Market Forces that are Disrupting the JanSan Supply Chain (Part 5)
We're giving you the last part of this report, which provides insight into the forces that are disrupting the JanSan supply chain. You can read the first part HERE
The Demographics are Changing Fast
Findings
Market demographics are impacting distributors and manufacturers in two ways.
1. The once-large sales forces that were built with the baby boomers during the 70s and 80s are about to retire. Jan / San's current sales force consists of a high percentage of salespeople who will soon be retiring.
2. Millennial shoppers are increasing rapidly. They see sellers and the market in a very different way than their predecessors. Check out this Voice of the Buyer article.
3. The processes for successfully recruiting, selecting and onboarding vendors in the cleaning industry are no longer well developed. Consequently, the time to generate income is long and the constant onboarding of salespeople remains a challenge.
The Jan/San Sales Force is “Graying”
Implications
As the sales force transition to its "golden years" accelerates, leadership will be increasingly challenged to fill the top spots as soon as they are vacated.
Many factors such as: inconsistent recruitment, long learning curves (which are not necessary) and poor selection of candidates are impediments to growth.
The imperative for senior leadership is:
1. Develop a sales engagement process that:
- Attract the ideal people with the right skills to the modern buyer
- Quick incorporation of new hires
- Shorten the time of income generation
- Improve the success rate
2. Design company-specific profiles for each sales role (hunter, account manager, inside sales, sales manager, etc.).
3. Use a specific sales assessment that matches all applicants to the profile as the first step in the selection process.
Source: Knowledgeworx