The three partners of The Garham Group have been able to achieve their goals of successfully creating and growing a business all their own while “Bringing Products to Life.” As stated on the agency’s website (www.garhamgroup.com), the products they “bring to life” reside primarily in their customers’ backyards.

Anthony Zasuwa, one of the agency’s three partners, states: “We specialize in exterior building and outdoor living materials. These include decking, railing, cladding, foundation, and hardscape products. During the last five years, there’s been a real emphasis on backyard spaces. As an agency, we focus on selling innovative products that last a … Read the rest

Sometimes it takes a trigger to spur a rep into action. It might be something along the lines of a change in commission rates, new ownership taking over a manufacturer, or dealing with a new sales manager, but whatever the cause, reps report that performing line productivity analysis can be an indispensable tool when these changes occur.

That was the gist of conversations that took place in the course of a MANAchat devoted to the subject of reps carefully analyzing how profitable their lines are.

One rep started off the conversation by stating a fairly common predicament that many reps … Read the rest

Whether you are looking to replace a line, expand your line list, or start from scratch and build your agency business, there are many factors to consider when signing on with a new principal.

Let me focus on six:

1. Fit with your agency mission statement.
2. Buy-in to outsourced sales model from principal’s ownership and senior management.
3. Reputation for quality products and services in your geographic territory.
4. Excellent references from agencies in other territories.
5. Financial strength.
6. Commission/compensation plan.

Let’s drill down a bit deeper:

1. Fit With Your Agency Mission Statement

Sounds self-explanatory; but easier said than done in my experience. … Read the rest

Keeping your agency “out there” is a great tool for success in the rep business. I send out Christmas/Holiday cards. Mine are a bit special. They contain four pages of photos from the past year along with a few lines of copy underneath.

The response to the cards is quite remarkable. People actually read the little captions on the photos. A picture definitely does say 1000 words.

I get phone calls from people I haven’t seen in person in years. I get emails. Once, I even got a handwritten note from an old friend.

What does this mean to your … Read the rest

Are you noticing how customers are becoming more demanding? When managers bring me in to deliver customer service training for their teams, one of the most frequent concerns they share is how customers seem to be angrier, more frustrated, and more rushed than ever. But is that really true?

My experience over the 30-plus years that I’ve been speaking and training on the topic is that customers aren’t necessarily grumpier. It’s that they occasionally receive service that’s faster than expected, like Amazon’s overnight delivery. And they’re also doing business with organizations like Uber that report real-time the driver’s location, and … Read the rest

Every sports team practices — not just the pros. College, high school, pee-wee, shoot I remember my Pony League baseball team practicing when I was five years old. Add to this the fact that many, if not most, professionals practice. Would you want a heart surgeon who hasn’t practiced on cadavers, and in many other ways, shapes and forms, doing open-heart surgery on you? Of course not. Actually, in that case, you’d hope that they not only had tons of practice before their first surgery and between the others, but you’d also hope that they got lots of game experience … Read the rest

One of my clients recently asked me: “Are outside salespeople obsolete?” He is the CEO of a distributor that specializes in automation equipment. He had just lost three field salespeople and was thinking about replacing them. “What kind of person should I look for,” he asked, “in light of the recent and radical changes in the economy?”

While his need for a solution was urgent, the question he asked is one that every B2B sales leader should be asking in the next few months.

Outside Sales

For generations, outside salespeople thrived on face-to-face relationships. Their approach to the job was … Read the rest

My rep agency was founded in 1975. Communicating with customers and manufacturers was by telephone and “snail mail.” There were no internet connections, emails, or cell phones.

During my high school and college years, I worked for my father’s construction subcontracting business each summer. My father had business friends who were independent manufacturers’ representatives. They each earned excellent incomes and enjoyed the freedom of owning their businesses. Since my father owned his company, I thought I would also like to own my business. The independent manufacturers’ rep business intrigued me.

After graduating from Lehigh University with a degree in industrial … Read the rest

If Mike Gallagher has learned anything over the course of his lengthy and successful business career it is the value of employing and relying on best practices.

Just as so many reps before him, Gallagher, president and CEO of Centro, Inc., began his business career on the manufacturing side of the desk working for companies including Thomas & Betts, Norton Abrasives, and Square D Company.

“I spent most of my business life working with large companies that sold products through distribution and rep channels. When I was about 40, I determined that my goal of serving as president of a … Read the rest

When Agency Sales magazine reported on a MANAchat that was devoted to a discussion of what reps like most and don’t like about their jobs, it must have struck a chord. Since that article appeared in the December issue, several reps have weighed in with their thoughts on the very same subject. Overall, those who took the time to comment expressed great satisfaction with their choice of profession; however, for every satisfied rep, there were others who voiced some misgivings with what they have to face on a regular basis. Overall, their opinions might very well serve as recruiting tools … Read the rest

As a person approaches 65 the question naturally comes up, “When should I retire?”

The answer to that question involves an individual decision. We are all different. Important to the decision are a person’s physical and mental health and whether their retirement nest egg is sufficient to support their retirement. This article explores my path to retirement and suggests retirement planning guidelines.

There is no magic age. In the 20th century, 65 was considered the appropriate retirement age. Most of our parents retired about that age. Social Security payments began. Life expectancy for a man was mid to late seventies. … Read the rest

From the time we can understand the spoken word, we’ve all needed compliments and kind words. They indicate approval, whether said to a baby taking her first steps or to an athlete trying out for an Olympic team. Words of encouragement are great motivators that recognize us and encourage us to do better, to be better.

Recognition is critical to motivation. We all need positive reinforcement for who we are and what we do. Recognition influences self-esteem, and self-esteem influences performance. When we feel good about ourselves it affects what we do and how we do it.

All too often, … Read the rest

Leadership for the sales team is one of the most critical elements of making a rep firm more profitable and more secure with the principals the rep firm represents.

Evaluating the Salespeople

This approach assumes that there is a sales leader. The rep firm has a person who steps up to the challenge of managing the sales personnel.

Who is this person? Generally, the sales manager will be one of the owners of the rep firm. It is mostly not possible for a rep firm to afford to hire an individual to be a sales manager. As a result, someone … Read the rest

A few days ago, I was watching an Ed Mylett interview featuring Ryan Serhant, a highly successful real estate agent in New York City. According to Serhant, a key factor in his success is reaching out to 15 new people daily.

This resonated with a conversation I had two months ago with Rick Fingerman, a local financial planner, who shared a similar strategy. He recounted the story of a very successful insurance agent who attributed his success to talking to three new people seven days a week about what he did for a living. He said it didn’t matter if … Read the rest

This continues to be one of the most-asked questions I receive. In earlier articles, I’ve talked about creating a powerful, persuasive opening statement. I’ve also discussed the concept of an effective “pre-call touch.” In this piece, I’m going to discuss some effective tactics for making the call.

First, a reminder of the perspective from which we should view this problem. It’s this — there is no a simple, easy solution. I wish I could provide you with a magic phrase or set of “secret” words that are guaranteed to get the prospect to return your call and grant you an … Read the rest

In today’s ever-evolving business landscape, the role of a leader extends beyond mere management. The workforce is undergoing a seismic shift, driven by technological advancements, cultural changes, and a new understanding of work dynamics. As such, some skills remain ever the same and so very necessary, while other skills required for effective leadership are evolving. This article explores the top leadership skills for the modern workforce.

Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is the ability to understand and manage your own emotions, as well as those of the people around you. For a leader, EI involves five key elements: self-awareness, self-regulation, … Read the rest

While Matt McCroskey was raised and educated in Ohio, his family had deep roots in California, and that’s where he built and continues to grow his more than 30-year career as an independent manufacturers’ rep.

According to McCroskey, his great grandparents bought property in Southern California more than 100 years ago. As a result, following his graduation from Ohio State University, he had someplace other than Ohio to follow his career dreams. And, oddly enough, those dreams of sales began with selling cardboard boxes.

According to McCroskey, “One summer two friends and I got a job selling cardboard boxes, and … Read the rest

The similarities of reps working with principals and reps working with sub‑reps were evident over the course of a MANAchat. High on the list of those similarities were how and where do reps find sub-reps, and once found how do you work with them effectively and pay them fairly?

The problems that reps face in finding sub-reps were evident early on in the conversation when the question was raised “Why would a rep firm want/need to engage with a sub-rep?’

In answer the group of reps participating in the chat emphasized that often a manufacturer will place demands on their … Read the rest

Sales are what it is all about, but how good is your independent manufacturers’ rep firm at selling the selling?

We all know that the rep business is all about selling; but, the way your firm does it can be a neglected topic.

How good are you at backselling all aspects of your business?

Organization and Management of the Sales Process

Do you have a sales manager? If not, how do you manage the sales force? How are your salespeople held accountable for all aspects of their business? We recognize that most rep salespeople are either 100 percent commission, or … Read the rest

How do you manage your rep agency? Do you focus on profit and sales goals, or do you manage with systems?

Setting performance goals is common, but goals have disadvantages. Goals focus on a particular result. Normally goals are not modified to reflect rapidly changing operating and economic conditions. It is discouraging not to reach goals. You might question the reason for setting goals in the first place. I found “targets,” which are not as definitive as goals, worked better with my systems.

Systems are the procedures, processes and methods used to achieve certain results. One well known business guru … Read the rest

Are salespeople born or made? This is a question that comes up from time to time and, for some reason, has been coming up in my conversations a lot lately. It’s the old nature vs. nurture. While most people are open-minded to both arguments, I’ve recently run into some people who are adamant about the subject, one in particular saying they are born, the other saying they are made. Here’s my two cents.

About 10 years ago an acquaintance of mine was a guest host on a local radio station and asked me to come in and discuss sales and … Read the rest

After arriving at their vacation destination city, a family enters the lobby of an upscale hotel. Because it’s late at night, and they’re tired from delayed flights, they just want to check in and go to sleep. As soon as they walk in, the concierge brings over champagne for the parents and a treat for the kids.

That makes a good impression.

Then comes the bad news. The woman at the registration desk says the hotel overbooked.

Not a good impression.

But, in order to make things right, the hotel upgrades the family to the top-floor suite at no additional … Read the rest

There’s one obstacle to prospecting I don’t hear from people — I see it. Low self-esteem.

I can relate, because if you knew my early path in sales, I was anything but The Sales Hunter. I had to raise my own self-esteem to become a great salesperson.

How to Deal With Low Self-Esteem

Let me walk you through five things that you can do to help you deal with low self-esteem.

1.  Set low goals you can achieve.

Don’t set the goal of making the President’s Club this year, set the goal to simply not finish last, or finish in … Read the rest

Here are four top excuses for not offering skin in the game — and why you should ignore them.

I confess — before I became a father, I sometimes found other people’s kids to be annoying. Especially when they sat behind me on a plane kicking the back of my seat, or throwing a tantrum in a grocery store lineup. Thankfully, my patience and empathy miraculously increased when my wife and I had kids of our own. That’s why, when my clients express frustration about how difficult it is to get team members to really care about their customers, I … Read the rest

Rick Pierce’s path from college to heading his own rep firm could be described as more “typical” compared to so many other agency owners who have been profiled in Agency Sales magazine.

So many others have begun careers in far-flung ventures covering everything from teaching, law enforcement, and even professional sports. For Pierce it was an entirely different story. After studying marketing in college, he began a sales career with a manufacturer. In his words “I began working for a manufacturer as number 32 in their sales force of 32. I left 14 years later as number two.”

His reason … Read the rest

The continued benefit of in-person contact with prospects and customers was stressed during the course of a MANAchat when reps who participated constantly pointed out that nothing beats “face-to-face, belly-to-belly” selling.

According to one rep, “Here’s the problem that’s been going on for 20 years now: You go to a website to check out a company or a product and everything you read tells you that the company producing the product — or the product itself — is absolutely fantastic. You never read how something is mediocre or performs poorly in the field. Exacerbating the problem is the fact that … Read the rest

For the startup of an independent manufacturers’ representative firm, selection of manufacturers the agency decides to represent is critical. For an established agency, seeking the right manufacturers to add to existing lines is important for continued success.

Decide on an Industry

For a single-person rep agency, it is important to select manufacturers from the same industry. For a multiple-person agency, adding manufacturers from more than one industry is fine, but each salesperson should focus on one industry alone. A successful independent manufacturers’ rep must clearly establish in each customer’s mind the best rep to call for technical assistance, service and … Read the rest

Some regional sales managers have little or no experience with reps. How do you educate them and make them an ally?

It’s very common for reps to face a new regional sales manager for at least one of their major lines every year. And, it is probably safe to say that often they are not very knowledgeable about your business and how they are supposed to work with you. Some may even think that the job is to “manage” you.

Sometimes a regional manager is well acquainted with the real beneficial activities they can contribute to your rep firm and … Read the rest

One of your biggest challenges in selling may be how to reach the actual decision-making customer.

Tip #1 — Start Higher up the Ladder

The higher you start up your customer’s chain of command, the more likely you are to reach someone with the authority to say yes. Unfortunately, sales reps often settle for easier-to-reach lower-level managers who aren’t authorized to make significant operational changes or large purchases. In other words, in order to say yes to your offering, they’d have to ask a higher-up for permission. They are however, empowered to say no. So, it makes sense to start … Read the rest

Sales success can be broken down to an almost mathematical equation that works every time. There is a direct correlation between work and results when it comes to sales success. If you do the proper amount of work in three key areas, you pretty much guarantee sales success. If you don’t do the proper amount of work in those three areas, you will struggle and may fail completely.

Tip #1 — Start Higher up the Ladder

The higher you start up your customer’s chain of command, the more likely you are to reach someone with the authority to say yes. … Read the rest