What do today's Sales Representatives, represent?

Whether it is customers, executive management or operations...there has always been a debate on the overall value of a Sale Representative.   Are they responsive enough?   Do they always try to sell me things?   Are we paying them too much?   Why can't they turn in clean contract packages?   Those questions have been asked by the relative groups for a long time.    However, how often do we think of the overall value a Sales Rep represents to a customer, or the company he/she works for?

For customers, a Sales Representative is mostly likely the front door to doing business with the company he/she is representing.   Reps must show the customer value in two ways;   personally and on behalf of the company they are representing.    It seems simple but this can be a hard skill to learn for a Rep.  However,  long-term success of a salesperson, at least in personal experience, directly relates to the ability for a Rep to prove his personal value to a customer (technical skills, market knowledge, solution-problem awareness) while integrating company value through the representing company products and offerings.  I don't know how one works without the other in a successful, long-term business relationship.    Many Reps still rely on their personal skills or value attributes and the personal selling of themselves when not enough time is spent selling the company that is backing them up.     There are several legitimate reasons this can happen and the way Sales and Executive Management seem to manage to "the number" it is not surprising taking the time to show the combined value to a customer gets overlooked.   However, failing to do so will not only harness the ability for the Rep to reach potential, it is obviously detrimental to the company being able to retain the customer long-term. 

Not every company has everything but  a company must have something or why would a Rep work for them?    If the answer is money then the value discussion is over.    However, there has to be something that the company does well that allows a Rep to believe in that ability or capability.    If there is no belief how then can the company value be passed onto the customer?    The Rep will rely on his personal value which might lead to an initial sale but what happens next? What kind of expectations are set for the overall experience a customer will have with the company?  What prevents a customer from jumping to another Rep that has shown not only personal value to the customer but reasoning on why they should do business with his/her company as well?

There are a lot of talented salespeople out there, specifically in IT.    However, the best Reps (and by "best" I mean sustained success) not only have the fortitude and drive to become individually valuable to customers but, an understanding and belief in the capabilities of the company they work for.     The result is a confidence exuded to customers resulting in a mutual beneficial business relationship.     In addition, as part of this dual value, the Rep will drive the company to become better because he/she can directly benefit as can his/her customers.  

So if you are a Sales Representative, or managing Sales Representatives.....what are you or your team....representing?