nextsummit

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have expertise in my type of business?

We specialize in pet products (particularly USA sourced) and the automotive aftermarket. That's because those are the clients that are most active right now. We also have experience in financial services (mortgage), health care, high end retail, commercial products (school bus cameras), and others. In addition, the sales professionals that we work with have a broad range of sales expertise.

Having direct experience in your industry is helpful from the standpoint that we may have existing buyer relationships and an existing knowledge base on how your industry works. That doesn't mean that we can't get up to speed fairly quickly in areas that we may not have direct experience. After all, selling is selling. If you're interested, just give us a call!

What size businesses do you work with?

We do our best work for medium sized businesses or large companies that have a specialized need to build one area. It's important that we have a direct link and an ongoing relationship with senior sales staff or the owner. That doesn't mean that we're not interested in working with small businesses or start-ups.  There's no obligation or cost to explore the possibilities.

 

How much do your services cost?

Our pricing is based on the number of hours desired, the level of expertise needed and the cost of ancillary selling materials (sales literature, stationery, postage, supplies, etc.) There is a direct relationship between the number of hours you contract for and the speed of the results you'll receive. We have ongoing clients who purchase the minimum 20 hours a month and are satisfied with the results. We have other clients who are contracting for much more and are satisfied as well. We try hard to be upfront with expectations.

We develop a cost program based on your specific needs and budget. This would be the monthly retainer which will not change unless you authorize it. (We typically put in more hours than are charged.) We will bill you for the cost of postage, supplies etc. with your advance approval. We are open to modified payment arrangements that combine commissions with retainer or other creative plans.

Since we are fronting much of the sales costs at the time they're incurred, we expect payment of invoices upon receipt.

 

Do you work on a commission-only basis?

In a word, no. Success depends on both of us having a “dog in the hunt.” Nearly every failure event I’ve seen in contract selling has been the result of the “culture of low expectations” created by a straight commission arrangement. The client that has little investment often has little motivation to provide the support the sales agent needs to be successful. The sales agent, unwilling or unable to front the necessary costs in time and money to get in a position to make substantial sales, “grabs what he can get” and turns in lackluster results.

We ARE willing to discuss establishing a retainer-plus-commission plan depending on the project.

A final note--our cost of sales is usually less than industry commission standards. 

Do you offer guarantees?

As much as we'd like to, there are few guarantees in the world of sales and we aren't able to offer a "guarantee" either. That's because there are as many variables on the client side (quality of product,  demand, price, competition, quality of fulfillment) as there are on the selling side. Having said that, we do make projections at the outset of anticipated sales and typically work on a mutual 30-day cancellation basis that begins after an initial 90-day start-up period. That helps us get far enough down the road to gauge success without you having a long-term financial commitment.

Some clients use us to present a new product or service on a test basis before rolling it out to their regular sales staff. In that case, "failure" can provide valuable feedback to allow for changes in the product or offering before making a big investment in time and money.

 

Do I need to sign a long-term contract?

No. A typical arrangement is for a 90-day initial contract to do the "front end" work required to get the sales project up and running. After that, either one of us has a 30-day period to end the project. We do have a short agreement outlining our expectations to get things started.

 

Who will actually be working on my account?

There are a number of functions within every sales project from prospect list development to the sales contact to order writing. I am directly involved or oversee all of them. Depending on the hours and expertise required, we assign all or parts of the project to various sales associates who are all seasoned sales professionals.  You will have direct contact with me and the sales professionals assigned to your account so that you can get to know each other and develop the most effective business relationship

What do we have to do on our end?

We work best by having a direct and ongoing relationship with senior management. This can be an owner or senior sales manager or other top management position. Selling is a "give and take" and requires quick answers to prospect's questions and possible program tweaks. Successful contract sales ventures are seldom "plug and play."

We also expect our clients to be engaged in producing or providing a useful and viable product or service that is presented honestly and responsibly. We also expect that our clients will adhere to the highest possible business standards and treat their customers fairly and respectfully. Our reputation is the most valuable asset we have and we will never put that in jeopardy.

How do I know you're "for real?"

I know how difficult it is to determine who can get the job done and who is "full of talk." The best thing to do, whether you're considering Nextsummit or anyone else, is to ask for references and contact them. Current clients are usually willing to openly discuss their experiences with their sales agency.

To be fair, not every project we've done has been a mind-spinning success but we generally can turn out positive results in nine out of every ten projects. If you start looking like that "tenth" client, you can be assured that we will do everything we can to make the necessary tweaks and fixes to give us the best shot at success. If that doesn't work, we'll talk to you about ending the project. Selling is as much an art as a science and it's no fun when things aren't working. And we like to have fun at what we do!

 

Can I use my own graphic artists and printing resources?

We do have excellent print and web design resources that can produce national-quality work at a very reasonable cost. Producing sales and marketing materials is not a big revenue source for us, so you can often get excellent materials at a much lower cost than you may be paying now. If you have selling materials that are "good to go" or need slight modifications, you are welcome to use your existing resources.

 

Do you work with start-ups?

As entrepreneurs with a lot of experience in start-ups and new products, we're always intrigued by a new idea. If you think you have a unique product or service that is ready for market, feel free to run it by us. The buyers that we work with on a regular basis are always looking for something new.

 

Do you only work in western Michigan?

Although we are based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, only a few of our clients are in this area. Thanks to increasing use of the internet, email, phones and mail, we can sell effectively to anyone in the country. Some of the biggest sales we've made are to people we've never met in person!