Jerry Leth

If Jerry Leth thinks it was just yesterday that he joined the MANA staff, he should think twice because it’s been a lot longer than just yesterday. A great deal has happened in the world, in general, and in the world of reps specifically during the 20 years that Leth has been a staple at MANA headquarters.

While gas was averaging about $1.26 a gallon in 2000, George Bush had just narrowly defeated Al Gore in one of the closest elections in American history and cell phones were just emerging as more than a “yuppie toy,” it’s remarkable how many of the concerns facing reps have remained the same.

As Leth, the association’s vice president and general manager, marked his 20th anniversary with MANA this year, he took some time to comment on what has transpired in the world of reps and with his MANA constituents. It’s interesting that even the quickest look back shows that concerns reps faced 20 years ago have remained fairly constant. For instance, consider that in 2000 Agency Sales was reporting on the following:

• Surviving and thriving with the internet.
• Reps rely on person-to-person contacts.
• A case for retainers.
• The importance of rep councils.

They all sound familiar — don’t they? However, as Leth notes, if anything has changed it’s what’s happened this year with the emergence of COVID-19 as a major disruptor in the world in which reps work; and it’s a disruptor that may have some lasting effects.

Covid’s Impact

According to Leth, “This should come as no surprise to anyone, but the fact is business is being conducted remotely, and that may have a lasting impact on the way reps deal with principals and customers in the future. During the past year, MANA conducted a series of MANAchats. Among the many subjects that have been discussed is the fact that as travel restrictions continue to be in place throughout the country, more and more manufacturers have approached MANA to learn about working with reps. At the same time manufacturers with a direct sales force are unable to call on customers, they’re still paying the salaries of salespeople who can’t get out in the field. More and more of them are learning the importance of reps having the relationships in the territory and recognize the rep’s ability to maintain those relationships during the pandemic.

“We had one manufacturer tell us how grateful he was to be working with a rep sales force as opposed to depending upon direct sales personnel,” said Leth. “According to the manufacturer, the impact on his budget from Covid has been considerable. The company was still paying salaries, health insurance, and support for salespeople who weren’t able to go out in the field and do their jobs. As a result, they had to furlough several staff members. Thankfully the company has been working with reps for years, and they’ve been able to maintain solid relationships with customers.”

Leth continued, “In the past the role of the rep is one that might be defined by his or her completing sales calls on prospects and customers and then following up. Certainly at the beginning of the relationship, the rep conducts the in-person visit, gets to know the customer and his needs, and takes notes. According to what we’ve heard during the course of these MANAchats, that’s changed and the typical sales call may to some extent be a thing of the past. Now, having said that, if we relatively quickly reach a point where we’re told to take off our masks, go out to dinner and meet with people as we’ve done in the past, our practices may return to what they were in the past. If we’re talking about how the rep conducts his job, however, one thing will remain constant — the need for reps. It will still be important for reps to maintain relationships and be able to solve the problems and meet the needs of principals and customers.”

In addition, Leth says that if sales calls might be affected in the future, so too might territory visits from manufacturers. “I wouldn’t be surprised that since we’ve all learned how to easily conduct Zoom meetings or Google Meets, when a problem occurs, instead of waiting two or three months to get company personnel face-to-face with a customer in the field, that a remote meeting would be scheduled to immediately address and solve a problem.”

Ways to Communicate

If a diminishment in the frequency of the typical “milk run” sales call or territory visit is one conceivable change Leth has identified, another change might be seen in the fact that over the last couple of years there has been a drop in the number of members that want to talk about call reports. “That’s something that really doesn’t come up all that often. What I do hear, however, is conversation about the need for reps filling out SalesForce.com and other types of reports. I can remember asking a group of reps how many of them are required to fill out these reports. While a large number of reps report having to do so, when I ask how many of them receive any value from that exercise, very few respond in the affirmative.

“When I hear from reps on this subject, I try to emphasize how important it is when they’re initially negotiating with a principal, to make sure there’s an understanding that these reports should provide value for both the manufacturer and the rep. If there’s no value, then just as with call reports, the rep is expected to take away his time in front of the customer to fill out some sort of report that probably no one is going to read.

“When I discuss this subject, I go back to my time as a rep before joining MANA and draw upon what I used to do following a sales call. If anything important was happening with a customer, I’d immediately let the principal know. That way I was taking the initiative to communicate with the manufacturer.

“Today, given the availability of cell phones, tablets and laptops, it’s easy to stay in touch with principals. If the rep does that, chances are there will be fewer requests to fill out unneeded reports.”

When he’s asked if he’s willing to take a bit of a “crystal-ball” look into the future as it relates to MANA, Leth offers, “As far as anyone’s crystal ball can forecast, the resources of the association will continue to change in order to meet the needs that the environment dictates. When all things are considered, however, the purpose of MANA is to assist in creating lasting relationships between independent manufacturers’ reps and their principals. On the manufacturer’s side that means assisting them in locating professional reps. On the reps’ side that means assisting them to become more professional and profitable.”

In conclusion Leth notes, “What attracted me to take this position with MANA 20 years ago was the fact that I really appreciated the sense of purpose whenever I contacted the association as a member during my time as a rep. That sense of purpose hasn’t changed over the years and I’m sure it won’t in the future.”

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