© Wisconsinart | Dreamstime.com
It was in the May issue of Agency Sales magazine that MANA’s President and CEO Charley Cohon wrote the following: “When a manufacturer whose products would not fit your line card contacts you, take a few minutes to send a friendly reply to their e-mail or voice mail. Thank them for using the representative system of selling and encourage them to continue their search for a representative who would be a great fit for their products.”
That advice and Cohon’s entire editorial devoted to the subject of independent manufacturers’ representatives getting back to prospective principals were major reasons why this issue of Agency Sales includes an article preceding this one by retired MANA member Doyle Evans entitled “Red Flags That Make Reps Run The Other Way When A Prospective Principal Calls.” An important point to take away from this entire discussion of agents getting back to prospective principals is that despite any number of potential red flags that may cause representatives to realize they may not see a good match, they should still have a practice or process in place for communicating with those principals. The proof of that statement is found in the words of several agents that responded to Cohon’s editorial.
For instance, Dan Walsh, chairman, National Technology Sales Engine (NTSE), Glen Ellyn, Illinois, expresses the opinion that “If you’re going to be an active member of MANA, it’s almost a duty for you to communicate back to prospective principals. To me it just seems like common sense.”
He continues, “Whenever a manufacturer makes contact with me, either through the association or LinkedIn, I make sure to give them a very polite response. Even if I’m too busy to do so at the moment, I make a calendar notation to make sure I get it done.”
The Right Thing to Do
In addition to being the right thing to do, Walsh notes that there’s a bigger picture to view here. “I maintain that we’re all just three steps removed from everyone else on this planet. As a result, there’s a potential benefit to be realized in being courteous and professional in my response to a prospective principal. Sure he could manufacture a competitive line or just be trying to pick my brain for some information, but I make sure to conduct a very professional conversation with him because you never know where it leads. I may wind up with a great shot at a sales lead or a line. There have even been times when I let them know that I have a friend who could wind up as one of their end customers. You never know. It’s a small world.
“I’ve had occasions when I receive an e-mail three weeks after saying no to a prospective principal. Well, three weeks later here’s someone who wants to talk to you.”
Added Requests for Reps
Tom Leslie, Thomas M. Leslie & Associates, Arcadia, California, sounds a similar note when he says, “I’ve been guilty of not having done a good job on that subject in the past. However, I’ve been convinced by Charley Cohon to do a better job.”
Leslie admits that he may not have done as good a job as he could have in the past when it comes to getting back to prospective principals because “right now, I’m being inundated with contacts from prospective manufacturers. I’ve never seen the activity as intense as it is today and this is all indicative of the fact more and more manufacturers are turning to the rep way of going to market. That’s a good thing.”
When he’s asked if the majority of contacts from manufacturers are done in a professional manner, Leslie notes that they are. “The majority of manufacturers find me through either my membership in MANA or through Job Shop. It’s a real positive for me if I learn that the manufacturer is a member of MANA. That shows me that they’re serious about working with reps.”
He adds that it’s a lot easier to have a conversation with a prospective principal if they include mention of existing business or territory development options. “If I determine that the manufacturer is just interested in signing up as many reps as he can, I know it’s not necessarily going to be a good fit.
For the purposes of this discussion, however, Leslie insists that “I’m doing a better job now than ever before when it comes to getting back to prospective principals. I’ve made it a point to respond to every single inquiry I receive. If I determine it’s not going to work out, I simply say, ‘Sorry, I’m not interested right now, but thanks for thinking of me.’ But, the important thing is that I get back to them.”
Doing Unto Others
Lisa Wilson, L.S. Wilson & Associates, Inc., Bristol, Wisconsin, looks at this entire issue of getting back to principals from the salesperson’s point of view. “I’ll admit that in the past I never thought to respond to all the solicitations I receive. But, then I thought to myself, I can’t stand it when people don’t respond to my phone calls. As a salesperson when I make a solicitation I’d at least expect a response. As a result, whenever someone contacts me, I make sure to get back to them and at least say “Thank you very much, I appreciate the opportunity, but it’s not a good fit right now.”
Doing What’s Professional
“Even though my table is full right now, I make sure that I get back to every manufacturer that contacts me.” That’s how Tim Carey, Kirk Sales, Inc., Ashland, Massachusetts, describes his perspective on this subject.
“In the past, if something didn’t necessarily catch my eye, I was pretty much 50-50 on responding to principals. But since Charley Cohon’s editorial I realized the importance of responding. I came to the conclusion that if I wasn’t getting back to them, I was doing to them what so many others have done to me and that’s just not professional.”
Then there’s the matter of harming potential relationships. “When you don’t respond to someone, the matter stays open and neither side really knows where you are. That’s a little bit like burning bridges and that does nothing to strengthen relationships.”
Praise for MANA
A prompt response to any contact from a manufacturer has been the practice of George C. Murphy, president, G. Murphy Sales LLC, St. Paul, Minnesota.
According to Murphy, “I currently have six product lines, all of which are related to the material handling or asset protection market. I’m looking at two additional lines. The material handling manufacturers have been historically sold with a direct sales force and for the most part still are. While I don’t get very many listings to represent non-bulk material handling products, when I do I usually contact these potential principals within 24 hours of the notice I receive from MANA in my e-mail.”
Murphy explains that, in general, manufacturers that solicit his business are “very receptive to my sense of urgency and my experience in the material handling industry. Conversely, there have only been one or two principals that both of us agreed would not be a good ‘fit’ for either one of us.” He goes on to note, “Principals I have interviewed have been nothing but professional. I was once told by the controller, in a previous life that “‘If the company wanted to give the equipment away, we can have anyone do that.’ This was in reference to a couple of the salespeople who were advised to ‘just get the order and we’ll worry about the profit and your commission later.’”
Not content with complimenting the manufacturers that have contacted him, Murphy offers a final thought on MANA and its membership: “I have found that in the past eight years that I have been a member of MANA that we are professional. We project as an association what I want to be as a professional sales representative.”
MANA welcomes your comments on this article. Write to us at [email protected].
