A European perspective of the American rep

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The world of commerce is getting smaller and it is becoming quite commonplace for overseas manufacturers to seek out American representatives. For this editorial, I interviewed a number of European sales managers who have been in charge of worldwide sales for several decades and I asked for their unfiltered opinions on their experiences and opinions on using American manufacturers› representatives. While the discussions were wide‑ranging and covered much of the same ground as one might expect from any global sales managers, some were specific to the uniqueness of working with a North American sales force. On the following pages are some of the topics discussed and their opinions.

Work Ethic

In all cases, the European sales managers agreed that the American sales reps were hard-working and certainly gave the impression of putting in lots of hours when needed. Additionally, the American reps tend to have larger territories than reps almost anywhere else in the world and thus they fully acknowledge that the American rep will not be visiting customers as often as a European rep would be. While most of the sales managers acknowledged the hard-working rep, not all of the sales managers agreed that the hard work was focused on getting the sale. They felt that some of the time was allocated to maintaining friendships with existing customers and less to a specific objective.

Communication Style

All agreed that the communication style of American reps is very different than dealing with European reps. The European sales managers expect straightforward answers to direct questions. They felt that the answers from the American reps were often not as direct as they would like and only part of that is due to the nature of the English language. The other part of it was based on American culture and the need to put a positive spin on almost everything. Everyone is doing really well and everything is great when neither is true.

Customer Interaction

When asked about how they believe that American reps differ from their European counterparts when dealing with customers, the sales managers were quite clear, and all tended to agree that the American sales rep tends to place an emphasis on establishing friendships with their customers as opposed to European reps that may lean a little more towards establishing a business relationship. While the friendliness aspect of the American rep and customer is to be applauded, the European sales managers worry that the rep may forget who they are representing and thus may not negotiate as hard for the principal for fear of jeopardizing a friendship with the customer.

Communication Between the Sales Manager and the American Rep

The topic of communication and feedback from the field is important to every sales manager no matter where in the world it is, and up until a few years ago, many sales managers wanted either a report or a scheduled meeting. With the ease of video communication, almost everyone agreed that written reports were not only old fashioned but were also a poor substitute for a phone or Zoom call where a real discussion of the opportunities takes place. It should come as no surprise that all involved would rather the American rep be proactive in communicating as opposed to waiting for a request or scheduled meeting. The main issue with the meetings goes back to communication style with an emphasis on straightforward dialogue. If something is not working out, there is no point in confusing the topic by saying it’s great. One German sales manager said in no uncertain terms that, “Germans under-promise and over-deliver, whereas Americans are more the opposite.”

Thus, in order to represent European companies successfully, we need to be aware of the lens through which we are viewed and ensure that a clearer and more accurate picture of what we do is communicated in direct terms as it relates to sales opportunities and be proactive in communication as often as it is needed.

In short, since we are all viewed through other people’s lenses, we are responsible for what they see. Thus, a little a-priori knowledge will provide huge benefits for effective communication and a better business outcome.

This article was made possible with input from many friends and colleagues over the years, but in particular, I would like to thank the following European colleagues for sharing their insights and experience. They are Dr. Thomas Pingel, Dr. Gerd Behme, and Dr. Krish Narin.