Admittedly the list of qualities that follows was developed by a distributor. But the manufacturer that passed them along to us maintains these are exactly the attributes he looks for in existing and prospective reps. As a matter of fact, he believes in them so much that he’s got them posted on the wall of his office to serve as a constant reminder of what he — and other manufacturers — seek in a marketing partner. Read what follows:

• Possess and exhibit a passionate commitment to the marketplace and to growing the business. — “The rep should invest in his own business. He should share knowledge of the market with his principals. He should show his professionalism by being a member of and a participant in rep and other trade/industry associations.”
• Have a knowledgeable and service-driven staff — “That means we want them to communicate with us in a timely manner, and we expect technical competence from top to bottom. At the same time, they must possess a sense of urgency when needed.”
• Trustworthiness, honesty, integrity and loyalty — “We want reps who know what they’re talking about, and we want them to tell it like it is.”
• Pre-sale service — “That means assisting with training, engineering specifications, and setting and meeting marketing goals. We want them to listen to us and the customer. The latter is especially important because no one is closer to the customer than the rep.”
• Post-sale service — “A post-sale problem can result in a customer being a customer for life, or it can drive the customer into the arms of a competitor. The rep should be as eager to attack and solve post-sale problems as they were in getting the order in the first place.”
• Organized and respectful of time — “Plan way ahead when scheduling appointments. Make sure they regularly review year-to-date sales and marketing plans.”
• Represent attractive/synergistic product lines — “The rep should have a continuous stream of new products. He should have internet knowledge and transaction ability. The rep’s ‘brand’ must be recognized in the territory.”

Questioning the Value of Rep Councils

A manufacturer contacted Agency Sales magazine with a query concerning rep councils. He wanted to know how prevalent they were, what types of contributions they made to the rep-manufacturer relationship and the cost involved. After we referred him to Agency Sales articles and various MANA publications on the subject, we asked him what was driving his interest in rep councils. It appears that years ago his company ran a council with twice-yearly meetings. When the national sales manager left the company, however, the council fell by the wayside. At the same time that happened, this manufacturer let us know that communications and relations with the company’s reps began a downward spiral. He was wondering if a reinstatement of the council might right the ship. Our answer was “yes,” but the company had to first appoint a champion inside the organization who would see to it that the council was smoothly run. But more important, from the top down, the company had better possess a philosophy of believing in and supporting its rep sales force. If that’s not the case, then the reps will see through the transparent effort to communicate with them, and the effort will fail. In this case, the manufacturer seemed genuine in his interest, and we were able to provide him with a wealth of information to pave the way.

Constant Improvement

A manufacturer fully armed with years of positive experience working with reps, recently noted efforts that reps have taken to increase their performance, productivity and their professional standing. “I’m very much aware of what the profession has done as a whole to enhance its image. There’s a full schedule of educational programs and seminars that are included in the various rep association meetings,” she said. But then she continued with a point that other manufacturers should certainly agree with. “As a rep climbs each of the rungs on the professional ladder, I’ve grown to expect more from them. I don’t necessarily mean that I’m going to demand that they do more for me for the same or less pay; rather, what I expect from them is for them to raise the professional bar as high as they are able.

“What does that mean? For me, that means the following:

• “When there comes a time for them to invest in their agencies to ensure that they stay ahead of the pack, that’s exactly what they’ve got to do. And their willingness or failure to do so will affect my evaluation of them and their performance.”
• “Develop leads on their own. The top reps have certainly learned to maximize their performance in the territory, and they’ll only do that by turning up new business. I don’t buy into the argument that it’s entirely up to me to provide them with qualified leads. That’s certainly a part of what I do, and I regularly do a good job of it. But, I’m not the expert in their geographical territory — they are. As a result, I expect them to know where the business is.”
• “Stay on top of technological developments that will allow them to communicate with me and our customers in a timely and accurate manner.”
• “Keep the pressure on me to provide them will all the support they need. That means if they need literature or product samples, information for training sessions or the latest contacts at the factory, I’ve got to provide them with that.”
• “Their constant improvement as professionals is what allows a rep to stand apart from the crowd. There are plenty of opportunities out there for them to take advantage of — that’s their true value add.”

Value in Going the Extra Mile

A manufacturer recently went out of his way to compliment one of his reps that had gone the extra mile in implementing a new program with one of his distributors. In the end, what this manufacturer had to say can serve as a bit of a primer when describing the kind of rep that is most sought and prized in the marketplace. It seems that the distributor that serves the contractor market was on the verge of a sales milestone, and the manufacturer and distributor agreed they’d like to push each other along to pass that milestone. The distributor had been on an upward course selling $30,000, then $50,000, and finally $80,000 worth of the manufacturer’s products the following year; but to be assured of doing that, they had to work together to revamp the distributor’s counter area. What was called for were new point-of-purchase and other displays that would get the customer’s attention. The job couldn’t be done without the support of the rep in the territory, however. As luck and good planning would have it the manufacturers’ rep had a talent for merchandising. He was quick to step in, work extra hours to make suggestions and see that the new plans were followed up. He also spent a good deal of time communicating with and educating the distributor’s staff on the importance of keeping the new displays fully stocked. The $100,000 mark was easily passed and everyone agrees it couldn’t have been done without the rep’s enthusiastic involvement.

Proactive vs. Reactive Communication

When a rep is proactive in the area of communicating with his principals, we’re finding that communication is less of an issue for both sides. For instance, the subject of call reports makes the hair stand up on the back of a rep’s neck. When the subject is raised during MANAchats, for instance, there’s no shortage of opinions of the worth or lack of worth of such reporting. For instance, manufacturers who want (insist) on them maintain that’s the only way they can keep track of the rep’s activities and be assured that customer calls are being made. When asked, however, if they read and/or take action based on the call reports, more manufacturers than not maintain they don’t read the reports.

For their part, reps maintain that they’re salespeople, not report writers; they don’t have time for call reports and they’re a waste of time.

But how about this approach that we hear from many reps? Fully equipped with the latest in technology, whether that’s cell phones, laptops, or whatever they use to deliver a message, many reps communicate regularly and on their own volition — when they have something important to report.

From what manufacturers and reps tell us, this approach takes the edge off reporting. Manufacturers get used to call reports that contain meaningful information. When they receive a message, they know they have to do something, and they respond accordingly. For their part, reps who follow this procedure realize the importance of communicating something important, and they never seem to mind — in fact, they realize that this is an important part of their sales and marketing efforts in the field.

The Other Side of the Same Subject

The previous item emphasized how important rep communication to principals can be. There’s another side to communication, however, that was related to us recently by a rep who felt virtually disconnected from one of his principals. The rep in this case is one who is a firm believer in communicating with his manufacturers when there’s something to communicate. The feeling was hardly reciprocal, however. As a matter of fact, the principal once told him that as long as things were going well in the field, he didn’t see a need to be in regular touch with his rep. What resulted was a void in communication, and the rep only heard from the principal when there was a problem. There was no feedback when new product launches went well or unexpected orders were landed. Finally, the rep approached the principal with his dissatisfaction. To his credit, the manufacturer realized immediately the benefit of praising, critiquing and checking in with the rep. What was once a slightly frayed relationship has been greatly improved.

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