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Maximize Your Membership

By Mark Hogan

Starting this month, members in the USA can start taking advantage of a suite of new benefits. Nearly 500 members submitted the survey in October, which allowed MANA to secure the best discounts on business insurance, national vendor programs, and more. Did you miss the webinars or are you uncertain how to start? Simply send an email to [email protected] and our benefits coordinator will guide you through the process.

There is more big news to share. MANA is in the process of redeveloping our entire technology platform to better service our members. Your membership will soon become even more valuable because we are implementing a new website with enhanced functionality. It will be fully operational by the end of January and members will see dramatic improvements such as:

Search results that are accurate and actionable.
Accurate email outreach that provides truly relevant opportunities.
Organized educational resources that are easier to access and read.

The new system will use a Member Compass™ that gives members the tools to build an accurate profile to achieve their goals. An obvious goal of a rep is to find great lines. An obvious goal for manufacturers is to find great reps. The new system will create better matches because members can properly input information that describes who they are and what they want to achieve.

MANA will schedule webinars to inform you about the next steps to take. Please watch for future email communications to learn more about these exciting new developments.

MANA List of Rep-Savvy Attorneys — Free Consultation

By Jerry Leth

One of your benefits as a MANA member is access to a list of attorneys who have been recommended to MANA as being experienced and knowledgeable about the manufacturers’ representative business and laws that govern rep-principal relationships. Go to one of them when you need help with finalizing an agreement with a manufacturer.

They also provide an annual free half-hour consultation.

The purpose of this short consultation is to enable you to get a quick answer to a general legal question. It is not intended for you to get detailed legal advice or services such as … Read the rest

Rep Relies on Relationships

By Jack Foster

Trevor Smith heads Technical Sales Reps, Inc.

When it comes to describing the strengths and benefits of going to market with independent manufacturers’ reps, reps most frequently cite the relationships they’ve developed and maintained with principals and customers. No exception to that rule is the experience of Trevor Smith, who heads the Southern California‑based Technical Sales Reps, Inc.

As an example, Smith, who maintains that “My whole life has been driven by strong relationships,” describes how a relationship and a belief in going the extra mile for a customer paved the way for him to become a rep.

Prior to … Read the rest

Large vs. the Small Agency

By Jack Foster

What’s better in the eyes of principals:

The large, multi-person agency, with plenty of feet on the street that represents 15-20 lines?
Or, the small, in many cases single-person agency, representing relatively few lines?

That was just one of the many questions asked and answered during the course of a MANAchat devoted to the concerns and challenges of the single-person agency. While there was obviously a bias in the way the participants of the chat addressed that topic, here are some of the views that were expressed.

Kicking off the discussion, one rep explained, “My recent experience … Read the rest

The Art of Persuasive Sales Presentations

By Jeff Beals

Would you like a new idea — an edge or advantage — in your sales work? Take a moment to look back in time….

In the 1930s, Professor Alan Monroe of Purdue University married the art of presentation with the psychology of persuasion.

The result of his scholarly work became known as Monroe’s Motivated Sequence, a concept that is still pertinent for today’s professionals. The concept was originally intended to help orators structure persuasive speeches, but it’s equally applicable for a variety of other purposes — making a sales presentation, pitching a proposal or trying … Read the rest

Six More Success Traits of Top Salespeople

By John Chapin

In an article in the September issue of Agency Sales magazine, I wrote about six success traits of top salespeople. In this article, I’ll cover six more. As a refresher, here are the first six: a positive attitude, being action‑oriented, being prepared, being businesslike and business-savvy, the ability to stand out from the crowd, and finally, likeability, trustworthiness, and the ability to build relationships. Now, here are the additional six.

1. Persistence and Perseverance

Top salespeople have thick skin, they don’t take rejection personally and they are able to handle massive amounts of rejection without … Read the rest

Get Tough With Your Sales Force

By John Haskell

Poor performance and lackluster results are deadly for a rep agency.

What do we do about Louie? Great question. Louie is a salesperson working for a rep firm covering a territory with base compensation, incentives, and expenses covered by the company.

What is expected of Louie?

The first thing is sales results. In the rep business that means specific revenue goals for each of the lines the agency represents. That seems simple enough, but it isn’t because personalities and market issues play into the situation.

In some cases, the major lines’ results are good for the rep … Read the rest

Effectively Guiding Your Team to Achieve Common Goals

By Nathan Jamail

Effectively guiding your team to achieve common goals requires more than just individual effort — it necessitates strong leadership, clear communication, and a shared vision. Guiding team members toward these objectives ensures that everyone is aligned and working cohesively. Here are key strategies to effectively guide your team members toward achieving common goals.

1. Define Clear Goals and Objectives

The foundation of any successful team effort is a well-defined goal. Clear goals provide direction and a sense of purpose.

Set SMART goals: Ensure that goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. This clarity helps team members … Read the rest

How to Evaluate Your Sales Potential

By Mark Hunter

What’s my potential in sales?

I have 10 questions for you, and they’re not skill-based questions. These are really emotionally based questions.

1. What drives me?

What fuels my desire? If I can’t answer that, why am I in sales? Is my motivating factor money or serving people?

Initially, when I first got into sales, my motivating factor was money, and I got fired from my first two sales jobs because I was creating havoc with customers. Then I began to realize it’s about the customers, it’s about the people, and it was amazing how … Read the rest

Are Your Systems Obsolete?

By Dave Kahle

Almost all of the policies and procedures that dictate our day-to-day efforts are vestiges of years gone by.

If we are going to succeed in these rapidly changing times, we need to adapt new strategies and disciplines that keep us and our organizations changing along with the pace of change around us.

It is unfortunately true that most of the policies and procedures that dictate our activities on a day-to-day basis were designed to be effective in a world that no longer exists. In other words, most business systems teeter on being obsolete.

Let me illustrate. … Read the rest

Manufacturers Should Seek These Qualities

By Jack Foster

Admittedly the list of qualities that follows was developed by a distributor. But the manufacturer that passed them along to us maintains these are exactly the attributes he looks for in existing and prospective reps. As a matter of fact, he believes in them so much that he’s got them posted on the wall of his office to serve as a constant reminder of what he — and other manufacturers — seek in a marketing partner. Read what follows:

Possess and exhibit a passionate commitment to the marketplace and to growing the business. — “The rep

… Read the rest

Just How Exclusive Is That Exclusive Agreement?

By Barbara Kramer

To prepare this article, I conducted an unscientific poll asking a smattering of sales representatives this question: What is the difference between an exclusive and a non-exclusive sales representative agreement? Each answered that in an exclusive sales representative agreement, the contract defines a territory, and the sales rep expects to receive commissions on all sales in that territory. In a non-exclusive contract, the manufacturer or principal may be allowed to sell direct in the territory, or even to appoint other sales professionals, and the sales representative is not paid commissions on every sale in the territory.… Read the rest

AIMR Welcomes a New Member Into Hall of Fame

Andrew Windsor, senior vice president of sales with Watts Water Technologies, was honored with the 2024 AIMR Golden Eagle Award today during the association’s 52nd Annual Conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

Chuck Michel’s Hall of Fame honor was accepted by Michel Family members (left to right) Danny Michel, Matt Michel, CPMR, and Rick Michel, CPMR, with Michel Sales Agency. The honor was presented by Brenda Cashdollar, CPMR with Synergy Sales NW.

One of the founding members of AIM/R, Chuck Michel had a career spanning four decades in the manufacturers’ representative business. He began working at MSA in 1945 after returning from … Read the rest

Watts Water Technologies’ Andrew Windsor Honored With AIMR’s 2024 Golden Eagle Award

Andrew Windsor, WATTS Water Technologies, accepts the award from Brenda Cashdollar, CPMR, Synergy Sales NW.

Each year, AIM/R membership nominates individuals from manufacturing for the Golden Eagle Award. These individuals are often executives who embody all the core values of supporting and taking their products to market through independent manufacturers’ representatives.

“We had another year of amazing candidates from which to select for Golden Eagle,” said AIM/R Board Member and … Read the rest