The Rep Connection

Some people can't bring themselves to visit a dentist. Others struggle to get themselves into their accountant's office at tax time. And for many, fear of the unknown keeps them from reaching out to a lawyer whose specialty is manufacturers' representative law.

In this episode attorney Matthew Benson discusses the kind of conversation he and most MANA-associated attorneys have with MANA members before the clock on hourly billing starts to run, for example:

• What are my legal rights?
• How much will this cost?
• How do you evaluate my case?
• How long will this take?
• What disruptions may be incurred in my business?

With Matthew's insights, we discover that launching a new relationship with a lawyer who specializes in rep law involves minimal cost and absolutely no Novocain.

You've caught the interest of a manufacturer who needs a representative. The phone interview went well, you're made it onto the short list of candidates, and the final face-to-face interview is coming up fast. The days when you can "wing it" are gone, say GSA Optimum President John Beaver.

What kind of research should you do? What kinds of topics should you cover in your presentation? How should the interview be structured? In this episode John Beaver discusses the best practices in preparing for and delivering your pitch for a new line. "Unless you're interviewing for the same line we are," says John, "in which case I highly recommend you wing it."

It's more than making sure the T's are crossed and the I's are dotted. A good rep/principal agreement requires strategic thinking before the first clause is even written. In this episode attorney Daniel Beederman reviews the strategy underlying the creation of a successful rep/principal agreement.

The rep was doing a great job for the manufacturer, but the certified letter just arrived in the rep's office anyway. Why did this happen? Not for the lack of sales activities. Not for the lack of sales. It was for the lack of Backselling.

Bottom line, the rep did a great job with customers but a terrible job with the manufacturer. The manufacturer only knew what the rep was telling her, and the rep wasn't telling her anything. So she assumed the sales were just luck and that the rep was milking her line.

In this podcast John Haskell who writes under the pen name Dr. Revenue discusses how reps can backsell to their principals and avoid being terminated, not for a lack of performance, but for a lack of communication.

What's it like to be a rep or work with reps in Canada? It's the same as it would be in the United States, but it's also different. In this podcast we speak with Canadian rep Craig Lindsay, President of Pacesetter Sales & Associates, who share the misconceptions and misunderstandings manufacturers and reps have about how reps operate in Canada.

Among the challenges Craig's firm has mastered is servicing a mostly long and narrow sales territory, some 2,800 miles long but just 100 miles deep. That's because most of Canada's commerce occurs within about 100 miles of its border with the United States, although Craig's salespeople do cover the entire country.

Craig brings 25 years of experience in his own firm, eight years of experience on MANA's Board of Directors, and a commonsense perspective on international commerce to this interview.

Savvy manufacturers’ know that there is only one thing more expensive than fielding a highly-qualified sales force. It’s not fielding a highly-qualified sales force, especially if your competition does.

But those same savvy manufacturers also know that hiring direct employees to field that highly-qualified sales force is very, very expensive. And they will have to pay those direct employees’ salaries, benefits, and expenses before they actually close any sales. If they actually close any sales at all.

How do those savvy manufacturers avoid paying salaries when there are no sales? They don’t hire sales employees, they hire highly professional, independent contractor, manufacturers’ representative firms that get paid for sales performance, not just for showing up.

"Outsourcing Selling” is your podcast resource for tips, best practices, and solutions on sales force outsourcing, both for manufacturers and for professional manufacturers’ representative firms. For more information, contact the not-for-profit Manufacturers' Agents National Association at www.manaonline.org or [email protected].

COMING SOON!