Technological advances have made it possible for smaller companies to place sales reps in territories far from their main office. The potential opportunities abound. For busy executives, though, remote can easily turn into "out of site / out of mind." To avoid this, put a management plan in place before you hire them.

One rep at a time

If you have never had a remote rep before, my recommendation would be to hire just one rep initially. See how it goes. Work out any flaws in the arrangement before hiring a second or even a third sales representative. Your program will be the stronger for it.

Remote not invisible

Discuss office protocol. When should they officially begin and end their work day? Are you expecting them to be in their home office during any particular time periods? Should they be accessible on Skype or IM during these times? Who do they call if they have the flu or need to take some time off unexpectedly?

Buddy system

Assign them a partner. Not another salesperson but rather an employee who's in the office every day. If the remote rep experiences trouble with a delivery or needs a question answered, this person should assist them. This helps the remote rep feel like a part of the company rather than a "pest" who calls in needing something every few days.

Rules are the same

If your sales staff has a twice-monthly cold call-a-rama on Fridays from 3 to 5pm, the remote rep does too. They attend the Monday morning staff meetings by Skype or conference bridge. Their sales forecasts are due on the 1st and 15th of each month. All of their activities are logged into the CRM system. They receive a performance review quarterly.

Unless their remote location somehow prevents them from participating on occasion, they are no different from the other reps.

Speak regularly

You probably see your local reps several times a week. If you need to meet with them, it involves a quick text or phone call. No so with the remote rep. The two of you should set up one or more standing appointments to talk one-on-one by phone every week. Set an agenda. Allow time for ad hoc topics

Call unexpectedly

If your regular phone call time is Tuesday at 4pm, make a note to call or IM them Thursday at 8:30am (taking time differences into account). Set a reminder to call them Friday at 11am the week after that. Knowing you might call at anytime sends a message to the remote rep that you are keeping track of their comings and goings.

Make periodic visits

I tell my clients to leave room in the budget for the rep to visit the main office at least once a quarter. Having them visit the main office, even if it's only for a staff meeting, allows them to engage in shop talk with their fellow reps and build stronger ties with other employees.

Work with them in their territory

Likewise, you or another executive should be visiting and working with the remote rep in their territory. Meet their customers. Observe how they conduct themselves during sales calls. If they are inside sales reps, check out their office set-up. Arrange to listen to a few of their customer calls. Get a real picture of how they work.

Formalize

Agree to the specifics of this arrangement during the final interview. Then confirm the details in letter form and ask the new rep to sign a copy.

A remote sales representative will open up new business relationships for your organization. Risks exist in this type of set-up. For the effort to succeed there needs to be a focused, disciplined, and consistent management plan in place.