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There are so many things that can cause trouble for a rep firm — there is no way to list all of them or to be smart enough to provide solutions. This article points out a few major threats and suggests solutions.

The Goal — Build a Fortress Rep Firm

From the answering of the phone at a rep firm to the communications with each principal, every single person working for the rep firm must be a part of the fortress.

Nothing is more important than making sure everyone — receptionist, janitor, lowest person on the customer service team — knows who the principals are and what they sell. And, most important, what they might be calling the rep firm about.

On the flip side, everyone working for the rep firm has to understand the business. They have to understand what the firm represents and how the firm is organized to do it. Each person has to know who works for the firm and what they do and where they do it. Each person should be well informed about current events, the firm profile, and any key news or marketing/sales materials currently being used by the sales and customer service team.

How can this be accomplished?

Write the Book

That’s the key. Provide every person with a book that tells all about the companies you represent and make sure that the book is complete enough to tell the reader:

• Who might call?
• Who are they as a part of the principal?
• What does the principal company make?
• Where is literature or background about the principal? — website URL, literature storage room?
• Who in rep firm management to alert to the call from the principal —regardless of whether he or she is the person requested by the caller?

No matter what, there must be absolute confidence that every person who answers a phone call is equipped, prepared and ready to deal 100 percent professionally with a call from a principal — no matter what his or her mood or demands.

Keep the Book Up to Date

This process is a never-ending dynamic process that requires maintenance and discipline. Starting this process and letting it drift off into a blue sky will make that sky turn gray and then black very fast.

The rep firm must remember to service itself.

Travel With a Principal — Surviving and Thriving

Any field visit with personnel from a principal is loaded with “landmines.” The most important point is that the firm and each individual who will work with the visitor is well organized and well prepared. And that the schedule for the visitor is very well thought out and extremely well organized with the objectives for the field visits carefully spelled out.

Follow-up is key — someone has to be in charge of providing a follow-up report to the visitor and other key members of the principal’s management team. This report should be delivered very fast — hopefully the next day. In some cases, a follow-up call is warranted. This is all part of the backselling effort. Every field visit should build the rep firm’s reputation and standing with the principal.

Every field visit must be looked on as a backselling opportunity. No one should visit the rep firm who does not go away very impressed with the way the firm is run, with the people he or she worked with, and with the salespeople’s grasp of the products and the customer’s use and or sales process for the products.

Business Plans and Presentations

There should be a presentation of business/marketing/sales plans created by the rep firm for the principal’s products.

It is assumed, probably wrongly, that the rep firm has a very effective, comprehensive profile. That profile has to be the basis of day-by-day activity by the sales and customer service personnel at the rep firm.

One of the key needs is that every salesperson stand out as a professional. His or her knowledge and presentation skills should stand out to the peer group and customers alike.

Training of the sales and service people should be clearly evident and especially well organized. One of the big knocks against using reps is that the salespeople on the rep side can never do as good a job as a factory salesperson. This just does not have to be true. Without a doubt, the technically schooled and trained personnel from a manufacturer will probably exceed the ability of reps or other salespeople to handle complex technical issues. But if a rep understands the products and how the ultimate customer uses them then he/she is well equipped to develop and advance sales opportunities for the manufacturer. Training is the key.

Summary

The bottom line to building a fortress rep firm is to never lessen your paranoia — somebody is always out to get you. It is not far-fetched, or wrong-headed. The answer is to be proactive, erecting these walls to eliminate weakness and disability. The rep firm has to be totally focused on looking good and being good. Sales results are the only thing that counts!

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