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When considering the subjects of educating and training an outsourced sales team (i.e., independent manufacturers’ representatives) the easiest — but certainly not the best — course to follow is to sit back and do nothing. That’s hardly the path Hank Bergson urges manufacturers to follow as they take stock of the needs of the agents they work with.
Instead Bergson, the former president and CEO of the National Electrical Manufacturers’ Representatives Association (NEMRA) strongly recommends that manufacturers exhibit a commitment to training and education that will show the agents they work with that there’s much more to the job than just making calls and following up.
Bergson, who together with Kris Hefley, is scheduled to conduct MANA’s Manufacturer Seminar in May, stresses the need for commitment when it comes to training and education. “It all starts at the top,” he says. “You’ll accomplish nothing if the commitment to training and education isn’t a part of a company’s culture. If that commitment isn’t present, the common view is that a training program doesn’t apply to me because what it covers doesn’t involve what I do. On the other hand, if the commitment is there, each individual (including agents) readily embraces the fact that training is critical.”
It’s in this area of commitment that Bergson maintains MANA provides such a valuable service with its Manufacturer Seminar. “Here’s the question that any organization has to ask: Where can I get the type of education/training that is specific to me and to the functions that I’m required to perform?”
He answers that it’s MANA and other rep-specific associations that are so valuable. “One of the things we always do during the beginning of our seminars is to ask attendees, What are their expectations? What burning piece of knowledge do they need in order to perform their jobs better? We don’t end it there, however. At the end of the seminar we make sure their expectations have been met. Each one of the 20-30 students in attendance has different needs. Our goal is to make sure their needs have been met.”
Covering All Topics
When considering the subjects of educating and training an outsourced sales team (i.e., independent manufacturers’ representatives) the easiest — but certainly not the best — course to follow is to sit back and do nothing. That’s hardly the path Hank Bergson urges manufacturers to follow as they take stock of the needs of the agents they work with.
Bergson continues that to meet those expectations, “We’ll make sure we address the important and even ‘touchy’ subjects that can sometimes affect principals and their agencies. For instance, how can manufacturers and their agents divorce each other — if there’s a need? Our point in touching on something like is that if a parting of the ways is necessary, it’s better to accomplish it sooner rather than later. And, if you’re going to do it, what does the law say? We also emphasize the importance of parting ways as business friends — if possible.”
It’s not all negative, however. Among the many additional subjects covered, according to Bergson, is why independent manufacturers’ representatives are more efficient/effective than a direct sales force.
The MANA program scheduled for May is the latest seminar to be conducted by Bergson and Hefley. Over the course of working with 20 to 30 manufacturers in each of the previous sessions, Bergson notes that the subject matter has evolved, changed and closely mirrors what attendees are looking to learn to enhance their relationships with agents. “One thing that has been somewhat surprising,” he explains, “is that there are a number of manufacturers that don’t have a really solid grasp of how the rep runs his business. This is something we address in the seminar. That view of not knowing much about the rep’s business grows out of a lack of knowledge of where the money goes that the manufacturer pays the rep. All too often we’ll hear from manufacturers that ‘I write this big check to my rep, but I don’t understand the rep entity as a business. One of our chief goals with the seminar is we want manufacturers to understand how the rep business runs, how the rep makes business decisions, what his criteria are for choosing the manufacturers he conducts business with. Once the manufacturer gains these pieces of knowledge, it helps him make business decisions while implementing programs that affect his reps. Thankfully we’ve had a number of manufacturers leave our seminars greatly enlightened on what it takes to work effectively with reps.”
Educating Manufacturers
He continues that if a major task of the seminar is to familiarize manufacturers with the agent’s business practices, it’s just as important to educate manufacturers to the fact that there is a direct correlation between the ease of working with a manufacturer and the activity the agent will devote to that manufacturer’s line of products. “It’s the old ‘emotional favorite’ thing,” Bergson explains. “What the manufacturer wants to achieve is a solid business relationship with a rep who places an emphasis on your line that exceeds what the compensation would demand. In the seminar we’ll cover how the manufacturer can reach that goal — and it’s not done by simply rolling over and doing everything that the rep wants you to do. Becoming the emotional favorite is only achieved if the manufacturer and the rep have well-run, professional businesses. And part of being a well-run business is to emphasize the importance of continual training.”
