work/life boundaries

• Stick to a regular work schedule as much as possible
• Take breaks - they help reduce stress
• Make the most of family/friends time

5.  Stop & Smell the Roses

• Life's short - enjoy yourself

There are a few cases where manufacturers will send out sales and commission reports with Account Numbers that are not unique, with more than one customer or location represented by a single number.  Some examples include:

• Multiple branch locations, such as individual retail locations with a central billing location.
• Trace sales reports that show the End Users to which goods are shipping.
• Design house that uses contract manufacturers in their OEM products.

For these case, the Account Number being used by the manufacturer doesn't track to the location within the Rep Agencies territory, or necessarily to the same sales rep as might be assigned the main billing location.  It is, of course, important to get the correct location and correct sales rep for each Invoice, especially in cases where bonuses or split commissions are paid based on those sales.

Change is the new normal.  We're all dealing with the chaos of change brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, and learning to adjust to new rules.  For many, one of these rules is a change in work location - home (WFH).  Adapting to a new work environment can be very challenging and stressful. 

Surprisingly we've learned from a UK study, that while all generations are finding it challenging to work from home, Millennials and Gen Zs are having an especially hard time adjusting to remote work.  Without a formal office structure they find themselves less productive, more disorganized, unsure how to prioritize tasks, and feeling disconnected from their co-workers.  They also feel left out of the loop on daily company activities and find it more difficult to give or get project updates.
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If you were caught off guard by the Coronavirus and your company disaster plan didn't include how to deal with a health pandemic, you were not alone.  Even emergency preparedness agencies worldwide were not prepared for a disaster of the magnitude of the Coronavirus.

However it's never too late to revisit and revise your disaster plan or, if you don't have one, develop a plan.
  
In 2017 "Be Red Cross Ready with Disaster Planning" was written to remind rep firms to develop a disaster plan if they didn't already have one.  Although the business disasters discussed did not include a health pandemic, the basic steps for planning are still valid.

​When starting your plan, identify each type of disaster you could face.  One plan does not fit all disasters.  Make sure your written plan is clear and concise so everyone knows what is expected of them before, during, and after disaster strikes.
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The first in the "CRM in the Pandemic Era" blog series, "Tracking New Guidelines", talked about the challenges facing on-the-road reps now that the economy and businesses are starting to re-open.  Step Once was to implement or set up a disaster plan to navigate through the pandemic crisis.  An important part of your plan is to use your CRM System to keep all team members informed of the various guidelines set by government - local, regional, statewide, and/or national - and by each individual company in Phase 1 of the re-opening. 

Some areas of the country are now moving to Phase 2 of their re-opening plans and many of the guidelines from Phase 1 are changing.  Staying abreast of the continual updates can be confusing and time consuming.  Utilizing and sharing the information in your CRM system keeps everyone in your agency up-to-date on the changes.

Once you have captured the latest rules and regulations for doing business, you need to start tracking your contacts' preferences for communicating and doing business.

​Now more than ever you need a great Customer Relationship Management (CRM) database.  The way we interact with our customers, prospects, and users has dramatically changed.  The new normal [or (ab)normal as I’ve heard it called] for doing business is changing state by state (some states - city by city, or region by region), and week by week.  It can get complicated if you're on the road making calls.  That is if anyone is even on the road these days.  

Some businesses are shut; some are open but their physical office is not open and their employees are working remotely; some are open with employees in the office, but not allowing visitors or vendors into their building; some are open with no changes.  And each business has it’s own guidelines that their employees must follow.  Eventually it all becomes one big jumble.

Pandemic, flatten the curve, essential business, social distancing, Zooming, Zoom-bombing, WFH, doom-scrolling, - these are just a few of the new slang and vocabulary terms that are infecting our lives along with COVID19.  The normalcy of hanging around the water cooler to catch up on the latest happenings, stopping by a co-workers desk to show them the latest figures, taking a customer or prospect to lunch, traveling to a conference is now on-hold.  In just a few short months CHANGE has become the new normal.  We're all having to learn new ways of living and working and continually adjusting to the next wave of CHANGE.   

Businesses are starting to reopen and along with this CHANGE we're learning new ways to interact with business associates, teammates, co-workers, friends, and even family.  Face masks are required and social distancing is creating challenges inside and outdoors.  All of these CHANGES have increased our reliance on technology.  We're now working from home and holding virtual meetings for just about everything. 

After the great response to our newest version of the MRSware browser-based interface, MRSweb, we are pleased to release it for everyone.  With this release, one in which a much greater number of the features of the traditional MRSware Desktop software are available via web browser, on both desktop and mobile devices,  we are pleased to also feature a new Price Package "Team" edition.

The Team package focuses on smaller businesses with 1 to 4 users, providing the essential features that agencies need to track their multi-line sales and commission numbers.  We are doing away with per-User fees for this package, and instead have a single, low price that includes up to 4 Users and 4 Sales Territories.  

Details on the new package are available on our Pricing page.  And, of course, all existing and new Users of the Business and Plus Packages also have access to and enjoy all the new features in the MRSweb interface.

​The 2019 ISSA/Interclean Show is once again being held in "Glitter Gulch" - Las Vegas.  Even with a full schedule of educational sessions, workshops, certification programs, networking events, as well as the tradeshow exhibit floor, I'm sure you'll find time to enjoy the "City of Lights" (Nevada style). 

Here's a sneak peek at our totally redesigned web app - MRSweb:

​During our training sessions we mention, and I often reiterate or hear repeated to me, the comment "there are so many ways to do the same thing in your software".  It is true.  The reason why was just reinforced yet again when I was working with other software -- that software was designed based on the way people work, or the way most people work, or the way the designers thought most people worked, but woe be you if you yourself don't work that same way.