Very little is taught about our great function of manufacturers’ representatives.
Where do reps get educated? Why should reps further educate themselves? Do you have a Bachelor’s degree in Sales? Welcome to the U of M: the University of MANA.
My friend Harvey Copeman, CSP, president and CEO of the CPSA (Canadian Professional Sales Association, cpsa.com) told me recently that “sales is not a career of choice.” How true, and what a challenge for change! There are a few schools that offer sales curriculums and degrees, but mostly it is wrapped into ‘sales and marketing’ degrees where the emphasis is on the glitz and glamour of marketing.
MANA and all rep associations exist to promote, protect and educate representatives and manufacturers. It is very important for you to plan your education budget for 2008. The biggest budget item in your company is your people, and for every one dollar spent in educating and planning, your team will realize a two dollar gain in efficiency, productivity and growth. What is your education budget for 2008?
MANA focuses on three types of education for our members:
- Business education to make reps “business people in sales, not salespeople in business.”
- Sales training to increase strategic and consultative skills for successful customer partnerships.
- Education for manufacturers to better understand, manage and motivate reps for a successful and sustaining partnership.
We all need to budget time and resources to make us better at what we do, to make us more professional, and to network with our fellow rep experts to do solid info-sharing. This is the best time of the year to take a breath, set your strategies and goals for 2008, and plan on how you are going to invest in education for better success.
Happy Holidays to you and your families.
