“In my experience, there’s no more rep-friendly company than Harvey Vogel Manufacturing.” Those few words in an e-mail from a MANA-rep member directed Agency Sales to the Woodbury, Minnesota, manufacturer.

For close to two decades a cost-benefit look at using independent manufacturers’ representatives has made sense for Harvey Vogel Manufacturing (HV). The manufacturer of metal stamping, fabrication machining and more, currently takes its products to market via 23 rep firms and more than 50 independent reps.

According to Matt Mountain, director of sales and marketing for the company, “We firmly believe in the rep relationship that has been so successful for us.”

HV opened the doors to a 7,000-sq-ft manufacturing facility in 1942 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Today, 75 years later, it operates out of its 132,000-sq-ft headquarters/primary manufacturing facility in Woodbury and a 71,000-sq-ft shipping, inventory and finishing facility in nearby Eagan, Minnesota.

Just as other manufacturers, there are times when HV has a need to align with representation for various territories and when that occurs, Mountain explains that he’ll use both the services of MANA and access the company’s selling organization. “I’ll ask reps who rep us if they’re aware of another rep that would be a good fit for us.”

Covering a Range of Industries

He adds that when considering a prospective independent rep, “We’re generally looking for reps that are able to successfully work across a range of industries. If they are mechanically inclined and knowledgeable about the properties of metals, then they can really bring value to our organization.” That’s important for HV given the fact that the company serves a wide variety of industries ranging from aerospace, business and entertainment, food and beverage, military, and more.

When HV is in the search-for-rep mode, Mountain emphasizes that how the rep firm presents itself to the manufacturer and how the manufacturer presents itself to the rep are very important. “The downside when it comes to considering a rep firm is that anyone can call themselves a rep. When it comes to our consideration of a rep firm, we’ve got to make sure they can do the job. I’ve found that the 80/20 rule holds firm. We’re looking for those top 20 percent producers. In addition, it’s important for us to learn whether the rep is a line chaser or not. Ideally my goal for consideration of a rep firm is that they wouldn’t have more than 10 other lines and those lines must line up well with us.”

He continues that how the rep presents itself to HV is critical. “Like it or not, you’re going to consider things like how they dress and how they present themselves. You want to become knowledgeable about how prepared they are when they walk into a meeting. What are their business goals? What are they trying to accomplish? When they make a sales call, is it just another call with the goal of gaining more business or do they truly want to help the customer?”

Similar to a Sales Call

At the same time, Mountain explains that the manufacturer’s presentation to the prospective rep ought to be considered of prime importance. “It’s really similar to a call on a customer. You’ve got to remain focused on what you can bring to the rep. I always concentrate on what I have to offer them and try to determine whether they’re interested in building relationships and booking business for us. They want to get a return on their investment at the same time that I want to know whether to invest in them. There’s got to be an understanding that we’re truly committed to working together. If that’s absent, it simply won’t work.”

Once HV is firmly aligned with a rep firm, Mountain notes that there are several areas that remain important in the relationship for it to work.

• Communication — “When it comes to our communication to our reps and their communication back to us, there’s really nothing that’s overly mandated. We conduct quarterly webinars and put out monthly updates to them. What it comes down to is that I’m regularly in touch with our reps, and that works for us.”
• Training — “We work pretty lean when it comes to training but we do have them come back to the factory for updates. In general, our training takes place during our start-up period with a rep. In addition, we make regular use of PowerPoint presentations to keep them updated.”
• Time share — “Our goal is to make sure that we get our proper share of the rep’s time and we do that by becoming their ‘financial favorite.’”

In regards to working with independent representation, Mountain says that perhaps the most challenging part of the job is “Coming to terms with the fact that they are independent professionals and I’m not really their boss.” He adds, however, that that challenge is offset by the fact that there’s no better feeling than experiencing a win with a team of reps. “The best part of the job is when we win together and grow together. When that happens, no one is more excited than I am. Remember that success breeds success.”

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