An independent sales representative is the same as a manufacturer’s rep. The term “manufacturer’s rep” is essentially an older version of the term dating from the time when manufacturers were a much larger portion of the marketplace. The term “independent sales rep” has broader application as it applies to all principals and not just manufacturers. […]
A manufacturers’ representative typically receives credit for all sales within their territory and gets paid a commission for these sales based on the commission rate in their written Sales Representative Agreement with the manufacturer. Reps are paid only after the sale is made. Since the manufacturer rep maintains an independent sales and marketing business that […]
Sale of one product can “trigger” sales of complementary products. Multiple-line selling creates a synergistic sales opportunity. With a broader, better defined customer base and with more complete coverage, sales reps can get companies deeper market penetration and increased sales in the least amount of time. Sales costs are known. Representatives are paid a fixed […]
A manufacturers’ representative is an independent business that fulfills the sales, marketing and customer service tasks for manufacturing companies. Manufacturer’s reps are sales professionals with an established client base who, acting as an independent proprietor, partnership or corporation, represent related but non-competitive products or services in a well-defined and exclusive territory. Manufacturing companies primarily compensate […]
How do manufacturers’ reps achieve more sales? By multi-line selling—carrying complementary product and service lines of multiple companies— independent manufacturers representatives call on more customers within the territory than factory salespeople. Multi-line selling achieves a broader, better-defined customer base, deeper market penetration and increased sales. Reps are an immediately available sales force when you need […]
Bob Reiss, one of our contributors, is a retired successful sales rep who is moving into his next career of “preaching the gospel” of using independent sales reps. Bob is more than just a veteran sales rep – his work is featured in a case study in the Harvard Business Review, he’s taught in MBA […]
I get asked about many issues which come up when a company is considering adding Independent Sales Reps to their organization: Where do I find them? Are they a good fit for my business? What should I look for in a rep? How long before I am seeing sales? Do I need a rep agreement? […]
Five keys to keep in mind while building your independent sales rep business are: Some of the best new lines do not have a sales history: We hear it every day, “not interested in pioneering a new line.” Makes perfect sense and has been a common theme for years. Yet some of the potentially really […]
Use Exclusive Territories for your Independent Reps to Increase Sales I talk with clients every day who struggle with how to lay out territories for their independent rep team. There are multiple ways to do it. We have seen three that seem to produce the most success on a consistent basis. Exclusive territories can be […]
Being “Rep-Ready” Be profitable with independent sales reps! Be a quality company with quality products and services. Fast track your sales with these 21 Steps to Success. We hear from reps quite often about companies are not “Rep ready” – they have various areas of unpreparedness or even a lack of professionalism when it comes […]
By Charles Cohon “Well, that’s what I used to say about pioneering lines,” says Ralph, a manufacturers’ rep. “I have a well-established line card and I just couldn’t justify taking time away from those lines to promote a product that wasn’t bringing in any income. But a manufacturer who really wanted me to rep his […]
It is important for sales reps to have a good state of mind when attempting to get appointments with busy, important people. First, do not take rejection (non-answering of your calls and correspondence) personally. Your target may literally get 50 plus requests a day for an appointment. This is in addition to their regular extreme […]
Here’s A New Way To Get It Done When we were a dominant supplier to Department and Gift stores in the stationary department, we utilized 17 Sales Rep groups to cover the country. We prided ourselves on the quality of our Reps. A number of times we had to hire new ones and after exhausting […]
In sales, time is money. When your livelihood depends completely on your sales commissions as an independent rep, it’s crucial to be constantly finding ways to improve and streamline your sales process. We’ve seen thousands of internal and external sales reps use digital tools like sales order management software to save time and work faster, […]
Social networking in many ways has made sales reps more attached to our computers and phones, but there is one social network that lays its emphasis on getting people out and about in the real world. That network is Meetup. Meetup was launched in 2002 and currently boasts over 9.5 million members. Having recently completed […]