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When a manufacturer was asked to describe his tried-and-true process for locating the ideal rep for a given territory, he introduced an analogy of locating the right piece to finish off a section of a jigsaw puzzle.

According to the manufacturer, “We’ve tried just about every method for locating reps that exists. That includes all of the directories that the various rep associations provide that serve our industry. However, I’ll have to admit that probably nothing beats a personal recommendation. As an example, about a month ago, one of our largest customers — and this is one of our top customers that has offices in several locations throughout the United States — let us know that they thought very highly of a rep on the East Coast, in case we ever had need there. As luck would have it, that’s just what we were looking for.”

On several other locations, he added, some of his existing reps could always be counted on to recommend other reps that they’ve met via their industry and rep association gatherings.

A Virtual Lunch Payoff

When the sales manager for one manufacturer decided to host a virtual lunch with four of the top-performing reps, he never expected to receive the payoff he got. According to the manufacturer, “We’ve never had a rep council, but after this experience I may change my mind. Here’s what happened. I decided to strengthen my lines of communication with four of my reps located in four different territories of the country. Given the travel restraints we’ve all been facing as a result of COVID-19, I thought an internet-based lunch where we could all exchange ideas would work for us. I let the reps know that they should order lunch on their own, send the expenses to me, and I’d reimburse them.”

Among the topics that were covered in the hour-long lunch that opened the manufacturer’s eyes were these:

• Compensation questions — “Among the reps, two of them admitted that they’re having some delays in receiving their commission checks. While this was news to me, both of them let me know that they had saved their complaints because they knew they were going to see me at this lunch. This is an example of a good and bad approach. It’s bad because they suffered a delay in being paid what they should have been paid in a timely manner. It was good because they knew me well enough and viewed me as their advocate or ‘champion’ at headquarters. They knew I’d not only take care of the matter, but also make sure it never happened again. On this particular issue, I let them all know they should notify me immediately whenever there’s a delay in the future.”
• Email and texting overloads — “The fact is everyone has become too reliant on email and texting as means of communication, and I’m hardly an exception. But what has happened is that these reps — and all of my reps for that matter — receive too much of their information by the aforementioned means. What it has become is a tool that while once valued is now being abused. As a result, there’s a real possibility that important communications can be lost. We agreed that if something really important has to be communicated and it is going to be communicated via email or text, a heads-up would be appropriate. That is, I’m to call them or they’ll call me to let the other know what’s coming.”
• Communication — “I’ve never been someone who’s felt that call reports were useful. That view was validated by the reps who noted that we all seem to be on the same page. Likewise, we all agreed that there is a true benefit for them and us when they communicate on an ‘as-needed’ basis whenever something important is going on with a customer or a project.”

In conclusion, the sales manager noted that probably as an acknowledgement that there was true value in this virtual lunch, not one of reps sent along their expense for the lunch.

Another Rep Council Recommendation

If the previous manufacturer admitted his virtual lunch was leading him toward the creation of a rep council for his company, another manufacturer recently voiced a level of frustration with his industry because even though his company actively maintains a rep council, his company is far from the norm. In favor of rep councils, he explained, “In my opinion, companies that avoid them are generally fairly dogmatic in their approach to business. On the other hand, it’s my belief that the more a manufacturer can do to make the rep feel more like a part of the organization, the better off you’re going to be. By advocating the rep council and listening to what is contributed by its members, the manufacturer keeps his rep sales force informed, knowledgeable and dedicated to the goals of the company.” He continued by advising that principals can greatly improve the performance of their reps by making them more of a team. “We’ve got to communicate a feeling of partnership rather than one of dictatorship.”

The Value of Teamwork

Just as the previous item emphasized the importance of having the rep feel as if he’s a member of a team, a long-standing member of MANA added to that conversation by describing what made two of his principals so different from the others. His words contain some valuable advice for other manufacturers that might wonder why there’s a strain between them and their reps. “Here’s the difference between these two and all the rest,” he explained. “Aside from the fact they pay on time what they agreed to pay us for the business we generate, they do something else that’s very special. They make us feel as if we’re a part of the organization. We don’t feel as if we’re on the outside looking in. Rather, they make every effort to keep the communication pipeline full. They ask our advice. When they don’t take our advice, they let us know why. When they follow our suggestions, they thank us and acknowledge our contribution to the team effort.

“Since both of these companies produce leading-edge products, they recognize the value of the rep’s contribution and readily admit their reps have the knowledge, the territory and, more importantly, the customers that are needed to make their products a success.”

Reps’ Insatiable Desire for Training

One unanticipated result of a manufacturers’ rep advisory council was the reps’ insatiable desire for product training.

After about one year in existence entailing two meetings of its rep council, one manufacturer reported the “most consistent message I received from the participants was their desire for product training. It seems they can’t get enough of it. Maybe part of it has to do with the fact that we provide high-tech products to the auto industry, but in the absence of council input we never realized how much they wanted to learn about our products.”

As a result of that input, the manufacturer put into place a program where over a period of 18 months, all of its rep firms will be brought into the headquarters plant for new product training. In the meantime, (until the effects of the pandemic relent) an electronic newsletter keeps reps up to date with new developments until reps can be brought into the plant.

“So far, we’ve had a tremendous response from all of our reps. At the same time, we’ve made sure all of our inside salespeople are completely up to date with new product information so they can handle any questions from the field.

“If our rep council doesn’t do anything else, it’s more than paid for itself in this area.”

Reps Know Whom They Can Depend Upon

A number of manufacturing firms that Agency Sales magazine has been in contact with indicate how important it is for them to have a “rep champion” or “advocate” in house. In their words, this person is generally the individual the rep knows he can contact with problems or concerns. He may not carry the obvious title, in fact, he may be the regional manager or even the company president, but he’s there as the outsourced sales force’s main contact. An important part of the function he fulfills is that of a mentor. Here’s how one rep describes the importance of this rep champion: “We have a constant need to be motivated by the manufacturer. The check we receive at the end of the month isn’t all we need to do our jobs well. To perform our jobs as well as we can, we’ve got to be willing to do whatever it takes to serve the customer. That means that how much time we take to get the job done should never be a concern. What is a concern, however, is the constant need to be motivated, guided, supported and mentored by our manufacturers. That’s why it’s so important that we know there’s always someone in place who understands our problems and generally comes up with workable solutions to them.”

MANA welcomes your comments on this article. Write to us at [email protected].