by Danny Collis, President, Collis Group, Inc. I was personally brought into my first rep council in 2001. I was shocked and honored that they asked me (first Canadian rep) to be associated with this long-standing tradition at this company. I had never been on a council or really ever represented a product line that […]
by John Beaver, GSA Optimum I’ve often said that principals who use “crack the whip” tactics on their rep sales force are essentially exercising the most expensive (and least efficient) management tool possible. This is because principals who “crack the whip” on rep sales forces ultimately have to pay more commission just to keep their reps […]
A MANA newsletter reminding manufacturers to give their representatives ample notice of visits to the field prompted MANA member Ed Bobacher to write to MANA and report the opposite problem. Ed kindly allowed us to post his email on MANA’s blog. Another trend we have noticed becoming too frequent is the lack of manufacturer visits […]
Do manufacturers and reps need a manufacturers’ representative contracts to formalize their relationships? Consider the experience of Baby Boomer representative David Reese* who remembers the days when a handshake deal with a manufacturer could last for a whole career. “The person whose hand you shook had been with the company for a decade so he’d […]
“At one point our organization grew to over 1,300 employees. Most of the head count was in a sister company, called Ready Set Service, we started specifically to perform in-store service for Home Depot. This involved a lot more HR management and no real sales and marketing, so I was happy to sell off my […]
Congratulations! A prospective new principal has just called and the conversation has begun! And, ideally, it should be more of a conversation and less of an interview. After all, you are assessing this prospective principal’s fit for your line card just as much as this prospective principal is assessing your fit with his or her […]
And that chance is in the subject line. Consider a customer with emails in his or her inbox with the following subject lines: Subject Line: “Your RFQ 8854 Our Quote 11876 3,000 Machined Steel Rods $7,000 Net, Four Week Lead Time.” Body Text: Includes the quote information from the subject line and specifies standard terms […]
Wow! Sometimes I get a letter that just knocks me back on me heels because it’s so perceptive and well-written! I received just such a letter from Steve Anderson, Anderson Agency, Inc. a few days ago. Steve’s manufacturers’ representative company has been a MANA member since 1987. With Steve’s permission I am reprinting his letter here. I hope you will […]
Read the blog from MANA’s CEO at http://blog.rephunter.net/not-daniel-boone-cant-pioneering-says-manufacturers-rep/
Sometimes you get an email that just makes you feel good to be part of the representative industry. A very successful representative just shared his story with me and agreed that I could share it with you, as long as I kept the story anonymous. This is the kind of story that reminds you why […]
By Jeffrey Simon Jeffrey Simon is CEO of RepHunter.net, an online resource that helps manufacturers find representatives and representatives find new lines. Jeffrey can be contacted toll free by phone at 877-895-2909 or by email at [email protected] An independent sales rep should expect to be treated as a valued partner who can help the manufacturer […]
MANA welcomes this very insightful guest blog by Jim Perritt, North America Sales Manager, Product Assembly Adhesives, LORD Corporation. Our business is industrial adhesives sold mostly through distributors who engineer applications. Some of them were selling into the sign market and we felt that there was more business in that market for us. Lord Adhesives had a long history […]
Charles, I found your short article about the #1 Rule To Avoid Commission Cuts and found it to hit very close to home. I have a current situation with a principal located overseas that repeatedly takes a very lackadaisical approach to paying commissions due on time. When commissions are paid, there is a very vague accounting […]
Representative Bob Lindsay* and manufacturer Charles Edwards* agree: “If you want to be a platinum representative or find a platinum representative, take a lesson from geologists. Where do you find the metal platinum? Most often in nickel or copper mines. So if you want to find platinum, look for nickel or copper.” How does this […]
“Why don’t they teach about manufacturers’ representatives in business schools?” It’s a common question from MANA members, and one that has triggered MANA’s outreach to the academic community, most recently at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business MBA program. As part of MANA’s engagement with the academic community, MANA CEO Charles Cohon participates […]
A MANA representative member recently called for help working through a difficult issue with a sub agent. A few days later, he followed up with this email: “Hi Charley, “Based on our conversation I was able to win an extra month’s commission from one principal while gaining a larger commission rate with the other for […]
I just got back from what turned out to be one of my favorite business trips of all time. Now, I have visited some amazing cities on business, including Tokyo, London, Stockholm, Salzburg, and Helsinki. So when I tell you that one of my favorite business trips of all time was Salina, Kansas (population 47,846) […]
Involving a lawyer is the worst way to launch a rep/principal relationship, except for all the other ways that have been tried. (Apologies to Winston Churchill.) With all due respect to MANA’s friends in the legal profession, one thing I’ve never heard a rep say is: “I think my lawyer would make a great manufacturers’ rep. […]
When a manufacturer requires call reports from a manufacturers’ representative, does he or she jeopardize the independent contractor status of the manufacturers’ representative and risk becoming responsible for the employer’s share of social security tax and the federal unemployment tax (FUTA) on commission payments? This is a frequent and sometimes contentious topic between manufacturers’ representatives […]
Once you make initial contact with a list of manufacturers’ representatives who are interested in representing your line, the interview process begins. The interview will probably happen in two phases: A phone interview to establish that there is serious mutual interest and an in-person interview at the representatives’ place of business to help the manufacturer […]