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Manufacturers please pay attention. It may not seem important to you, but it is.

Why is your rep’s line card important to you? Later we’ll discuss why it is so important to the rep firm and the rep firm’s customers.

For a manufacturer, the line card that a rep firm presents to all of its publics is of vital importance. These are the publics:

• You, the principals that they represent.
• Their customers and buyers who purchase either directly or through distribution.
• Their employees.

We will review all three.

First of all, the line card is a clear, concise overview of the package of lines the rep has assembled. Underlying this presentation, the line card should provide a very good analysis of the “why” of the rep’s sales and marketing approach to their market and yours.

If the line card is properly constructed, it is organized in a logical, structured manner that shows how the reps present their “package” of manufacturers. The rep’s approach to its business should be very clear from the line card.

For example, in the foodservice equipment business the line card may be organized in categories — e.g., hot, cold, storage, perhaps one or two other categories like “hoods.”

By structuring the line card to present lines in categories, the rep makes it easy for the user to know what areas the rep can serve the customer and categorizes the manufacturers represented in a logical way.

One purchasing agent explained that he finds line cards one of the most valuable tools a rep provides for him. That purchasing agent likes to organize the line cards in categories so that it is easy for him to refer to them and find products that his “customers” (i.e., the company’s engineers) are asking about. The line card saves him time and energy. If a rep firm does not have a line card, the purchasing agent is very likely to forget about them when he gets a request for product.

The Rep Firm Perspective

When the rep firm is constructing its line card, there are several elements to consider.

First and foremost, the line card is a vital training tool. The line card provides the new, untrained salesperson or customer service person or other inside people like the receptionist a starting point for understanding the nature of the rep business.

The line card is a very convenient and inexpensive tool to give away in large quantities. There is nothing better to provide a starting point for the employees of the rep firm to discuss their business and how it works. It becomes very easy to answer the question, “What do you do?” by pulling out a line card and saying, “We represent manufacturers of equipment for the blank industry.” It works for every rep business — the line card is like a road sign showing the who, what and how of the rep business.

Perspective of the Rep’s Customers

This is the most direct example. When a rep seller or service person is talking about their firm, there is nothing easier than to pull out the line card or refer to it on the company’s website. The line card lays everything out about the rep firm and the companies it represents. Properly organized, it tells the full story of what, who and where. The rep firm is the branch office for the manufacturers.

The rep firm is the lines it represents. The clearer the rep firm can make its story the better.

A good, clean, well-designed, well-displayed line card is the first and best professional tool a manufacturers’ rep has. Using it frequently and well will help the reps succeed every time.

If your line card is not 100 percent perfect — fix it. You are losing money by having anything less than 100 percent.

Good luck and good selling.

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