Manufacturer or Rep: Who’s Responsible for Generating Sales Leads and How?

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Thanks to the Electronics Representatives Association (ERA) for giving MANA permission to reprint this article from their magazine The Representor.

Working in the electronics industry, you’ve likely heard one of these statements:

  • Rep: “We are a sales company. We don’t do marketing. That’s up to the manufacturer.”
  • Manufacturer: “I hire sales reps to go out and find new customers. We are just a manufacturer.”

Here lies the great paradox of our industry: new sales are the lifeblood of a company, yet the responsibility for marketing and prospecting is tossed around like a game of hot potato. Why do companies often Read the rest