Jerry Leth

If MANA VP and General Manager Jerry Leth had any thoughts of retiring 15 years ago, he quickly put them to rest when a mailing from MANA alerted him to the fact the association was looking for someone just like him.

Leth, who completes 15 years of service at MANA July 31, explains that after more than a decade as an independent manufacturers’ representative serving principals and customers in the nuclear industry in the San Francisco Bay area, he and his wife Betsy were considering retirement and a move east to be near family.

“The more I thought about it, the more I came to realize there ought to be life after the rep business. Before this opportunity presented itself my feeling was that if I ever found another job, I wanted it to be with an organization with a strong sense of purpose. MANA certainly fit that description perfectly. So with my wife’s blessing, I followed up, interviewed with former President & CEO Joe Miller and the Board and was offered the position.” And, as he looks back, he’s glad he made the decision he did.

When he speaks of a “strong sense of purpose,” Leth is quick to explain that in his view that purpose is exemplified in the association’s constant focus on helping its members. “I can recall when I was a member every time I contacted the association, the staff went out of their way to help me. Whether it was in terms of the seminars that were available, providing special reports, solving problems or simply answering questions I might have had, the association staff went out of their way to accommodate me. If that was the way they were then, I found staff to be the same after I joined them in Southern California.”

If the association’s sense of purpose has remained strong over the years, Leth notes that one thing that has changed during his 15-year tenure is the size of staff. “We were much larger back in 2000, but given the advantages that technology provides, we’re still able to stay focused on our members’ needs.”

An important aid to maintaining that focus, he maintains, is the adoption of a number of ideas that are contained in a book entitled Race for Relevance. Written by Harrison Coerver and Mary Byers, the book takes a close look at today’s realities and how associations operate and what they need to do to remain relevant in the future. That goal to remain relevant has underlined all the association has done during the past several years.

The Professionalism Goal

“Following one of the MANA Board meetings where the book was disseminated and discussed, we all came away with the working statement that ‘MANA is the association for professional representatives and those who aspire to be professional.’ Those words have guided us ever since as we have striven to communicate to principals that their goal ought to be to find more professional agents to work with them. I’d have to say that this serves as the basis for what MANA does for its members today.”

As to what has been the result of the adoption of this type of philosophy, Leth notes among many of the association’s accomplishments is a compilation of all the association’s special reports and articles that have appeared in Agency Sales. This led to the creation of a 12-step program for representative members geared to increase their professionalism. As a result, we took all special reports, Agency Sales magazine articles, content from seminars and teleconferences, etc., and created the steps to professionalism — details of which may be found on the MANA website (www.MANAonline.org).

A willingness to accept the messages contained in the “12 Steps to Rep Professionalism” program is one important change Leth has seen during his time with the association. Evidence that the message has been embraced by the membership is seen with an increase in the level of professionalism among members, he maintains. “I’ve tracked statistics, including membership demographics, and found 15 years ago, 20 percent of our members were one-person operations. While those numbers haven’t changed that much, as the result of forces exerted by the marketplace reps have had to change and become more professional, not only to survive but certainly to thrive. Perhaps it’s proof of Darwin’s theory that if you don’t adapt, you don’t make it. This was especially true during the recent economic downturn.”

An increase in professionalism isn’t the only subject Leth deems worthy of commenting on after his 15 years with MANA:

• Member Counseling

One of the most used services that the association offers its members is that of counseling. When a member has a problem or a question, they can always find a qualified former rep willing to provide guidance. And many times, it’s Leth who is the recipient of that call. As to the subjects that members address during these sessions, Leth notes that the subject matter has remained fairly constant over the years. “What I get with frequency are calls that start out with ‘I’ve been repping a company for 15-20 years, and now all of sudden they want call reports, or they want to terminate me.’ My quick response for the member — and I’m usually right — is ‘How long has the new guy been there?’

“While the basic issues have remained the same, I come away with the feeling that we’re dealing with some really great manufacturers who are working with a group of great independent sales agents, but, while they’re all great today, that doesn’t mean they’ll remain great into the future. And, that’s where MANA comes in — to provide guidance and assistance.”

If counseling remains as one of MANA’s more valuable services according to Leth, perhaps more important is what the membership thinks of that service. According to George Murphy, G. Murphy Sales, LLC, St. Paul, Minnesota, here’s what it means to have a Jerry Leth at the other end of the phone. Murphy, who came to the agency business fairly late in life (when he was 57 years old) explains that “I was a retail street salesman for forklift trucks. When I got into the rep business and joined MANA, Jerry was one of the first people I spoke with. I’ll never forget what he told me on day one. He said ‘George you’ve made a great decision to go into the rep business. But things are different now. For years you’ve been a salesman in business; now you’re a businessman in sales.’”

If that served as Murphy’s introduction to MANA and to Jerry Leth, he’s followed up that introduction over the years with many more conversations. “Even though I know he’s up to his elbows in work, Jerry has always had time to speak with me and provide me with guidance. His depth of experience and knowledge of the proper configuration of the single rep firm have been invaluable. His approach with me has always been ‘do this, but don’t do that.’ He’s consistently offered straightforward advice that has been invaluable. He’s positive, positive, positive and education, education, education.”

• Acceptance of Change

Are MANA members willing to accept change in the way business is conducted? “Absolutely yes,” says Leth. “Given the change in the marketplace for all industries, not to mention the changes that technology has brought to the profession, if anything, I’ve found our members to be willing and able to adapt to a changing environment.”

That ability to work with change will remain a constant into the future, according to the MANA executive. “Keeping in mind that I’ve always been a lousy forecaster, but looking out just a few years I can see where there might not be nearly as many small agencies as there are today. Looking to the food industry, for example, consider that there are some agencies which employ well over 1,000 salespeople. That kind of change could very well impact all industries.”

Will change in the typical agency be reflected in changes in MANA? “If anything, I’d say MANA will change with the times and be needed more in the future than even today. The purpose we serve today — that of helping members to become more professional in the way they operate their businesses — will still be valid.”

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