The Value of Rep Councils From a Rep’s Perspective

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During my 40-year career, I served on a rep council for three different manufacturers. For one manufacturer I was selected chair of a four-member council. It was the first rep council that this manufacturer convened. Each rep council lasted for two days. The reps needed two days for travel, so each council required a commitment of four days.

In the commercial construction industry, few manufacturers held rep councils during my career. The three on which I served were the only ones out of a total of more than 40 manufacturers I represented over the years. Manufacturers either did not understand the value of a rep council or preferred to receive suggestions and handle rep issues in a separate way.

Organization of a Rep Council

1. All levels of management must be committed to holding a rep council to justify the amount of time a rep spends participating.

2. The agenda is developed by the manufacturer with input from the rep organization. As each agenda subject is discussed, the appropriate management members of the manufacturer are present.

3. The council is composed of a limited number of reps, chosen to represent the entire rep sales force. The reps should represent a cross-section of the rep sales force. The members should come from both small and large agencies; from young as well as older agencies.

4. One rep is designated as the leader of each council. The rep leader polls the balance of the rep sales force for input on the general subjects they want to be covered by the council. The leader works with the rest of the council members to organize the subjects to present to the manufacturer.

5. The manufacturer issues the final agenda for approval by the rep council. The agenda must be of realistic length to allow for in-depth discussion during the two days.

6. The council leader assigns each agenda subject to be introduced by one council member, so there is shared leadership of the proceedings. Once a subject is opened for discussion each member of the council provides input that reflects their points of view as well as the points of view that other members of the sales force presented when they were polled.

7. The meeting is led by either the sales director or the owner/general manager of the company. At a minimum, the owner/general manager offers introductory remarks including the manufacturers’ objectives. In each of the rep councils in which I participated the owner/general manager was present for most of the discussions.

Council Discussion

1. Each rep on the council sticks to the agenda of subjects. Small, petty problems that any council rep currently might be experiencing with the manufacturer are not mentioned.

2. The conversations are honest and frank. Rep comments are presented as if the council is part of the manufacturer’s management team. Keep the manufacturer’s needs in mind as well as the needs and comments from the rep sales force. Suggestions should be made to help both the manufacturer and rep organizations operate more efficiently and profitably together.

3. All conversations are respectful and confidential. Criticisms or suggestions are not attributed to any particular rep.

4. The manufacturer designates a person to record the discussions. A summary report of the proceedings is distributed to the entire rep sales force. This report includes action items with completion dates the manufacturer will take to resolve issues presented by the council.

Benefits for Reps to Participate in a Rep Council

1. Reps gain a clearer understanding of the manufacturer’s culture and goals.

2. Each council contributes to improving the manufacturers’ ability to provide the products, services, and level of communication reps need to be a productive sales force.

3. Each rep serving on the council develops a closer personal relationship with the manufacturer’s management personnel. The council is “back selling” at the highest level.

Summary

A well-conceived and organized rep council helps both the manufacturer and the rep sales force understand each other’s objectives and challenges. A rep council strengthens the avenues of communication between the manufacturer and the rep sales force to solve operating challenges they each have. It is worth the dollars and time expended by each rep to be a member of a well-organized and conducted rep council.

MANA welcomes your comments on this article. Write to us at mana@manaonline.org.

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Scott Lau is retired after a 46-year career as president of Marcor Associates, Inc, an independent manufacturers’ representative selling commercial, architectural construction products. He also operated Scott Lau Consulting, which provided sales and marketing consulting services to manufacturers and independent manufacturers’ reps.