Peter Zafiro, General Manager, LinMot USA, Inc. has lengthy, successful experience working with manufacturers’ representatives. In this episode of Outsourcing Selling, he shares how he views working with reps.
“I’ve gone to market with a variety of business models over the years. I’ve worked with factory direct-only salespeople, hybrids of direct and independent reps and with independent reps only,” says Zafiro. “What I’ve found is that I get the most bang for my buck with reps. Here’s why: I’ve found that reps are simply the most professional salespeople in their territories. They’re absolutely dedicated to the sales function in their territory.”
Reps offer faster time-to-market, he adds: “Whenever I’ve had to hire a direct person for a territory, it takes a while to get them up to speed, sometimes several years. Then when you’ve done that you can have a problem with maintaining consistency in your sales force. You’ll have the normal turnover every year not to mention the occasions when someone’s wife decides it’s time to move back home. Once that happens, you have to go through the same process all over again. You can spend upwards of three or more putting your sales team together. When you’re all done, you’re not going to be as productive as you could be with reps.”
For more of Zafiro’s insights from his experiences, enjoy this episode of Outsourcing Selling.
Fotolia Antonio Diaz