How Reps Get and Keep Great, Profitable Lines

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“He who has a thing to sell and goes and whispers in a well is not as apt to get the dollars as he who climbs a tree and hollers.” -- AnonymousThis issue of Agency Sales magazine takes a look at how reps get and keep great, profitable lines.

Reps who get and keep great, profitable lines usually follow the same two-step process:

  • Become the kind of rep that great, profitable lines would want to have represent them.
  • Make themselves easy to find so that the great, profitable line will know to include them when they come to the territory to interview.

How do you become the kind of rep that great, profitable lines would want to have represent them? Customers, channel partners and even your principals say they love to … Read the rest

Trawling for a Good Line

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photoIn California we have a saying, “The only thing constant about California is change.” Having been a sales rep for a number of years, you can apply that same analogy to the sales representative business. A good sales representative is always on the prowl looking for a good line and working diligently to keep existing principals happy.

One of MANA’s principles is that a sales rep should be a member of a specific industry rep association in addition to MANA. We have been a long-time member of the Electronics Representatives Association (ERA) and in particular the Southern California chapter of … Read the rest

How Reps Find and Attract Top-Notch Manufacturers

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A rep once said: “There’s more to getting good lines than just sitting in the boat with your mouth open, hoping a fish will jump in.”

Fish jumpingThe truth of those words was never illustrated better than when Agency Sales went looking for reps who found the magic way to get, attract and keep quality lines. The fact is, there is no magic. All it takes is hard work at best, mixed with being in the right place at the right time, and a little bit of luck.

Consider how a number of independent manufacturers’ representatives responded to questions concerning how … Read the rest