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Several reps who participated in a MANAchat devoted to the single-person agency reported that they were being faced with “ghosting” by prospective and existing principals. For the uninitiated, ghosting is a colloquial term that refers to abruptly cutting off contact with someone without giving that person any warning or explanation for doing so.

Here’s how one of those reps faced with that experience explained his dilemma: “I’ve had four or five experiences recently where I’m interviewing with a principal. We go over each other’s wants and needs, and I get excited about the prospect of working with them. They promise to get back to me but never do. Then, when I make an effort to follow up by contacting them, I can’t reach them. I don’t know if I’m doing something wrong or if they’re just not focused on their jobs. It’s a very concerning situation.”

That rep was hardly alone. Another chat participant described what he recently encountered: “Just last night I was interviewing with a very large organization that was headquartered in Malaysia. It didn’t take me too long to determine it was really just a fishing expedition on their part. All they were looking for was information about marketing and sales in the territory I covered. The fact is since I’ve been a rep for several years, I’ve been down this road before. I know that we hardly ever get paid for that type of information. As a result, following our conversation when they promised to get back in touch, I didn’t think they would.”

A reluctance on the part of principals to actually make a decision was described by another rep. “I work in the aerospace industry, and in the past year or so I’ve seen that there appears to be a renewed interest in working with reps. However, when I think I’ve got their attention and it comes time for them to get back to me or return my call, they fail to do so. Maybe it’s because they’re afraid to move ahead or it’s because I’m a one-man operation. I don’t know.”

At the same time ghosting dominated the conversation, chat participants did offer some possible solutions:

Marketing — When the subject turned to the importance of an agency to constantly market itself to both customers and principals, one chat participant offered that “It’s hardly a secret that customers like to buy from people they know and trust. If the rep can show that he has fantastic relationships with customers, principals will be interested in working with them. And the fact is, the agencies that are best at communicating this to principals stand the best chance of not being ghosted.”

Website — A major tool to employ to deliver a rep’s message to principals is the creation of a professional presence on the Internet via an agency’s website. As noted by several chat participants, the website will legitimize the professionalism of the agency. According to one rep, “When I opened the doors to my agency about 20 years ago, one of the first things I did was create a website. I’ll admit to a few false starts at the beginning, but over time it’s proven to be an invaluable tool for me. It’s designed to bring in new customers but also to attract the attention of principals. It only cost me a couple of thousand dollars at the beginning and I only spend about an hour or two on it on a monthly basis. When all things are considered, it saves me time and money.”

Another rep offered that “Your website is your virtual line card. In addition to showing all the manufacturers that you represent, you can blog and you can include your biography, contact information and news about your agency.”

When one rep questioned the value of making an investment in a website since he planned on retiring in couple of years, other chat participants were quick to advise him not to pass up the opportunity to effectively let his customers and principals know about the agency. “You shouldn’t look at the website as an expense; rather it’s an investment in the success of your agency.”

In addition, it was noted that more than 80 percent of MANA members make use of websites. If association members visit the member area of the MANA website (www.MANAonline.org), they can find a list of software providers that can assist in the creation of websites in step eight of the “Steps to Rep Professionalism” program.

Effective communication — Perhaps it’s a lack of effective communication that results in an agency being ghosted. Chat participants bemoaned their lack of success in being able to effectively communicate with principals and customers. According to one rep, “With so many people working from home today it’s very difficult to stay in touch with people unless you have an existing relationship with them. You’re not going to be able to see them in person. That leaves texting, email, phone, and video calls. In general, I don’t like to text, because I find they’re very difficult to keep track of. Then, if I try the phone, there’s no one there to answer. If you leave a message, they don’t return the call.”

In a humorous example of how bad the situation can become, one rep said that “One day I actually emailed myself and the message got bounced back to me stating I was out of the office.”

Other reps weighed in with the advice that it’s critical to be persistent and consistent in your efforts to contact principals and customers. One rep said “I’ve had some success by getting mobile phone numbers of the people I want to contact and then texting them. In addition, if you can determine the best non-business time to call someone, you might have some luck. For instance, I’ve found that calling before a business opens for the day or just after they’ve closed are good times to reach people.”

Ghosting and marketing weren’t the only subjects covered during the MANAchat. One of the other topics that garnered a bit of attention was that of how to deal with “non-compete” clauses. This subject was raised when one rep described her experience of making the move from being a sub-rep to having her own agency. “When I made that decision, I had some principals approach me to represent their products that were similar to those I had been repping. If I wanted to make the change, the previous principal raised the subject of having me agree to a non-compete agreement. In making a decision to do so, you have to consider whether they’re going to pay you during the non-compete period.” Another rep weighed in with the advice that his accountant gave him regarding not agreeing to a non-compete. “You’ve got a family and a business to support. No one can prohibit you from earning a living.” It was also mentioned that there are a number of states that prohibit non-competes.

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

List of MANAchat Participants

MANA wants to thank the following members for their contributions to this article by participating in the MANAchat that discussed issues unique to one-person manufacturers’ representatives. These online virtual meetings create a platform where members exchange information on how to successfully operate their manufacturers’ representative businesses. Jack Foster, Agency Sales magazine editor wrote the article using the information and knowledge these members provided during the MANAchat.

Kent Bricker
Southland Water Technologies
Fallbrook, CA

Tony Hatton
Hatton Associates, LLC
Pittsboro, IN

Jim Ketcham
Ketcham Equipment Sales Company
Olympia, WA

Marshall Maguire
Maguire Technologies
Salisbury, MA