How to involve your sales team in a wholesale ecommerce channel

Explain what changes at work

When customers place repeat orders online, salespeople can spend more time advising them or resolving commercial issues. The sales team needs visibility into activity across its accounts and clear rules for recognizing its contribution. Launching the portal without addressing this can create resistance.

Design assisted ordering

When a salesperson orders on a customer’s behalf, record the customer account, the person placing the order and the terms used. Test that switching accounts does not mix up customer records or prices. Assisted ordering should be convenient while preserving who did what and what the customer confirmed.

Review adoption with the sales team

Look at which customers sign in, which place repeat orders and which questions still arrive through other channels. Ask salespeople where their customers get stuck. Use those signals to improve the catalog, access and trading terms. Your commercial goal should include the customer experience, as well as the share of orders placed online.

Put it into practice

• Agree on account ownership and sales attribution.
• Record orders placed with a salesperson’s help.
• Use portal activity to guide customer follow-up.
• Collect the obstacles your team reports.