Agency Sales December 2011

December 2011 | agency sales | 3

manaminute

Charles Cohon, CPMR, is CEO and President of MANA, and has been a frequent contributor to Agency Sales. He is CEO and Founder of Prime De-vices Corporation, a Chi-cago area MANA member specializing in sales to electrical OEMs, indus-trials and distributors. In 2005 Cohon earned an MBA with honors and with concentrations in strategic management and entre-preneurship from the Uni-versity of Chicago Booth School of Business, and now serves on that school’s admissions committee.

Reps still get this kind of call once in a while, but less frequently now as today’s professional reps drive a trend toward more highly

planned and efficient visits from remote principals. A principal calling to launch a visit to the territory of a professional, efficient rep is going to hear a response like this:

“Great, we’ll look forward to having you here. And to be sure that we make the best possible use of your time, I’ll be forwarding a prin‑cipal visit form for you to fill out. We’ll be asking you to identify:

1. The specific goals for your visit so we can be sure we accom‑plish them.

2. Any specific customers you’re particularly eager to meet with so we can get the right appointments.

3. The topics you want to cover so those customers will be ready to discuss them.”

“We certainly want to make this a productive visit, so we’ll also ask you to identify a couple of different windows of time at least six weeks out so we can be sure our customers and all the resources you’ll need from our company are available.”

With that form in hand and the visit scheduled, the rep and prin‑cipal also need to plan who will be doing most of the selling. Will the principal be taking the point position at customer meetings, or will the rep? Without that advance planning, the principal and rep may find themselves talking over each other, or arriving at the call with neither prepared to make the presentation. It’s a brave new world since the days when the biggest concern dur‑ing a principal visit was who would get the lunch check, and a more productive world now that planning for productivity and efficiency trumps the cost of meals. (Although, for the record, a good rule of thumb is that whoever requested the meetings usually picks up most of the meal checks.) And, in conclusion, to that principal whose visit to the territory was driven by the need to visit house accounts, we offer this reminder: The only good reason to visit a house account is to introduce the rep who is taking it over.

Making the Field Visit Truly Productive

“I have scheduled a trip into your territory next week to visit my house accounts, but I have some time left over so you need to fill the gaps in my schedule with some calls on your customers.”

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December 2011 | agency sales | 54 | agency sales | December 2011

featuresDecember 2011

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agency salesa MANA resource for principals and reps

®

MANAmanaonline.org

Code of Ethics

I. The Sales Agency’s Responsibilities to the Manufacturer/Principal:

TocomplywiththePrincipal’stermsandconditionsofsale.

Toconscientiouslycovertheassignedterritory,accountsorindustrysegment.

Toavoidanyformofmisrepresentation.

ToestablishrelationshipsonlywiththosePrincipalswhichwillbewellrepresentedbytheSalesAgency.

TorefrainfromrepresentingcompetinglineswithoutwrittenagreementofthePrincipal.

ToconstantlystrivetoaddvaluetotherelationshipbetweenthePrincipalandtheCustomers.

II. The Manufacturer’s/Principal’s Responsibilities to the Sales Agency:

Toenterintoafair,clearlyworded,writtenSalesRepresentative(IndependentContractor)Agreementwhichaddressestheneeds,concerns,expectationsandobjectivesofbothparties.

Torefrainfrommodifyingthetermsofthisagreement,exceptbymutualwrittenconsentfollowingfulldiscussionofthematter.

TorecognizetheSalesAgencyasanimportantelementinthesalesgoalsofthePrincipal.

ToconstantlystrivetosupporttheSalesAgency’seffortsbytimelyresponsesandopencommunication.

III. The Sales Agency’s Responsibilities to the Customer:

TopromoteonlythoseproductsorserviceswhichareintheCustomer’sbestinterest.

ToconstantlystrivetoimprovetherelationshipbetweenthePrincipalandtheCustomer.

Toclearlyandfairlycommunicatetheneedsofallpartiesinthebusinessrelationship.

ToprocessCustomerproblemsandquestionspromptlyandaccurately.

IV. The Responsibilities of one Sales Agency to Another:

Toshareideasbeneficialtotherepprofession.

TorespectexistingPrincipalrelationshipsofotherSalesAgencies.

TorefrainfromusingunfairmethodstosolicittheCustomersofanotherSalesAgency.

TocooperatetoenhancetheprofessionalrelationshipoftheSalesAgencyanditsPrincipalsbysupportingMANA,whichwasestablishedforthatpurpose;subscribingtoitsaimsandobjectives,andineverypracticalwayworkingtoadvancethemarketinginterestsofallSalesAgenciesandtheirPrincipals.

MANUFACTURERS’ AGENTS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION®

Founded October 17, 1947

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10 Taking advanTage of The TerriTory visiT If planned and executed properly there are plenty of benefits to be accrued from that visit.

by Jack foster

18 share of Mind — share of TiMe How reps must direct the manufacturers’ thinking by selling the multiple‑line selling system.

by John haskell

22 a Powerful sales Technique courTesy of honesT abe If you ask any historian to name the greatest leaders in western civilization, there’s a good chance the 16th president of the United States will make the list.

by Jeff beals

26 greaT leadershiP sTarTs wiTh leading an organizaTion of one All leadership begins with “self‑leadership.”

by glenn gutek

30 are Today’s leaders PrePared To lead froM a disTance? Six things managers need to know.

by carl eidson

36 Make your sMarT goals wise goals As a leader, you’re used to setting goals. But are the goals you’re setting really as powerful as they could be?

by Joelle Jay

40 can your Managers answer These criTical quesTions? Would you ask the best violinist in the orchestra to take over conducting without any preparation to be a conductor?

by Michael leimbach

44 quesTions & answers abouT sales: The worsT advice What is the worst single piece of advice to a salesperson you have ever heard?

by dave kahle

40


a MANA resource for principals and repsagency salesExEcutivE staffPresident & cEO charles cohonvice President & General Manager Jerry LethDirector of strategic alliances Doug Bowersecretary/treasurer susan strouse

EDitOriaLEditor-in-chief Jack fosterManaging Editor Jerry Leth

art & PrODuctiOnPublication Director alane LaPlante

aDvErtisinGadvertising consultant Linda McKeeadvertising services Pam Hamlin

aDMinistratiOnMember services Lisa BallEvent Planning Linda McKeeaccounting susan strouse

DistriButiOnsubscriptions Linda chandler

agency sales® (issn 0749-2332), formerly The Agent and Representative, is mailed as a paid sub-scription publication to members of the Manufac-turers’ agents national association and indepen-dent paying subscribers. subscriptions solicited from manufacturers’ agents and their principals. u.s. subscription rates: $79.00. canada: $89.00. all other foreign: $102.00. single copy rate: $8.25. (california residents / business locations: $8.89 for single copies, includes sales tax.) claims for missing issues should be made within 90 days of issue date. no claims will be honored after that 90-day time period. We assume no responsibility for unsolicited material. Manuscripts, artwork and photographs must be accompanied by stamped, self-addressed envelopes. We reserve the right to publish, in whole or in part, all letters received by Agency Sales and Manufacturers’ agents national association. all letters sent to Agency Sales will be considered Agency Sales property.

the purchaser of advertising space in Agency Sales assumes all responsibility for the entire con-tent of any advertisement printed for him or her in Agency Sales and assumes responsibility for any claims or costs of litigating claims arising therefrom. Publisher reserves the right to refuse advertise-ments and notices submitted for publication.

Postmaster: send address changes to Agency Sales, 16-a Journey, suite 200, aliso viejo, ca 92656-5376. (usPs #879380)

Publisher: Published monthly by Manufacturers’ agents national association, 16-a Journey, suite 200, aliso viejo, ca 92656-5376; phone: 949-859-4040; fax: 949-855-2973; e-mail: [email protected]. copyright © 2011 Manufacturers’ agents national association. all rights reserved. Periodicals postage paid at Laguna niguel and ad-ditional entry office. no part of this magazine may be reproduced without written consent of the pub-lishers and authors. canadian Post Publications Mail agreement no.#40065056. canadian return address: DP Global Mail, 4960-2 Walker road, Windsor, On n9a 6J3.cover photo: © Monkey Business images | Dreamstime.com

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departmentsDecember 2011

72 Miscellaneous sales, services

74 ProducT lines wanTed

76 ManufacTurers’ agenTs wanTed

80 MarkeTing services direcTory

classified advertising

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3 Mana MinuTe Making the Field Visit Truly Productive

by charles cohon

8 ediTorial in The field Planning for the Principal Territory Visit

by roger ralston

9 Mana board of direcTors

48 PrinciPal focus Looking for Territory Stability

by Jack foster

52 reP Tech Do’s and Don’ts of Using an iPad on a Sales Call

by Mark hunter

54 legally sPeaking Protecting Your Rights Under the Contract

by douglas andrews

58 Money Talks Are Impulse Buys Killing Your Retirement?

by steve orr The End (of 2011) is Near by stanton b. herzog

62 new Mana MeMbers Representative Members and Manufacturer Members

66 associaTion news MANA and Sister Associations


editorialin the field

Successfully connecting reps and manufacturers since 1947.

Directors and officers

District 1 (ct, Me, MA, NH, NY, ri, Vt)John D. robachairman of the Boardexecutive committee Member716·633·[email protected]

District 2 (De, Dc, MD, NJ, PA, VA, WV)Greg [email protected]

District 3 (AL, fL, GA, Ms, Nc, sc)roger ralston770·304·[email protected]

District 4 (iN, KY, oH, tN)tom Hayward, cPMrexecutive committee Member513·231·[email protected]

District 5 (iL, Mi, Wi)tim ryder, cPMr 262·784·[email protected]

District 6 (iA, Ks, MN, Mo, Ne, ND, sD)David ice, cPMrexecutive committee Member785·842·[email protected]

District 7 (Ar, LA, oK, tX)John sandifer, cPMr214·679·[email protected]

District 8 (AZ, co, iD, Mt, NV, NM, Ut, WA, WY)Ken McGregor, cPMr801·566·[email protected]

District 9 (AK, cA, Hi, or)ed reesechairman of the executive committee714·255·[email protected]

District 10 (iNterNAtioNAL)s. craig Lindsay, csP, cPMr 905·478·[email protected]

®MANA Manufacturers’ agentsnational association

December 2011 | agency sales | 9© Photong | Dreamstime.com

Roger Ralston, MANA’s District 3 Director, is president of Tri-State Components, Inc., Newnan, Georgia, a multi-person agency selling custom engineered components to OEMs since 1993. Roger joined MANA in 1994, was program manager for the Atlanta Chapter and became a mem-ber of the MANA Board of Directors in 2006. He has a degree in industrial management.

A principal’s visit to the territory can be one of the most important events in the selling process.

However, in today’s challenging economy principals and reps report such visits are less frequent as the re‑sult of pressure on time and expenses. Everyone today is wearing more than one hat — forcing reps and prin‑cipals to do more with less. Keep in mind that it’s im‑portant to maintain these relationships, however, and selling together during a territory visit is an excellent way to do this. To do this productively there has to be some planning before a visit occurs. An itinerary that has well‑defined goals and objec‑tives by the principal and agency is mandatory for the success of such a visit. The itinerary should include: • Adailyschedule—haveaback-upifthecustomercancels at the last minute.• Aclearvisionof thegoals andobjectives for eachcustomer visit.• Discussstrategiesbeforethevisit.Thisisamustdo!• Determinewho is paying expenses. That includesmeals, gas, hotel, extras.

• Oneof themost importantthingstodois tocon‑duct a call review. The principal and representative should determine who is responsible for taking action after the call. Jointly make sure that follow‑up respon‑sibilities are clearly understood. To create a satisfied customer, the principal and his rep must work together as a team to make the selling process as efficient and effective as possible. In‑between calls, discuss any changes that might be on the horizon for the company and the agency. The principal’s goal should be to do things that will help reps work with them. By definition, the joint goal is to get an order. There will be no order, however, until the customer is satisfied. For sales managers inexperienced with the rep way of going to market, there are plenty of resources avail‑able that will show them the way. There are guidelines out there for manufacturers. Consider what MANA and its sister associations have available in terms of ad‑vice, counsel and special reports. Remember, if those sales aren’t developing for you, you might as well be spending your time on a nearby golf course.

Planning for the Principal Territory VisitOneofthethemesinthismonth’sAgency Sales is principal territory visits to the rep. It is important that representatives are visited by the principal from time to time in order to conduct sales meetings, product training, or just to meet with new employees who have joined the agency. Look at these visits as a positive experience, a learning experience and a way to maintain and strengthen relationships with principals.


Taking

Advantageofthe

TerritoryVisit

While some independent

manufacturers’ representatives

view the territory visit/joint

sales call from the factory as

something they just have to

“grin and bear,” if planned

and executed properly there

are plenty of benefits to be

accrued from that exercise.

by Jack fosTer

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Sure, there are negatives such as the rep having to spend time away from more‑pressing matters or the fact the manufacturer may not understand the rep’s need to sell other lines, but consider the potential positives for a moment. The territory visit might just be an ideal oppor‑tunity for the rep to:• Meet first-hand with senior factory sales personneland take the first step in developing personal relation‑ships that can benefit the rep/manufacturer/customer long‑term.• Takecareoflingeringproblems(e.g.,quality,delivery,price concerns) that demand a personal touch.• Continuewiththerep’slong-termeffortsto“sell”therep way of going to market and the agency to the principal.• Experienceamorecompleteeducationontheprinci‑pal’s product line.• Get the latest information concerning newproductsand marketing programs.• Shareterritorymarketinginformationwiththeprincipal. All these benefits, however, come with the caveat that the field territory visit is prepared, executed and followed up in the proper manner. Perhaps this is best said by one rep who maintains, “We don’t necessarily need manufac‑turers out here making cold calls with us, but given the right circumstance they can be invaluable.”

Why the Visit? Reps report that, in general, their principals will contact them to schedule a territory visit for one of several reasons. Those reasons run the gamut from touching base with critical accounts, solving a custom‑er problem, evaluating the rep, conducting technical product seminars, or simply a desire to take some time away from the factory. MANA seminar leader Paul Pease, The Pease Group, Hermosa Beach, California, adds to the conversation when he explains, ”In my experience there are basi‑cally two kinds of visits — planned and emergency. The planned visit, which must be done with plenty of advance notice, should only be contemplated when it’s a win/win/win for factory, rep and customer. The disaster or emer‑gency visit, on the other hand, is the kind that is done when there’s a sudden need to solve a problem, resurrect

a product/program or, in general, just take advantage of the opportunity to ‘nail’ this thing down. “Basically, what I’m saying is the call has to make sense for the factory, me and the customer. It has to be an occa‑sion when we are taking a business transaction from one point to another or we’re enhancing a relationship and they (the manufacturer) would help us achieve that goal.” By way of example, Pease recalls a couple of instanc‑es when the manufacturer’s presence on a sales call was invaluable. “We were providing a component on a de‑fense project but a problem occurred when the customer sought to slash the price in half. The factory manager who accompanied me on the call was a skilled negotiator who knew exactly when it was right to walk away. When the customer asked for price cuts, his response was: ‘We can provide the product at the price you want, but the problem is it won’t work.’ Now, many manufacturers would fold up like a cheap chair, but this manufacturer was savvy enough to know it was right to just walk away — and it was important that the customer receive that message directly from him.” The second example Pease notes involved a very point‑ed question from a customer in the aerospace industry. “The manufacturer was asked a question about a nagging quality problem and he answered with such conviction that it worked to our benefit. He acknowledged the prob‑lem, said he was aware of it, knew how to solve it and would solve it. The customer told me later that he was won over by the manufacturer’s honesty. What happened was that we won the contract at hand and that included two additional lines that were extremely profitable.”

Planning and Communication Because of this fairly wide array of reasons for such visits, it’s important for the rep to: • first,becontactedwellinadvanceoftheplannedvisits• andsecond,tolearnthemainreasonforthevisit. Emphasizing the importance of sufficient notice is Doug Benway, who has spent plenty of time on both sides of the desk as both a principal and a rep. Benway, Con‑tract Marketing Group, Fairfield, California, notes that “When a regional or national sales manager arrives in the territory, all too often they just show up. Sometimes,

when advance notice is given just a few days before, it goes something like ‘I’ll be there on the 18th , let’s make some calls.’ It’s then up to the rep to scramble to come up withappropriatemeetings.Ontopofthat,therepdoesn’tknow the expectations of the manufacturer. What hap‑pens then? The rep will take me to their customer friends and not much is really accomplished. That’s why pre‑game communications are so important.” Commenting on the customer‑friend type of visit not‑ed by Benway, Pease describes something he encountered several years ago when he was a rep: “Let’s face it, there are some times when the manufacturer wants to get out of the factory and decides to visit some customers with the rep. The first question I had to ask myself was is there anyrealvaluetothevisit?OnetimeIrememberaskingthe customer if he could make time for us. The customer, who indicated he knew exactly what was going on, re‑sponded by asking if I wanted the business‑driven or the time‑wasting visit. It’s the latter joint call when no one brings anything to the party that fits into the time‑wast‑ing category.”

Learn All You Can Benway’s and Pease’s thoughts are key to keep in mind, and they serve to urge the rep to find out all he can about the reasons for the manufacturer visit from the outset. The rep would be well served from the very first contact with the manufacturer to ascertain why he’s coming to town. Even before telling your staff about the proposed visit and committing them to working with the principal, find out the manufacturer’s objectives, what accounts they desire to visit and how much time they plan on spending with you. By following this process, the rep allows himself sufficient time to consider the appro‑priateness of the visit and just as important the number of days that are proposed. Commenting on the number of days the manufacturer may desire to visit, Benway notes that “I can’t blame the rep if he doesn’t care for it when the manufacturer simply states ‘I’m going to be visiting in your territory.’ He really has no idea how much time to allocate. In addition, con‑sider that if the rep offers up to any given manufacturer two days while he visits in the territory, he’s given him

“We don’t necessarily need manufacturers out here making cold calls with us, but given the right

circumstance they can be invaluable.”

“the call has to make sense for the factory, me [the rep] and the customer.”

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10 percent of the entire sales month. Looking back at the time I was a rep, I’ve got to admit that such visits in the field rarely provided me with any real sales opportuni‑ties. At the same time, I’m aware that the visits do give the manufacturer a closer view of what’s going on in the territory, and that’s important to both of us.” Oncetherephasconsideredthemanufacturer’srequest,it’s wise to communicate back with your contributions to what ought to be covered and then take it from there. Manufacturer field visits shouldn’t always be one‑sid‑ed, however. In other words, there can be a time when the rep perceives a need to have the manufacturer with him in the field.

The Need To Be Proactive For instance, Len Powell, owner of Powell Equipment Sales, Inc., Minneapolis‑St. Paul, Minnesota, recounts, “Looking back quite some time, I can recall an instance when we had some long‑standing performance issues with numerous pieces of equipment we sold. This wasn’t a case of poor performance by the manufacturer; rather, it involved how the product was being used by the cus‑tomer. We requested that an experienced engineer from the factory join us in the field to learn what the customer was doing. He came in, spoke with the customer and noted what modifications had to be made to achieve cus‑tomer satisfaction. The manufacturer’s engineer was able to sit down with the customers’ engineers, speak at the same level, and learn what the most likely problems were.

He then took that information back to the factory and communicated with engineers there concerning what hadtobedone.Oncethemodificationswereperformed,he came back, worked with the customers and instructed them how to retrofit the equipment. All these efforts led to 20‑plus years of working well with that customer.” What that instance illustrates is there’s no reason why the rep can’t be as proactive as the manufacturer when it comes to field visits and joint sales calls. Chances are the rep’s request for a visit will be heard by welcome ears and can go a long way to preclude the need for visits that arise out of problems. No matter who initiates the visit, however, planning is the key. Some basics surrounding the planning and ex‑ecution should include pre‑game mail, e‑mail or fax (if anyone uses fax anymore) that would describe the visit’s itinerary. It’s also useful that the manufacturer should be prepared to present an update for the agency’s staff. A final advance step would be to approve the itinerary. Oncethedetailedplansforthevisitareinplace,man‑ufacturers and reps agree that the actual execution of the visit should include time for interface between the manu‑facturerandtheagency’sexecutivesandstaff.Oncecom‑pleted, the visit should move on to joint customer calls. A question that inevitably crops up surrounding the execution of the joint call is whether the rep should sell/mention the other lines he represents. There’s little hesi‑tation on the part of reps contacted for this article con‑cerning how that situation should be handled.

The Synergistic Approach For instance, Powell explains that “When I’m working in the field with my normal factory liaison, whether the district or regional sales manager, they understand that the mention of other manufacturers’ products can come up. I might add that the higher up you go with factory personnel that understanding decreases. As a practical matter, however, I try not to venture into other manu‑facturers’ territory, but if the sales opportunity presents itself, I’m there.” Benway adds: “It’s imperative from the very begin‑ning that if the rep is going to make joint calls with the manufacturer that he clearly communicate that he’s rep‑resenting two to three or even 20 more product lines. It’s probable that there’s going to be mention of those lines during the visit. Common sense has to prevail, however, as you consider who you’re with. You can’t go on and on about the other lines, pick up one or two leads and then move on.” Benway adds that when he was a rep, one rule of thumb he tried to follow is that if he was joint‑calling with the manufacturer with a dealer, it was more than acceptable to bring up other lines. If the call was to a cus‑tomer, however, every effort was made to concentrate just on the manufacturer who was present. Echoing those thoughts is Brian Hurd, director, HKR Ventures, LLC, Cincinnati, who says, “Most manufac‑turers who use independent reps also realize they sell complementary products. As a result, they shouldn’t be surprised if another company is mentioned.” Pease maintains that one of the primary, if not the pri‑mary reason, a manufacturer is working with a rep is the synergy the rep brings to the table. “I can recall a time I was on a joint call in Las Vegas and I was very hesitant to bring up additional lines in the presence of the manufac‑turer who was with me. Because he truly recognized the value of the rep way of going to market, he made it a point to bring up some of my other lines. He did so because he felt by doing that it would be easier for me to sell all that I represented to the customer.” If there’s agreement that mention of other lines is ac‑ceptable, there certainly are some subjects that ought to be avoided during joint calls.

Concentrate on the Customer Benway recalls one time when he wasn’t given a great deal of advance notice for a field visit, but he did manage to put together an effective itinerary of dealer and end user calls. “Unfortunately, I was accompanied by a re‑gional manager who spent most of his time talking about himself, so much so that one of my customers actually got up and walked out. “Manufacturers must keep in mind that when the rep brings someone into the territory for a customer visit, it speaks to the rep’s reputation and credibility. If a custom‑er gets frustrated and walks out, it appears as if I didn’t strategize properly. I can recall that I actually came close to resigning that line.” Promises are what Powell wants to avoid in such situ‑ations. “During a joint call with me, I never want to see or hear the factory person make a promise that a prob‑lem will absolutely be solved. I don’t want them to prom‑ise either for me, on behalf of me or anyone else at their factory. Such promises can only be made as the result of additional conversation resulting in someone else tak‑ing on a responsibility. We both can promise that we’ll follow up and get back to the customer, but that falls short of making the commitment that something will be done. I’ve had some higher‑up managers come in and say something that from experience I know simply wasn’t true, and I’ll have an impossible time pulling off what they promise.

Who Pays? A discussion of territory visits can’t be completed without mentioning expenses. In other words, who (rep or principal) pays for meals, travel, etc. It would appear that common sense in making those decisions is the best rule to follow. Here’s how Powell looks at expenses: “When the manufacturer comes into the territory, they always pick up the hotel. In addition, I’ve never had any‑one impose a meal on me. I know when I go to sales meet‑ings, they (manufacturers) take very good care of me. At the same time, when they’re here and I’m serving as host, I want to be hospitable to them. I want them to be com‑fortable. They provide a valuable service when they come

“the customer, who indicated he knew exactly what was going on, responded by asking if i wanted the

business-driven or the time-wasting visit.”

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to the territory. If there’s something I can do for them, I’m paying.” When it comes to expenses, Benway says, “Assuming anything is a bad idea. Here’s the way I’ve done it. When I’ve been on the manufacturer’s side, the person with the most stripes has the biggest budget. If I go into a city and do lunch with a rep, I take care of it. As a rep, if the na‑tional or regional sales manager comes in and takes two days of my time, the meal, etc., are on him. I have no ex‑pectation to pay.” Some additional views of how expenses should be paid and by who are offered in comments from MANA’s LinkedIn discussion board. They include: • “Ourpolicyistonormallypickupthemajorityofthedinner tabs. The feeling is that the manufacturer has gone to the expense of sending a person into the field and the person is also away from family, etc. The least we can do is to pick up a dinner tab. I will add, however, that it is nice to be able to let the principal pick up the occasional tab. If a customer is included, we try to pick up the tab 100 percent of the time.”• “When Iwasa factoryguy,wewere told topickupdinners for sure, lunches could go either way. If there was a customer present, we picked up the tab. The facto‑ry’s position was that it was a reward for work well done and the hassle of having a factory guy in the territory for three to five days. Now that I am an independent rep, it usually goes the same way with my main principals. I do have a couple of principals that won’t pay for anything, however. That’s life.” • “Inmyexperience,themealsaresplit.Ipickuplunchone day, the factory picks up dinner. The next day, they pick up lunch and I pick up dinner. I pay for all fuel while traveling in the territory; which is a huge expense these days.”• “Our goal is always to grow the business to a pointthat the meals are such a trivial expense, it does not mat‑ter who buys. Having said that, meals are treated on a case‑by‑case basis. Sometimes you can help a factory guy lighten his expense report and gain some of his goodwill.

Other factoryguyswill insistonpaying.Oneprincipalhas the policy ‘home team pays.’ None of this matters as long as we grow the business.”• “Mynumber-oneprincipalalwayspicksupthetabforbreakfast, lunch, and dinner when traveling with their reps. They even pay for the hotels and sometimes even put gas in the car. It is a real treat and greatly appreci‑ated. They do this as a way to show us we are of value to them and to show their appreciation of our efforts. My number two picks up a meal periodically. They tend to take turns paying, but never for hotels or any extras. The rest occasionally will pick up a meal. When we are together and taking out a customer, every principal I worked with or do work with has picked up that bill. “Though never expected, it is a great treat to have the tab picked up by someone else, as we always seem to be taking people out and paying in this area. “When I was in manufacturing and traveled with reps, I always picked up the meal tabs in an effort to show the companies my appreciation for what they do. It is a small expense that results in some good PR.”

Importance of Follow-Up Finally, at the conclusion of the visit, when all bases have been covered and expenses agreed upon, a visit de‑briefing and an agreement as to who should do what in terms of follow‑up should be agreed upon. Inherent in that follow‑up should be a written review of the visit that should be completed promptly and a recap of all the calls made and commitments made by rep or principal. Once these steps are followed, chances are reps canforget about having to just endure such visits, but rather they’ll be able to use them to their sales advantage. In conclusion, Pease stresses the value of these vis‑its when he says, “Manufacturer field visits are critical. They show the factory how hard the rep works. They also verify that the information the rep is providing the manufacturer from the field is accurate. This is all‑im‑portant, because many manufacturers have to see this for themselves.”

“When i’m working in the field with my normal factory liaison, whether the district or regional sales manager, they understand that the mention of other

manufacturers’ products can come up.”

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Starting a Rep BusinessAbout a third of the new members who join MANA started their business within the past 12 months. Most come from a direct sales background. They excel in sales but lack business ownership knowledge and experience. MANA helps transition from employee to entrepreneur.

MANA offers a number of resources aimed at help-ing newcomers to the profession. In the member area of the website (MANAonline.org) you find a series of recorded webinars that help the start-ups learn business skills. They include:

• BusinessPlanning• SelectingtheRightPrincipaltoRepresent• NegotiatingtheLegalAgreement• TheLegalAgreement• MarketingtheRepFirm• DevelopingNewMarkets

MANA connects start-ups with a mentor, an expe-rienced rep who can guide and counsel the start-up. On a monthly basis, we just started to create “Idea Exchange Groups” for start-ups that joined that month. Once a month, they meet by phone confer-ence and exchange experiences and ideas to help and support each other.

MANA provides a number of Special Reports, the Manual for the Creation of a Rep-Principal Agreement and the Operations Manual for Manu-facturers’ Representative Firms.

Our aim is to help start-ups make it through the first couple of years and achieve profitability.


ShareofMind—ShareofTimeHow reps must direct the manufacturers’ thinking by selling the multiple-line selling system.

by John haskell

How many times have you had a sales manager, regional manager or even vice president say “We want a greater share of your time!” That statement is usually followed by comments about the number of lines you have and how their line deserves more time.

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This system that makes the inde‑pendent manufacturers’ rep a great value is not well understood by our most important “customers” — the principals. Today, most of the em‑ployees of our principals have little or no previous exposure to the rep system of selling. They certainly don’t learn about it in school. If you were to question the key people you deal with at each major principal, would he/she even know the term, multiple-line selling? The term itself is not a part of the busi‑ness vocabulary of the people we do it for. Why? Because we, as reps, have failed to make it a point to con‑stantly preach the values of multi‑ple‑line selling. We have failed to consistently remind our principals that what we do is different and bet‑ter. Too often we find that managers who work with us are either igno‑rant of how our “system” works or resentful of the presence of our ad‑ditional lines. Some reps try to hide their other lines. We have often referred to this

as the “mushroom theory” of man‑agement. We figure if they don’t see or hear about the other lines they will stop thinking about them and they will stop seeing them as a threat.

The Rep’s Greatest Asset This justwill notwork!Multiplelines provide a powerful asset for the rep firm. The multiple‑line business model is the most significant differ‑entiator between rep selling and the direct sales team. Most reps believe, and rightly so, that many, if not most companies currently using reps would prefer to have their own salespeople. Even the smartest sales managers feel this way. Why? Because they have not been ex‑posed to the true value of the inde‑pendent manufacturers’ rep. The term backselling was created to describe the process that we have created to sell the rep function, rep services and rep differences to prin‑cipals. For a rep firm to be truly success‑ful for the long term, reps must sell back up the channel to the principal. Reps must get the principal’s person‑nel to understand and appreciate the rep function. Understanding the line card and branch office concept as key parts of understanding the rep “channel” of distribution is fundamental to a suc‑cessful relationship between manu‑facturer and rep.

Multiple-Line Selling Recently, I spoke with the leader

of the entrepreneurship program at a major graduate school of business. He went blank when I spoke about reps and multiple‑line selling. This is a person who has been involved with sales and even marketed prod‑uct through reps. Getting multiple‑line selling out in front is a very challenging part of your business. It is also something that you must embrace in order to protect yourself from myths and prejudices against reps. In a recent article I wrote: “We are not paranoid — we just know theyareouttogetus!”Thisisthere‑ality of the rep business. Reps have to get in front of this challenge or they will keep losing out individually and collectively. MANA can and should help. Individual rep trade associations can help. Industry associations like STAFDA (Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors As‑sociation) can help. But, the bottom line is that each rep firm must con‑sistently sell the multiple‑line selling approach back to its principals.

Your Line Card Says “Multiple-Line Selling” Having a line card is not enough. Using the line card as the keystone of your backselling program with your principals is key to managing your relationships with your principals. You have to be aggressive about showing and explaining your line card to your principals. A regional manager who travels with you needs to know why you have the lines you do. Recently, a regional told a territo‑ry manager for one rep firm, “I don’t want you talking about other lines when I’m with you.”

Just Say No! This is not an acceptable situation. Principals who travel with reps need to hear about other lines. They need to see how you handle your custom‑ers. They need to understand the power of multiple‑line selling. If this creates a confrontation, it is probably long overdue. A regional who doesn’t “get it” is bad for your business.

Backselling Eliminates “Share of Time” Discussions When your firm is performing as a true branch office, you are in a position to point to all of the activi‑ties that you provide to support your manufacturers’ products in your ter‑ritory. Work for one manufacturer supports work for another — every‑one wins. The share‑of‑time discussion is minimized or eliminated by a com‑prehensive program to show and tell the manufacturers about your activi‑ties. This means demonstrating to them what you do to make your op‑eration work to build their sales and market position. Training everyone in your company to understand and appreciate multiple‑line selling is the foundation of long‑term rep success.

John Haskell, Dr. Revenue®, is a professional speaker and marketing/sales consultant with more than 40 years’ experi-ence working with companies utilizing manufacturers’ reps and helping rep firms. He has created the Principal Relations X-Ray, spoken to hundreds of rep associations and groups, including 32 programs for MANA from 2001 to 2005. He is also a regular contributor to Agency Sales magazine. For more information see drrevenue.com or contact [email protected].

Ideas to Sell With At a recent sales meeting of a larg‑er rep firm, we invited top principals to address our team. We got them talking about their “partnership” with their reps. In some cases where we have weekly meetings by phone, we invite our key principals to par‑ticipate in our meeting. • Face-to-Face Works Best In many cases, we extend the ef‑fort to visit the principal once a year to review the next year’s plan. Onthose visits we take considerable time to see members of the manage‑ment team who would not normally know or see us. • Your Profile and Line Card are Your Best Leave-Behind We bring a large supply of our profiles and line cards to this meet‑ing. Paper is cheap. We want every member of the principal’s team to know us and understand how we represent their company in our terri‑tory. We want them to know that we are the branch office. We want them to know about our other lines and why we package their line with the other lines on our line card. If you are not selling multiple‑line selling, you are not helping yourself succeed with your manufacturers.

too often we find that managers who work with us

are either ignorant of how our “system” works or resentful

of the presence of our additional lines.

You have to be aggressive about showing and explaining your line card to your principals.

Responding With a Purpose What should you say? What do you think the managers you deal with know about multiple‑line sell‑ing? How often do you remind your principals of the benefits of multiple‑line selling? Do you really under‑stand this powerful tool yourself?

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PowerfulSales TechniqueCourtesy of Honest Abe by Jeff beals

A number of traits contributed to Abraham Lincoln’s greatness. He possessed a brilliant intellect. He had an uncommon amount of common sense. He was a thinker, someone who philosophically examined the world and crafted a rationalized set of personal beliefs by which he steadfastly lived. While he was blessed with many talents, Lincoln’s greatest attribute may have been his ability to communi‑cate. He was a skilled orator who eloquently wrote many of his own speeches. He listened sincerely when others spoke. He empathized. He mastered the art of interper‑sonal communications several decades before the term “interpersonal communications” was coined. It wouldn’t be a stretch to credit Lincoln as one of his‑tory’s greatest communicators. But of all the communi‑cations techniques he so successfully employed, there was one where he especially shone. Abraham Lincoln was a remarkable storyteller. Lincoln succeeded under some of the most difficult leadership conditions any U.S. president has had to face.

If you ask any historian to name the greatest leaders in western civiliza‑tion, there’s a good chance the 16th president of the United States will make the list. He willed his country to victory in the gut‑wrenching Civil War, issued the Emancipation Proc‑lamation and facilitated the eventual ratification of the 13th Amendment, abolishing slavery.

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To communicate is such times, he often resorted to sto‑ries. Instead of berating the incompetent generals who blundered in the Civil War’s early battles, Lincoln edu‑cated and motivated them by using stories. To smooth over ruffled political feathers with members of Congress, Lincoln would pull out a story and use it to establish common ground. Among history’s eminent leaders, however, Lincoln was not unique in his reliance upon stories. Political leaders throughout the ages have moved the masses by using stories to communicate their political platforms. Inmoderndays,big-timeCEOsusestorytellingtomobi‑lize international staffs in the quest for billions of dollars of profit. Jesus Christ Himself used parables and story‑based lessons to enlighten His disciples. Indeed, stories pack a punch. They’re powerful. They paint pictures. They work, because our human brains are conditioned to listen to and be receptive to stories. Long before the written word, and long before Gutenberg invented the printing press, people used stories to com‑municate histories and traditions as well as norms and expectations. In other words, our ancestors sat around the fire every night and told stories. The propensity to tell and listen to stories is essentially a part of our DNA. So, if people are so receptive to storytelling, you and I would be foolish not to use stories in our work. Good sto‑rytellers tend to be effective leaders and successful sales‑persons. If you manage people, teach them and motivate them by conveying important information through sto‑ries. If you sell products and services, use a story to paint a picture in your prospect’s mind. By making the prod‑uct or service part of a story, prospective clients mentally projectthemselves intothestory.Oncesomeonemakesthat kind of psychological commitment, they’re much more likely to buy. Let’s say we asked the same prospective client to sit through two sales presentations for competing products. Both salespeople touched on features and benefits. Sales‑person One was very straightforward and focused ondelivering factual content. Salesperson Two was accurate but explained the features and benefits using stories. A couple of the stories were about previous clients who en‑

joyed positive results from using the product. I guarantee the second salesperson has a higher likelihood of landing the client. Oneofthemostimportantskillsinsalesistheabilityto overcome objections. Well, if you get an objection, tell a story to keep the deal alive. Are you ready to deliver your close? Make it more desirable by couching it inside a story. Has the process become mired? Advance it by tell‑ing a story. Whether you are managing a staff, selling a service, delivering a speech, trying to persuade voters to elect you or attempting to resolve a conflict between two of your colleagues, make it easier by spinning a yarn. Stories re‑assure people and disarm them. As you make a commitment to including more stories in your daily work, keep a couple things in mind:• Storiesmustberelativetothesituationathand.• Knowwhentoshutup.Ifastorygoesontoolong,itloses its effectiveness.• Think about the work you do and determine whatkinds of stories could be effective in certain situations.• Catalogstoriesinyourmind.Lookbackonyourownexperiences as well as the experiences of your colleagues. Make a list of stories to have at your disposal, so you can use them whenever it’s expedient. Every product, service, business and person has a sto‑ry, probably multiple stories. The trick is to pull out these stories and use them to your benefit at the appropriate times. After all, if President Lincoln used stories to save a country, we would be wise to use them to save our busi‑nesses and careers.

Jeff Beals is an award-winning author, who helps professionals conduct more business and have a greater impact on the world through effective sales, mar-keting and personal branding tech-niques. As a professional speaker, he delivers keynote speeches and work-shops to audiences worldwide. Visit: www.JeffBeals.com.

Lincoln succeeded under some of the most difficult leadership conditions any

U.s. president has had to face.

OperatiOns Manualfor

Manufacturers’ representativesthird edition — 2006

Yes! send me the Operations Manual$68.95 | INCLUdES ShIPPING

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it remains a challenge to create and manage a professional sales and marketing agency specializing in representing a synergistic group of suppliers to a demanding customer base.

•Initially,theindependentmanufacturers’representative agency must procure the services of other professionals (cPas, lawyers, tax consultants, etc.) in order to achieve their business goals. as a result, the initial efforts are to find the appropriate advisory firms to work with.

•Thenthereisthedifficultyoffindingemployeeswhoadd their expertise to the sales team.

•Athirdchallengeisthatofinvestigatingthetechnology systems and data management programs that work in a specific industry.

•Andfinally,thoseitemsarerelativelyeasytosurmount in comparison to finding the right vendors to represent and-at the other end of the equation-create and appropriately service a customer base.

during the life of the agency there may be opportunities to reconfigure the business via many avenues:

•Seekingnewmarkets.

•Expandingthecustomerbaseorthesalesterritory.

•Offeringnewservices.

•Mergingwithasimilarfirm.

•Sellingthebusiness.

•Purchasinganotheragency.

all opportunities for change must be measured in light ofthefirm’sbusinessplanandstrategiesforgrowth.

this manual addresses many of the aspects of operating a multiple-line independent manufacturers’ representative sales agency. it is truly an entrepreneurial business whose total efforts are focused on the movement of products produced at any point on the globe to the “local” customer. While challenges present themselves, the rewards can be personally satisfying.


All leadership begins with “self‑leadership.” Before any leader can aspire to lead a thriving enterprise they must first master leading an organization of one.

GreatLeadership StartswithLeadingan OrganizationofOne

by glenn guTek

© edhar Yralaits | Dreamstime.com


Tom and Susan are partners in the same firm and produce at a very high level. Over the past five years Su‑san has not only outpaced Tom, but many of her senior partners as well. What is most surprising about Su‑san’s performance is that her ascent to excellence was slow in coming, and Tom was very reluctant to open the doors of partnership to Susan af‑ter her lackluster performance dur‑ing her initial years in the firm. Outof curiosityTomsummonedthe courage to investigate the root causes of Susan’s consistent growth. What Tom observed and discov‑ered was that Susan had an incred‑ible ability to do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done. She seemed to respond appropriately to the right opportunities, and dismiss the less relevant distractions. Tom concluded that his ascent in leader‑ship was made possible by a hyper‑reaction to random stimulus, and it had reached a level of unsustainabili‑ty. Tom shared with his partners that Susan, “leads herself with discipline and precision.” What made an impression for Tom were the practices Susan en‑gaged in to help her have a sense of what needed to be done. In order to accomplish what needs to be done, when it needs to be done, the leader engages in certain practices or dis‑ciplines to produce that result when required. Self‑leadership employs intentional action in advance to en‑sure the right action happens when necessary. Although some people are more naturally disciplined than others, for those that struggle with be‑

ing disciplined, you can create the structures that promote greater “professional will.” To help you get started, consider the following dis‑ciplines of self‑leadership. To engage in these practices will accelerate your effectiveness and prepare you to do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done.

Control Time The most basic expression of self‑discipline is controlling your time in such a way that you are focused on your “highest and best” use. The ef‑fectiveness of leaders is limited by al‑lowing others to set too much of the agenda and your time is spent on the trails of rabbits. There is a wealth of material available to assist with time management, so there is no need to reinvent the wheel. However, there are some practices you can inten‑tionally engage in that will promote a greater ability to do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done.• Time Blocking: Predetermine blocks of time allocated for your most important activities• Landing the Plane: Do not al‑low meetings and conversations to extend beyond the appropriate time limit• Time Cop: Give your assistant or colleague some authority to assist you in executing your calendar• Power Sprints: Protect one‑hour blocks of uninterrupted time to ex‑ecute your most complex work

Fuel Energy Leadership is an energy intensive endeavor. One of the primary rea‑sons for allowing unsolved problems

to be swept under the carpet is the lack of energy of the leader. It is im‑perative to sustain the appropriate levels of energy to intercept entropy at its earliest stages. The disciplines most commonly associated with fueling your energy often involve diet, exercise and sleep habits. Beyond these practices, build into your schedule opportunities to engage in things that put wind in your sails. What are the activities that energize you, and ignite your curiosity and passion? Below are some practices that you may want to be sure your calendar allows time to proactively pursue:• Reading: Helps you think bigger thoughts.• Travel: Helps you see a bigger world.• Networking: Helps you learn from other businesses.

Temper Emotions So much business literature will reference the all important aspect of “passion.” There is no argument that passion is essential to effective leadership. Passion is the natural reservoir of energy that propels a leader forward in the face of adver‑sity. However, at times it is critical to practice the discipline of being “dis‑passionate.” The discipline of being dispas‑sionate allows a leader to protect the environment from becoming toxic, and engaging in the wrong battles. A leader should fuel their energy by investing in their passion, but keep things from running off the rails by not pouring gas on a volatile situa‑tion. Below are few techniques that

you can practice in advance to pro‑mote appropriate dispassion:• Askquestions.• Definetheproblem.• Spendmoretimeonsolutions.• Takedeepbreathsbeforespeaking.

Focus Words Every teenager wanting a driver’s license has read a copy of the book of rules of the road. Unfortunately, once we graduate from grade school there are no qualifying tests to ensure we have a license to speak. The most commonly used tool in the arsenal of a leader is their words. Far too often we lack the right words at the right time. Why wouldn’t the wise leader make time to practice the discipline of focusing our words for the greatest amount of impact? The discipline of crafting or out‑lining scripts for crucial situations will assist in making sure that the words that flow from your mouth achieve the purpose of the right words at exactly the right time. Below are various scenarios that a leader will encounter, and being prepared in advance with a script or outline is a wonderful exercise in self‑leadership:• Vision: A brief outline that cali‑brates key players on the vision of the organization.• Conflict: A brief outline that de‑fuses hostility and allows people to work the problem.• Correction: A brief outline that identifies problem behavior and pro‑motes improvement

Use Power The fifth important discipline that must be an ongoing practice for leaders is disciplining your power, particularly, as it relates to know‑ing where your source of authority comes from. Are you building your power base from the positional role in the organization or your credibil‑ity with the people you lead? As the industrial revolution comes

to a close and we give birth to the “personal age,” it is becoming clear that the authority of a leader rests in the relationships they form with the people they lead. The risk most often encountered when influencing peo‑ple where there is a personal relation‑ship is not maintaining the authority toexerciseyourpower.Onepracticethat can assist in maintaining your authority is identifying those with whom you need to come out from be‑hind the desk, and those with whom

Glenn Gutek is a speaker and CEO of Awake Consulting & Coaching, a firm that helps small businesses and organizations improve their leadership and business development through training, development and coaching. He is also the author of Wide-Awake Leadership, which teaches leaders how to overcome mediocrity though effective leadership. For more information on speaking and consulting, please visit www.AwakeConsulting.com or contact him at [email protected] or (407) 901-4357.

self-leadership employs intentional action in advance to ensure the right action happens when necessary.

you must stay behind the desk.• Out from behind the desk: Indi‑viduals with the maturity to be clear on your authority.• Stay behind the desk: Individuals that need you to maintain your posi‑tion of authority. All leadership begins with self‑leadership. Practice the disciplines in each of the 5 areas of self‑leadership and you will find you possess an un‑canny ability to do what needs to be done, when it needs to be done.

Dan BeeDerman222 S. Riverside PlazaChicago, IL 60606 312-648-2300 [email protected]

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Are Today’s Leaders Prepared to

Lead from a

Distance?

Six Things Managers Need to Knowby carl eidson, Ph.d.

In a market fraught with uncertain‑ty, many companies have focused on cutting expenses and increasing pro‑ductivity and efficiency as a way to stem market share losses and reverse downward sales trends. This often means downsizing and reorganiz‑ing to reduce labor costs, eliminate redundancy, and better target scarce resources. In the process, offices have been closed, divisions and depart‑ments merged, employees dispersed, and leaders challenged to manage wider spans of control — often cover‑ing multiple locations. In the changed global business landscape, gaining competitive advantage will depend in part on the ability of business units, divisions, and functional departments to collaborate successfully across a whole new set of boundaries.

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Collaboration, however, does not necessarily occur without thought or effort, even among people separated only by a floor or a cubicle wall. Teams, the workhorse units of the organization, are increasingly “virtual,” con‑sisting of people working across space, time zones, and often cultural boundaries. As virtual teams become more and more a reality for growing numbers of people, lead‑ing them effectively is critical for companies wishing to exploit the opportunities for achieving high‑priority business goals.

The Benefits and Liabilities of Virtual Teams According to a 2009 study by MIT’s Sloan School, well‑managed virtual teams can potentially outperform teams sharing a location. The benefits of virtual teams include:• Integratingdiverseknowledgeandskills todrive in‑novation, address complex tasks more effectively, and make better decisions.• Reducingcostsdue toeliminatingoverlapping func‑tions and sharing of best practices.• Sharing knowledge about different products andmarkets.• 24/7productivitybyteamsworkingacrossglobaltimezones.1 To achieve these potential benefits, however, leaders need to overcome liabilities inherent in the lack of direct contact among team members and managers. Team mem‑bers may not naturally know how to interact effectively across space and time. They need strong team skills such as setting goals, sharing responsibility for getting things done, and providing mutual support. And they need smart leadership to make sure they can leverage those skills in a virtual working environment. Without team skills and effective leadership, a virtual team can become ineffectual and dysfunctional. Problems can include:

• Difficultiesincommunicatingandunderstandingoneanother, resulting in a lack of common ground, trust, and shared responsibility.• Failure todevelop task-relatedprocesses suchas set‑ting clear goals and standards.• Inabilitytocollaborateinawaythattakesadvantageofdifferent perspectives, knowledge, talent, and expertise.• A lack of full engagement and commitment by allteam members to deliver their best performances when completing tasks and progressing toward team goals. Leaders accustomed to observing and interacting with their people face‑to‑face often find it difficult to coach, motivate, and otherwise manage a dispersed team to achieve the highest possible performance. So how do leaders adapt to overcome barriers and lead effectively from a distance?

Leadership Strategies for Virtual Team High Performance While many of the same management practices that are effective with co‑located teams can be applied to vir‑tual teams, some important adaptations need to be made to address the unique challenges faced by teams work‑ing together virtually. Managers facing these challenges should consider these strategies:• Keep all team members in close communication. Creating a sense of team is a critical success factor for any team, but especially so where members can’t interact with each other directly. Regular communication among all team members is essential to bringing people together and fostering a sense of inclusion, while providing ongo‑ing opportunities for input and influence. In some cases, there may be a core group at one site while other team members are located elsewhere, making it even more im‑portant to ensure off‑site members don’t feel out of the loop. Whether using teleconferencing, e‑mails, web meet‑ings, video conferencing, or the many emerging net‑working media to stay in touch, team members need opportunities to participate, share ideas and work out‑puts, and get to know each other regardless of where they are located. This regular contact helps build trust and confidence among team members, despite distance, time zones, and differences in culture.• Create a collaborative mindset. In a hierarchical organization, competition is often tacitly or directly encouraged between individuals, de‑partments, and divisions. The result can be a win–lose mentality that damages the ability to work together for common goals. Within work groups, competition is sometimes replaced with cooperation. Cooperation can be positive, but sometimes creates a “let’s get along”

culture leading to suppression of valuable opinions and different viewpoints and perspectives, and a lack of will‑ingness to confront tough issues. A collaborative mindset brings together the best of competition and cooperation, fostering respect for all team members’ interests, talents, and expertise. It also al‑lows for vigorous discussion of differences while encour‑aging a focus on mutual gains and shared goals.• Clarify the team’s purpose and goals. All teams need to understand their reason for being, but this is even more important for virtual teams. Mem‑bers of the virtual team need to understand what contri‑bution the team is making to the larger enterprise, what specific results are expected, and how they contribute to the team as individuals. Without this clarity, team mem‑bers are unlikely to become fully engaged and focused. Knowing their purpose not only enhances team identity, but also creates energy and a sense of urgency even when virtual team members are acting individually to carry out tasks and assignments.• Establish clear performance standards. Again, every team needs to have performance stan‑dards and expectations, but this is particularly vital when the manager is unable to observe behavior directly. The team needs to understand not only what they are going to achieve, but how they will achieve it. When people come from a diverse set of experiences, functions, and possibly

Without team skills and effective leadership,

a virtual team can become ineffectual and

dysfunctional.

If you manage a virtual team, ask yourself….

Are all team members fully engaged and motivated by a clear purpose and defined goals?

Is there a strong foundation of trust, respect, and collaboration among team members, even if they have few or no opportunities to work together face‑to‑face?

Are the diverse talents, knowledge, and expertise of team members being leveraged to achieve the best possible outcomes?

Are you coaching and giving feedback to all team members, even though they are not working at your location?

Does the team know their achievements and successes are appreciated and recognized by the organization as a whole?

Does each team member know what is expected?

Are roles and responsibilities for each project clearly defined, communicated, and understood?

1 Frank Siebdrat, Martin Hoegl and Holger Ernst, “How to Manage Virtual Teams,” MIT Sloan Management Review, Summer 2009

© Nmedia | Dreamstime.com


even divisional or geographical cultural backgrounds, it should not be assumed that they all share the same per‑spective about what constitutes quality or excellence. This is an opportunity for the leader to set benchmarks, suggest sharing of best practices, and encourage the team to clearly articulate standards by which their perfor‑mance will be evaluated.• Adapt coaching strategies for distance management. Effective coaching is a challenge for most manag‑ers, but especially so when they lack the opportunity to observe their team members carrying out tasks and interacting on a regular basis. Nonetheless, coaching is as important, or more so, when the team is dispersed. Leaders of virtual teams need to set individual and group expectations, monitor the team’s progress, and give feed‑back, just as they would if everyone were sharing the same location. Adaptations include making virtual observations of performance by evaluating work outputs and deliverables such as: ▪ Documents and reports. ▪ E‑mail communications to team members and

internal/external customers. ▪ Contributions on team conference calls. ▪ Sales quotas achieved or customer satisfaction ratings.

Leaders should also plan regular feedback for the team in a group environment such as a web meeting or con‑ference call, as well as for individuals via phone calls, e‑mails, and other channels of communication. When possible, occasional face‑to‑face meetings with individu‑als should be arranged to allow for more personal con‑nections.• Celebrate milestones and successes. Feeling like a team means not just working together but being recognized for team members’ sacrifices and accomplishments. Leaders of virtual teams have a great opportunity to reward the team for high performance, reinforcing the collaborative mindset and the sense of be‑ing part of something larger than oneself. Participatory celebrations are especially valued by team members who are isolated from other members or when the only recog‑nition for their team contribution comes from a remotely located manager. “Reward the group and the group will reward you.”2

Although growth in the number of virtual teams may have been accelerated by recent downturns in the econo‑my and corporate responses to those declines, the trend in this direction was already underway. It is safe to say that virtual teams will likely be the norm for many peo‑ple, if they are not already; and many, if not all, leaders in larger companies will eventually have the opportunity — and challenge — of managing a virtual team. By adopting these clear, tangible strategies, leaders who manage at a distance can overcome performance barriers that result when teams cross time, distance, and culture. Their teams and companies will be positioned to leverage the efforts and talents of diverse teams, working together to create a source of advantage in a global mar‑ketplace where the rules of competition are constantly changing.

Carl Eidson, Ph.D. is vice president, Business Development, Distributor Network, Wilson LearningCorporation.Heleadsandcoachesavirtualteamofmorethan100independentdis-tributors stretching from Toronto to Buenos Aires. To influence and impact results remotely, he leverages innovative communication technologies and virtual leadership skills to create systems for salesforce development, marketing campaigns, and client-centered promotional events. With a Doctorate in Industrial and Organizational Psychology Eidson has co-authored articles on se-lecting top talent published in scholarly journals including Journal of Applied Psychology, Human Performance, International Journal of Selection and Assessment, and the Journal of Business and Psychology. He is a frequent speaker on human performance improvement research and practices at professional conferences.TolearnmoreabouttheconceptssharedwithinthisarticlecontactWilsonLearningat(800)328.7937orvisitwww.wilsonlearning.com/virtualteams.

2 Philip Evans and Bob Wolf, “Collaboration Rules,” Harvard Business Review, July–August 2005

A collaborative mindset brings together the

best of competition and cooperation, fostering

respect for all team members’ interests,

talents, and expertise.


Goals help us to cut through the clutter of a crowded mind and keep our thoughts on the things that mat‑ter most. They help us focus. To be effective, you can’t just set random goals the way many people do — long lists of wishes that pop up at random and eventually fall away. You can be smarter than that with your goals. Wiser. This article shows you how. In the business world, we’ve been trained to set “SMART” goals:• Specific• Measurable• Action-Oriented• Realistic• Time-Bound

There’s value in that. SMART goals have helped many people move from vague unattainable goals to clear, specific action. You might want to use this standard to trans‑form your commitments into pow‑erful goals. Here are some examples of SMART goals that meet all of these criteria. This first example shows how you might use a SMART goal at work:• Schedule (an action-orientedverb) team‑building and strategic planning off‑site (specific activities) by end of January (a time‑bound date that is realistic and measurable). You can also use SMART goals to

help integrate your work and home lives to find better balance: • Leave work (a specific, action-oriented verb) by 6 p.m. three times a week (a time‑bound commitment that is realistic and measurable). SMART goals are just as helpful in your personal life:• Go on a date with my wife orhusband (a specific, action‑oriented verb) at least twice a month (a time‑bound commitment that is realistic and measurable). All of these goals illustrate how the SMART criteria get you to be very concrete about your goals, which makes them easier to attain. The problem with SMART think‑ing is that it has a tendency to limit instead of inspire. SMART goals can work against you if:• You neglect to write them andkeep them fresh. • They’re isolated from other im‑portant parts of your life.• Theyconflictorcompete.• Theylackspiritandconviction. To avoid these pitfalls, make sure your goals are both SMART and WISE.

WISE Goals “WISE” stands for:• Written• Integrated• Synergistic• Expansive Using these criteria to improve your goals will transform them into a more powerful approach.

Written Writing your goals is a critical step — and one many people miss. Writing forces you to be clear in your thinking. It allows you to look at your plans with objectivity. It instills com‑mitment and puts your thoughts in

© Pedro Nogueira | Dreamstime.com

Joelle K. Jay, Ph.D. (www.joellekjay.com) is an executive coach specializing in leadership development and the author of The Inner Edge: The 10 Practices of Personal Leadership, which shows leaders how to improve their effectiveness by learning to lead themselves. Her newsletter, The Inner Edge Quarterly, offers articles, exercises, tips, quotes, and success stories from real leaders to help you excel. Visit www.TheInnerEdge.com and click on Newsletter, or e-mail [email protected].

a durable form you can revisit again and again.

Integrated Integrating your ideas means bringing them together in the same place so you can look at them all at once. Allow your personal and pro‑fessional lives to intermingle. It’s okay if right under “increase profit share” you have “get more rest.” They both improve your quality of life. They both contribute to your defini‑tion of success. You get to have it all. There are no rules. You make it up.

Synergistic Whereas integrating your goals means bringing them together, syn‑ergizing means making them work together. Synergy happens when one idea advances another. Keeping a vi‑sion of what you want in mind when you think about your goals will help create that synergy. You really lose something when you decouple your goals from your vision; they become just another prioritized list. The most powerful and peaceful way to think about your efforts is to see how they can coalesce into one complete vision for your life.

Expansive Think big. Your goals should in‑spire you to stay on the path to your dreams, not lock you into a pattern

of ticking off bite‑sized action items from here to retirement. This may be the biggest differen‑tiator between SMART and WISE thinking. Spending too much time and energy boxing your objectives into a hard and fast formula can squeeze the life right out of them. Some examples: • Smart Goal — Schedule team‑building and strategic planning off‑site by end of january.• Wise Goal — Transform my staff into a team of inspired, empowered partners.• Smart Goal — Leave work by 6 p.m. Three times a week, organize my office and work with my assistant to find new planning system within one month from today.• Wise Goal — Feel in control of my life. The best goals are both “smart” and “wise.” SMART thinking gives your goals specificity. WISE think‑ing gives them heart. Every good leader has goals. Your goals will help you stay on track to achieving your bigger vision day af‑ter day, and the “SMARTer” they are, the more productive you’ll be. However, make sure that your goals are also WISE enough to inspire you, excite you, and move you in new and exciting ways. You will find you don’t just meet your goals; they’ll actually better you.

sMArt goals have helped many people move from vague unattainable goals to clear, specific action.

As a leader, you’re used to setting goals. But are the goals you’re setting really as powerful as they could be?

S TRAM

S EIW

Make Your

Goals

Goals

by Joelle Jay, Ph.d.


Seminar ad -- Hopefully

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It’s not that companies don’t recognize the value of the manager’s role. When a group of sales executives was asked what was most important to improving sales per‑formance, 88 percent answered, “making sales managers more effective,” a finding consistent with a Sales Execu‑tive Council survey. At the same time, more than 50 percent indicated that their organizations were not pre‑paring sales managers to lead effectively. Given the sales manager’s potential impact on performance, these com‑panies are literally leaving money on the table in the form ofsmallerROIforsalestraining,weaksalesproductivity,and higher turnover costs. For a relatively modest investment, sales managers can be provided with the tools and knowledge to drive sustainable high performance. To target the handful of essential skills sales managers need, prepare them to an‑swer five simple questions.

What Sales Managers Need to Do — The Five Questions Despite all the differences in sales force deployment, products, industries, competitive environment, and cus‑tomers, sales teams share some core needs. When those needs are fully addressed, salespeople demonstrate high‑er levels of motivation and commitment, and greater ef‑fectiveness in working with their customers. Ultimately,

CanYourManagersAnswerTheseCriticalQuestions?

by Michael leiMbach, Ph.d.

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m Well-managed teams will deliver more sales at higher margins....

Would you ask the best violinist in the orchestra to take over conducting without any preparation to be a conductor? Probably not. And if you did, you wouldn’t have very high expectations for the orchestra’s performance. Yet this is exactly what most organizations do. They promote high‑performing salespeople into management roles without preparing them to be confident and competent in the critical areas of coaching, motivating, and developing their people.


well‑managed teams will deliver more sales at higher margins than those who are poorly managed or simply left to their own devices. To achieve top performance from his or her team, a manager needs the skills and tools to provide clear an‑swers to five simple but profoundly important questions:1. Where are we going? 2. What is expected of us? 3. How are we doing? 4. What’sinitforus?5. Where do we go for help? Taken together, the Five Questions offer a roadmap for effective management and a guide to the key skills needed by a high‑performing sales manager. In fact, our research shows that when a company’s sales managers are able to answer these five questions, sales performance in‑creases on average 29 percent.

Where are We Going? It’s a given that salespeople have targeted objectives in the form of their own assigned quotas and possibly awareness of the overall revenue goals for the team. But like most employees, salespeople want to believe that they are part of something important. Unfortunately, they are often left in the dark about how they fit into a larger pic‑ture, both in terms of the organization’s business‑critical issues and goals, and the direction and expectations for the entire sales force. Companies pursuing strategies of customer engagement, for example, need a sales team that is also engaged and ready to execute effectively at the customer interface — configuring solutions, delivering the right messages, etc. If the sales force is not connected to the overall business direction, they feel out of the loop, and are less able to carry out their role in achieving the broader business goals. By communicating the company’s vision, strategy, and challenges and how the sales team fits into the big pic‑ture, managers provide their teams with a sense of be‑longing to a larger whole and ensure their salespeople are able to make a meaningful contribution to the success of the entire enterprise.

What is Expected of Us? It is easy to assume that once salespeople know what to do (i.e., “make your numbers”) and are properly com‑pensated, the rest will take care of itself. But to fully suc‑ceed, the organization needs the kind of performance that leads to strong customer relationships, a continuous flow of referrals, and steady expansion of the business. To achieve this level of performance, salespeople need to know not only what they are aiming for — the number they are expected to reach — but how they are expected to reach it. How should they be interacting with their customers? How do they access and use sales support resources to follow up on the sale? What is the quality of the experience customers should be having with the salesperson and the company? How can they make it happen? Managers should be able to articulate and commu‑nicate both quantitative results and qualitative expecta‑tions reflecting longer‑term outcomes of the overall sales effort. To do so, they must be able to articulate expec‑tations for the team and for each individual, and know how to communicate those expectations clearly and ef‑fectively.

How are We Doing? Almost every sales leader acknowledges the high value and core importance of coaching and feedback for sales‑people. And almost everyone recognizes that these es‑sential activities can easily get pushed to the back burner as managers juggle conflicting priorities. While lack of coaching is often attributed to a lack of time, many man‑agers also lack the necessary confidence and skills to pro‑vide effective, timely, and useful feedback. To build a high‑performing team, sales managers must be able to reinforce behaviors that lead to success, develop the skills of less‑experienced salespeople, and strengthen areas of weakness. Does the team, or an individual, need to do a better job of discovering the customer’s real issues and requirements? Is a new salesperson having problems qualifying prospects? Is there an issue of call reluctance that needs to be addressed?

Unfortunately, many managers are uncomfortable giving what they regard as “negative” feedback, so avoid giving feedback altogether. Some provide the occasional “attaboy” type of general encouragement or praise that is not targeted to a specific situation or detailed enough to reinforce specific behavior. To support, reinforce, and stretch performance, man‑agers need to be confident and capable of having effec‑tive two‑way conversations about what is going well and where there are opportunities for improvement. They also need to make specific suggestions for developing and strengthening needed skills and capabilities.

What’s in It for Us? Even if they don’t have any other help or support, most salespeople are provided with incentives in the form of bonuses, commissions, and other special awards for out‑standing performance. These kinds of rewards certainly provide one kind of answer to the question: “What’s in it for me/us?” Whether it’s a trip to Hawaii, a financial reward for a big sale, or a plaque on the wall, providing some kind of tangible benefit is usually seen as both nec‑essary and sufficient to motivate high performance. There are, however, intangible rewards that can have an even greater impact on motivation, and provide the sense of personal fulfillment that keeps salespeople en‑ergized and committed. The most important thing a manager can do in this regard is to provide meaningful recognition that is personal, specific, and timely. Since what individuals find meaningful varies greatly from person to person, managers can be most effective when they understand sources of individual motivation and customize recognition and rewards accordingly. Managers who can do this see the results when their sales‑people are inspired to deliver the “above and beyond” ef‑fort that raises performance from “good” to “great.”

Where Do We Go for Help? Most companies provide resources for the sales force, including sales tools, internal sales support, marketing materials, and the like. Unfortunately, organizational barriers often get in the way when salespeople try to round up needed implementation resources, get help in responding to a customer RFP, or find technical support

to answer a critical question from a customer. The sales manager can play a key role in helping his or her people deal with other parts of the organization, ensuring that sales team members are able to access the help they need. Successful managers are able to communicate clearly about how well the organization is supporting the sales function, and can work with other functional leaders to orchestrate the kinds of resources needed by their sales team. An equally important resource is again something only the sales manager can provide — time and direct support in the form of coaching, mentoring, and assis‑tance in solving problems with customers. Salespeople who know the manager “has their back” will feel more confident, loyal, and comfortable in their role. They are more willing to take risks, take responsibility, and act on behalf of their customers when they know they can count on help from the organization and from their manager. The Five Questions may not cover every possible as‑pect of what effective managers must know how to do, but they provide a framework and direction for enhanc‑ing sales management effectiveness. A manager who consistently sets clear expectations, provides effective feedback and meaningful recognition and ensures sales‑people have the tools and support they need to succeed will be rewarded with the benefits of a competent, com‑mitted team that delivers superior sales results.

Michael Leimbach, Ph.D., is vice president of Global Research and De-sign for Wilson Learning Worldwide.With more than 25 years in the field, Dr. Leimbach provides leadership forresearching and designing Wilson Learning’s diagnostic, learning, andperformance improvement capabili-ties.Dr.Leimbachhasmanagedmajorresearch studies in sales, leadership and organizationaleffectiveness,andhasdevelopedWilsonLearn-ing’s Impact Evaluation capability and return on investment models. He has co-authored four books, published numerous professional articles, and is a frequent speaker at national and global conferences. ContactWilson Learning at: (800) 328-7937, or visit www.wilsonlearning-americas.com.

to support, reinforce, and stretch performance, managers need to be confident and capable of having

effective two-way conversations about what is going well and where there are opportunities for improvement.

there are, however, intangible rewards that can have an even greater impact on motivation....

December 2011 | agency sales | 4544 | agency sales | December 2011 © igor Mojzes | Dreamstime.com

myself included, has some rough spots that should be smoothed out. As a professional salesperson, you are never finished with your life‑long task of making yourself better. The ultimate challenge for professionals is the constant need to change them‑selves in order to become better. It takes drive, discipline, and energy, continually applied and rightly fo‑cused, to improve. “You’re okay the way you are” may be an idea instilled in you by your mother in order to make you feel good about yourself, but in the real world of commerce and sales, it is a bromide that takes the energy out of the process of improving yourself, and provides an easy hiding place for those who are not motivated to excel. The truth is, you are not good enough!Notyet. If you are a professional, you get that. You understand that you can, and should, continually improve and make yourself better. Green Bay Packer football coach Vince Lombardi said this: “We will

I can’t identify one single piece of advice. I’ll have to opt for two. I’m going to identify them, and then ex‑plain why I think they are so damag‑ing. Here they are: 1. Be yourself. 2. Learn on your own by trial and error.

1. Be Yourself I just read, on one of the Linke‑dIn groups of which I am a member, a newly self‑appointed sales trainer advising salespeople to “just be yourself.” That is good advice if you are naturally self motivated, goal‑driven, highly organized; if you are intelligent, personable, empathetic and sensitive; if you have great lis‑tening skills, the ability to connect with anyone, a keen ability to paint word pictures and tell enthralling stories, and the natural ability to ask for action. If that’s not you, then being your‑self isn’t quite good enough, and you’ll have to work on some things if you want to become better. Almost every salesperson I have ever met,

Questions & Answers About Sales:

The Worst Adviceby dave kahle

Q. What is the worst single piece of advice to a salesperson you have ever heard?

A. Wow. I love this question. I don’t think I have ever been asked it before.


constantly strive for perfection, knowing full well that we will never attain it, because no one is perfect. But we will strive for perfection, for in the process we will catch excellence.” Which would you rather be part of? A sales force of people who think they just need to “be themselves” to do well. Or, a group who think they canalways become better, that there standards for how you do sales well, and that they need to work hard and consistently to enhance their skills, improve their practices and develop their competencies — a group who strives for perfection? Silly question. If a sales trainer tells you that you just need to “be yourself,” run from them.

2. Learn On Your Own, By Trial and Error Certainly learning by trial and er‑ror is possible, and we all do it. It just isn’t very efficient, nor very effective. When I say it isn’t very efficient, I mean that there are quicker, easier ways to learn and improve than to rely exclusively on trial and error. Look, other people have gone before you, and figured out this thing called “sales.” There is a body of knowledge about how you do sales well. You can spend five years trying to figure it out on your own, or you can buy a book by someone who is an expert in it, and learn far more in five hours. Which makes more sense? For the life of me, I cannot un‑derstand the prevailing idea among employers that their salespeople will just learn on their own, by trial and error. From my personal expe‑rience, I believe that only about five percent of employers actually invest

in the growth and development of their salespeople. Nor do I understand the 95 per‑cent of salespeople who have not spent $20 on their own improvement in the last 12 months. I am amazed that so many people think they have the time to learn ex‑clusively by trial and error. I don’t. When I first began my consulting practice, I went out and got all the books on how you build a consulting practice. When I first starting speak‑ing and presenting, I hired a coach to help me develop quickly. When I wrote my first book, I read all the books on how you do it before I be‑gan to write it. I couldn’t afford to waste time and money making stu‑pid mistakes. When I say it isn’t very effective, I mean that most people, most of the time, get itwrong!Most of us,my‑self included, have distorted views of how we appear to other people. We have distorted views of how our actions impact people, how the cus‑tomers really felt, and why we didn’t get the order. If we base our decisions about what’s effective on the basis of our perceptions of what we did well and poorly, we will be wrong much of the time. As evidence of this, I’ll appeal to your own experience. Sales managers and sales trainers, how many times have you made a call with a salesper‑

son, debriefed afterward and discov‑ered that the salesperson didn’t have a clue as to what really happened in the sales call? In my experience, it is most of the time. I’m not picking on salespeople. It is human nature. We all see reality through our unique perspectives, we all put our personal spin on things. A study was done a few years ago in an attempt to see if salespeople could identify their most effective practices. Two hundred good sales‑people were interviewed, and they indicated the practices they thought brought them the results. Guess what happened when the research‑ers accompanied them into the field to verify their ideas? There was “no relationship” between what they said theydidandwhattheyactuallydid! Now, don’t misinterpret what I am saying. We should all learn by trial and error. Analyzing our fail‑ures and changing our behavior to avoid them in the future is a classic approach to personal growth, and a discipline to which we should all ad‑here. My problem is with those who promote it as the exclusive way to learn to sell well. It is neither efficient nor effective. The advice to “be yourself” and “learn exclusively by trial and error” are two of the most pernicious ideas in the world of sales. Don’t let them misguideyou!

Dave Kahle is a consultant and trainer who helps clients increase their sales and improve sales productivity. He also is the author of 10 Secrets of Time Management for Sales-people.Phone:(800)331-1287;e-mail:[email protected]: www.davekahle.com.

As a professional salesperson, you are never finished with your life-long task of making yourself better.

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Thistimelyreportcontainsthelatestinformationavailablefromtherepprofession’sleadingexpertsonthevaluationandsaleofanagency.Itaddressesvaluingtherepfirmfromthestandpointofbothbuyersandsellers,sellingtothefamily,divorce,andtheInternalRevenueService.Italsoad-dressesadvanceplanning,mergers,acquisitions,jointventures,competinglines,paymentoptions,andmore.ThisreportisanexcellentcompaniontoMANA’s Valuing the Rep Firm Report.

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principalfocus

This manufacturer is hardly alone in facing this prob‑lem. This has long been one of the most compelling

reasons recommending the rep way of going to market. Among the major reasons that MANA and other rep as‑sociations maintain that reps serve the territory more cost‑efficiently than a direct sales force is that they’re married to their businesses and their territories. It’s no secret that the direct salesperson is often looking at where his next position will be. Not so with the rep. The rep is intent upon building his own business and establishing and nurturing his relationships in the territory. The manufacturer in question might do well to take a look at reps as a good way off that merry‑go‑round.

Planning for the Future “Am I overstepping my role as a principal if I ask reps to share with me their plans for the future?”That’s how one manufacturer opened a discussion on relationships between his company and his reps. What he was specifi‑cally concerned about was succession planning and how the lack of such plans would impact his continued role with his reps. The manufacturer continued: “It’s been very gratify‑ing to me that I don’t even have to address this question

Looking for Territory Stability

It was a little bit like a self‑fulfilling prophecy when one manufacturer described the difficulty he continually faced in filling direct sales positions in

a number of his territories. According to the manufacturer, “It seems as if they (factory direct salespeople) can’t wait to get out the door. We just get them

trained and attuned to developing relationships in a territory and then they either take another position in our company or leave the company entirely.

It’s like being on a merry‑go‑round that keeps spinning people off.”

the rep is intent upon building his own business and establishing and nurturing his relationships in the territory.

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to a number of rep firms who from the very beginning have been more than forthcoming when it comes to com‑municating how they operate now and what their plans are for the future. These are the agencies who believe in — if not insist upon — joint planning, yearly evaluations (i.e., us of them, them of us), goal setting, etc. The others, and I’ll admit it’s a fairly small number, seem to bristle at the fact I want to know how they plan to continue our relationship into the future.” MANA, Agency Sales magazine and any number of reps who have been interviewed by this publication over the years, would agree with this manufacturer’s obser‑vations. It all comes down to communication and plan‑ning. Just as the rep needs to know how the manufacturer plans to address the future, so too does the manufacturer need details that will impact how he or she will be able to meet the needs of a specific territory.

More on House Accounts The discussion of house accounts which appeared in last month’s issue of Agency Sales didn’t stop after pub‑lication of the article entitled “Successfully Dealing with House Accounts.” After the article appeared in print, a couple of additional views were presented:• Amanufactureroffered:“Ihavealwaystriedtoallowreps to participate and to be compensated for their effort with ‘house accounts.’ If a principal ‘carves’ out house accounts, the question remains what’s left for the rep — cats and dogs? It also seems to me that it (the existence of house accounts) suggests a lack of confidence in the rep. That being said, house accounts may provide a much lower commission rate for the rep as the principal may have done the early spade work, and is likely to contribute significant company resources, i.e. sales, marketing, en‑gineering, operations, finance, quality and senior man‑agement participation to those house accounts. • Another manufacturer with a long track record ofworking with reps explained, “I have worked with inde‑pendent reps and rep agencies for 25 years and when they are told, “We need new business and our house accounts are ours,” this limits the agent’s income, which is sole‑ly commission‑based. Keep in mind that reps have ex‑

penses, and if the manufacturer wishes a rep’s service to increase sales, then the manufacturer should help them succeed. The manufacturer can always send that rep the 30‑day notice, which they often do even if the rep has done a good job. I do believe in some exceptions, such as a customer that has been with the manufacturer for at least 10 years or more, but if that manufacturer does wish the rep to deal with those accounts as well, such as to visit them, then the rep should be compensated for those ac‑counts as well.” • This is obviously a subject thatmanufacturers haveopinions about as is evidenced by this final comment (also from a manufacturer): “Whenever we had a house account in existence before hiring a rep, the rep was fully informed. He or she was also fully made aware that the house account would become their account eventually (after proving themselves) with a reduced commission necessitated by the history of the account. Generally, with house accounts, the margins were exceedingly low to be‑gin with. We wanted the rep to generate new business, primarily, and maintain the ‘house’ account secondarily. If he or she could add new business to the ‘house’ ac‑count, then a full commission (hopefully) could be paid.”

Getting Reps to Respond When a manufacturer asked a group of reps how best to get reps to provide follow‑up to leads developed at trade shows, there was no shortage of responses. Here’s how she presented her dilemma: “As a principal we of‑ten send out an Excel spreadsheet after trade shows re‑questing that the rep fill in certain fields (date and a few notes) to keep us aware of lead follow‑up. Sometimes the reps respond; often they do not. We’re now planning to ask reps to also keep us aware of follow‑up of non‑trade show leads via a separate spreadsheet that we’ll format and send. What can we do better to encourage our reps to compete these items?” That’s a simple enough question and hopefully some of the responses she received helped her solve the prob‑lem. Perhaps other manufacturers will find segments of the discussion that followed to be helpful. For instance:• “Iamamanufacturers’repandassuchIfeelitismy

“Keep in mind that reps have expenses, and if the manufacturer wishes a rep’s service to increase sales,

then the manufacturer should help them succeed.”

duty to be able to provide feedback to the principal on leads that they sent to me for my exclusive territory, but I and most reps will shy away from any form of mandatory reporting and form filling.• “Idonotknowwhatquestionsyouareaskinginyourquestionnaire, but it might be better for you to arrange a time to phone the rep to go over the status of the leads you sent them and for you to write the notes in yourself from your conversation. Since you spent the money to acquire the leads for the rep, you have every right to ensure they are being followed up on. However, I would suggest that you try to switch from the ‘fill out my form’ strategy and im‑plement instead ‘lets go over the leads I sent you’ strategy. “If your rep does not want to provide any feed back on leads that you send them, then I would suggest a new rep. Hope it does not come to that.”• “Asarep,andasanoptimist,Ilookforwardtoreceiv‑ing Excel spread sheets full of sales leads. However, many, probably most, of the ‘leads’ prove to be non‑customers of various descriptions. Sometimes we can identify these before we waste any time on them, but sometimes it takes a little work before we realize it is a dead end. Some of the ‘customers’ can’t be reached, or can’t be found, prove to be low potential, or are already known to be low po‑tential. In the interest of using everyone’s time wisely, we usually only report back on the leads with real potential. In reality, only a small percentage of trade show leads prove to be of any value. It is a waste of everybody’s time, including the principal’s, to report on the ‘leads’ which have been eliminated.”• “As an independent rep for more than12 years, this issue will always be pres‑ent. FYI — I do follow up on leads and report back to factories. That being said, the bottom line question is: Is your rep producing? If you want control, then you need to hire a factory rep and pay the price. The reason manufac‑turers hire inde‑pendent reps is to save on com‑pensation and benefits. I have 10 lines to rep‑resent, I can’t complete reports for every line — no one can.”

“i and most reps will shy away from any form of

mandatory reporting and form filling.”

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Mark Hunter, “The Sales Hunter,” is a sales expert who speaks to thousands each year on how to increase their sales profitabil-ity. For more information, or to read his Sales Motivation Blog, visit www.TheSalesHunter.com. You can also follow him on www.Twitter.com/TheSalesHunter, on www.LinkedIn.com/in/MarkHunter, and on www.Facebook.com/TheSalesHunter.

Do’s and Don’tsof Using an iPadon a Sales Call

by Mark hunTer

So you now own an iPad or other type of tablet and you’re wondering if you should use it on a sales call.

Here are some quick rules to consider:Don’t use it just because you have one. Who really cares? Just because you own the newest electronic gad‑get doesn’t mean the customer you’re seeing doesn’t own one too — or worse yet, despises people who do own them. It only makes sense to use one on a sales call if you have a pur‑pose for using it.

Do use it if it simplifies your sales call. Using an iPad can be a great way to easily access rate information and other critical pieces of information quickly if the need arises. Certainly having an iPad also allows you to walk into a sales call carrying a lot less “stuff.”

Don’t use it to “wow” the customer. Again, who cares? “Wowing” the customer is not why you are there. You’re there to help the customer. Plus, more often than not, the person who is out to “wow” the customer with a new toy is many times the same person who doesn’t have clue as to how the toy works.

Do use it if you want to show your customer information without leaving them a hard copy. Having your rate/pricing infor‑mation on the iPad is a great way to be able to show the client informa‑tion without having to leave them a hard copy. In my opinion, this is the best reason to use an iPad. We’ve all had experiences where hard copy in‑formation left with a potential client winds up being used as leverage with another sales representative to get a better quote.

Don’t use it if the tablet is loaded with a lot of your personal stuff. There is nothing worse than hav‑ing your client take control of your iPad and suddenly gaining access to various personal files (including potentially embarrassing informa‑tion). If you’re going to use an iPad on sales calls, then use it just for that. Don’t try to use it for both clients and personal work. Invest the money and buy two. All it takes is one quick swipe of a finger on an iPad and your client can suddenly be looking at your personal tax statements or your latest fantasy league picks.

Do remember to have it charged before visiting a client. Yes, the battery life on an iPad is very good — so good, in fact, that you can easily forget to check the battery level. We can become so used to not looking at the battery life on the unit that we forget to notice how low it is until we walk into the most important sales meeting of the quarter. By then it’s a little too late to charge it, and you certainly don’t want to be scoping the room for an outlet. Awkward. With the above six tips in mind, you are equipped to make a wise de‑cision regarding the use of an iPad in your next meeting. Just remember that you aren’t going to impress any‑one with any gadget — unless you have a valid reason for having it there in the first place.

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© Daniele taurino | Dreamstime.com


legallyspeaking

You should know what these rules are. You should consider them

when you are negotiating a contract with a principal, considering a con‑tract amendment or dealing with the typical issues and disputes that inevitably arise in any type of rela‑tionship.Ofcourse,anattorneymaybe helpful to you in each of these situations. Judges are required to apply rules of construction to contract disputes and the contract you have with your principal is no exception. Generally, these rules are similar in most juris‑dictions. Let me touch on a couple of these rules.

Upholding Intent The purpose of contract con‑struction is to discover and uphold the intent of the parties when they entered into their contract. It has nothing to do with what is fair or who took advantage of whom. The first rule is the plain lan‑guage rule. It presumes that the best evidence of what the parties intend‑ed by their contract is found in the words of the contract. When the lan‑

guage of a written contract is clear, the court may not look further than the words of the contract to find the intent of the parties and may not construe the contract in a way other than what its plain language provides. In doing so, the judge will ignore matters outside the contract, such as how the disputed matter was previously handled by you and your principal or what the regional man‑ager, who was later fired, promised you before you signed the contract. To apply this rule, the judge uses a simple test. He decides if the lan‑guage of the contract can only rea‑sonably support your position or your principal’s position. If he finds that only one reasonable interpreta‑tion is possible, the judge declares the winner based solely on the plain language of the contract. No one gets their day in court because the judge says that a reasonable jury could only come to the same conclu‑sion he did. However, if the judge decides that the plain language of the contract could reasonably support either of your positions because its language

is unclear and ambiguous, then your case will go to trial (at some point), and the issue is passed on to the jury, who will decide which one of you is right based upon more than just the contract language.

Extrinsic Evidence The second rule is the extrinsic evidence rule. It is critical to decid‑ing which party is right when the meaning of contractual language is unclear and its construction de‑pends upon other facts outside of what is written in the contract to determine the parties’ contractual intent. Such extrinsic evidence may include what each of the parties said, wrote and did. Even if you think your contract is clear and that your rights are plainly spelled out in it, you should assume

that everything you say, write and do may be reviewed one day and used to determine your rights in court. As part of this process, you must carefully consider how to re‑spond to any number of common situations like these:• Yourprincipalbreaches thecon‑tract by taking away territory or a customer and assigning it to an em‑ployee salesman. • Yourprincipalchangesthetermsof the contract by unilaterally reduc‑ing your commission rate or cal‑culating commission in a new way, either with or without the prior no‑tice or amendment required under the contract.• Thecontractincorrectlydescribeshow a matter, such as crediting sales to you or splitting commissions, is, in fact, handled.

ProtectingYour Rights

Under the Contractby douglas andrews

if he finds that only one reasonable interpretation is possible, the judge declares the winner based solely on the plain language of the contract.

It goes with saying you should make certain

that your contracts with principals are as clear

as possible. Should a dispute end up in court,

your contract will be reviewed by a judge

who is more familiar with legal concepts

than with your business, much less how

you and your principal actually dealt with each

other. Your contract dispute may turn on

how the judge applies what the law calls rules

of construction.

© George tsartsianidis | Dreamstime.com


• Your principal appears ready toterminate you, after a new account or large piece of business is deliv‑ered, and the post‑termination com‑mission provision in your contract uses terms that are undefined and does not account, one way or the other, for all of the sales that will result after termination based upon the pre‑termination commitments and orders you secured.• Yourprincipal is sold toanothercompany and no one has proposed an amendment to your old contract or given you a new contract to reflect the “new reality.” You must carefully consider how

Douglas Andrews is a member of MANA. As an at-torney, he primarily represents sales rep-resentatives, closely held businesses and companies, counsel-ing clients and litigating cases involving sales representative, business, contract, non-compete, trade secret, business tort, and partner break-up areas of the law. He may be contacted at (216) 363-3992 or at [email protected].

Protecting the Rights of Sales Representatives, Closely-Held Businesses and Other Clients for

Over 25 years

HandlingContractswithPrincipals,EmployeesandSub-Reps,

BusinessStart-upsandPartnerBreak-upsand

DisputesOverCommissions,Territories,CustomersNon-Competes,TradeSecretsandTerminations

Free initial Consultation for MAnA MembersFlexible and tailored Fee Arrangements

614W.SuperiorAve.TheRockefellerBuilding ▪ Suite1300

Cleveland,Ohio44113

Telephone:(216)363-3992E-mail:[email protected]

www.dandrewslaw.com

The lAW OFFiCes of DOUGlAs A. AnDReWs

to respond to these (and other) situ‑ations. Your responses may become decisive at some time in the future if you have a dispute with your prin‑cipal. In one sense, your response is like “writing” an addendum to your contract, where you are sup‑plying definitions for unclear terms. Ofcourse,whatyou“write”maybeharmful or helpful. Years later, after the relationship has deteriorated, your principal may attempt to use your responses (or lack of responses) against you, and the judge may per‑mit him to do so. However, if you have been careful in what you say, write and do, your responses may

help you to protect the commissions and other contractual benefits you earned.

Looking for Reps?

Search for RepsOnline with the

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Get immediate results. Gain instant access by becoming a MANA member. Join online today.

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Your responses may become decisive at some time in the future if you have a dispute with your principal.


moneytalks

“It’s the little things,” said Orr,presidentandowneroftheOrr

Financial Group. “It’s the dollar here, two dollars there things that we pick up every day that start to add up. The insidious thing is that it still doesn’t add up to so much that we think it could make a difference in our futures, because we only see those expenses in terms of the dollars we spend, but not the dollars — plus the interest — we could be earning on them.” Orr’s point is that pension fundsare being wiped out, companies are canceling their matching contribu‑tions to employee 401(k) programs(or wiping them out completely) and the future of Social Security seems dimmer than ever. That’s why Orrwants people to realize that some of their everyday little impulse buys are robbing their accounts of pennies to‑day, but millions later. Toillustratethat,Orrcandemon‑strate how simple, everyday expenses — when eliminated — can turn into big bucks down the road.

For instance, the daily specialty coffee from the local coffee stand costs about $3.95, depending upon where you live in the United States. If you got one every day of the week forabout40weeksoutoftheyearforthe typical 35 year employment span between ages 25 and 60, it would cost youabout$27,650overthat35years. The formula looks like this:• CoffeeorLatte—$3.95x5=

$19.75x40=$790x35=$27,650• Energyshot—$3.99x5=

$19.95x40=$798X35=$27,930• Muffin—$3x5=

$15x40=$600x35=$21,000• Lunch—$8x5=

$40x40=$1,600x35=$56,000 “If you were to put the total of all theseitemsintoyour401(k)orRothIRA or any other type of retirement investment vehicle every year for 35 years and you earned a minimum of 3% interest every year on that money, you’dhaveanextra$246,560inyourretirement account at the end of that 35years,”Orrsaid.

Moreover, Orr said that between1970 and 2006, the annual returnrate of the S&P 500 was 11.5%. At that interest rate, at the end of 35 years byOrr’s calculations, workerswouldhaveanadditional$1,792,373in their retirement accounts. “Depending on the state you live in, most employers match some level ofcontributiontoacompany401(k)or retirement plan,” he added. “It’s usually around 50 cents on the dollar up to 6% of your salary. So, if you’re making around $35,000 a year and you aren’t currently contributing to your plan, you could be losing out on about$465,000attheminimum,as‑suming you never get a raise and stay at $35,000 a year for 35 straight years. Keep in mind, those calculations are based on someone who starts at age 25 and retires at 60. Now, we know a lot of people don’t start that early, and many more are working way be‑yond age 60, so it’s still achievable even for someone in their 30s. When you wean yourself off the little im‑pulse buys and put those funds back into your retirement account, not only will you lose a few pounds and get off the caffeine — you’ll wind up a little more comfortable when you retire, as well.”

Steve Orr is the President and Owner of Orr Fi-nancial Group, a full service Reg-istered Invest-ment Advisor located in Victo-ria, Texas. Victoria is located in the cen-ter of the Houston, San Antonio, Corpus Christi, southeast gulf triangle of Texas. Steve has been in the financial industry since 1986 and has been independentsince 1994.

© Arnel Manalang | Dreamstime.com

Are Impulse Buys Killing Your

Retirement?

As a registered investment advisor, SteveOrrisusedtojugglingmillions, but he knows those millions started out as pennies.

by steve orr


moneytalks

For many years now the govern‑ment has been trying to help

businesses last. The Bush years and thefirstyearsoftheObamaadmin‑istration produced many helpful laws. But now the (Congressional) worms have turned. Some members of Congress seem to want to end it all (the tax breaks). Some want the tax breaks to continue. Some don’t seem to know what they want. Their ability to act seems hopeless. But what we have before us are sunsets. Not the pretty kind. When these helpful laws were passed, they all had time limits. A number of these are finished as of December 31, 2011; most of the rest on December 31, 2012. The most important of the expiring provisions in 2011 are the depreciation deductions. In my last article I mentioned that new vehicles weighing more than 6,000 pounds could be written off in one year. This amazing feature will end on December 31, 2011. As of now, the depreciation of those vehicles for 2012 will be 50% of the purchase price plus 20% of the remaining 50% (a total of 60%). Regular new autos weighing less than 6,000 pounds

have a restricted maximum deduc‑tion of $11,060 (for 100% business use), but the deduction should not change for 2012. $8,000 of the regu‑lar auto depreciation would be elim‑inated after 12/31/12. The $8,000 figure is even now not available for used autos. Most of the rest of long‑term as‑sets (personal property with expect‑ed use of more than one year) can be written off in full if purchased new in 2011, but are subject to the 50% rule in 2012. Taxpayers can also make use of expensingassetsunderSection179.The write off remains 100% but with certain differences from the above depreciation rules. • First, used equipment qualifiesunder this section. • Second,thereisalimitof$500,000of equipment that qualifies, but it is reduced dollar for dollar as purchas‑es of equipment exceed $2,000,000. • Third,thedeductionislimitedtothe profit of the company, though

it can be carried forward to future years (not backwards). For 2012, the $500,000 limit will be reduced to $125,000; the maximum dollar of assets is reduced from $2,000,000 to $500,000. Also, for 2011, up to $250,000 in leasehold improvements on a build‑ing more than three‑years‑old can be writtenoffunderSection179,other‑wise the taxpayer could be looking at a 39‑year period for depreciation. The special problem that arises here is that any amount not deducted in 2011 but carried forward will no longer qualify as Section 179, butrather must be depreciated over the 39years.Whatfun!??? Ofcourse,Congresscouldgetto‑gether and extend the depreciation rules because both parties seem to want to help business at this time. Ontheotherhand,onesenatorcandecide to snag the whole thing. These rules pertaining to a 100% deduction are good until December 31st; any‑thing after that is at risk.

Stanton B. Herzog is a principal in the firm of Applebaum, Herzog & Associates, Northbrook, Illinois. He serves as IHRA’s accountant and is a regular contributor to The REPorter.

The End (of 2011) is Near by sTanTon b. herzog, cPa

We have been in a recession for years.

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REPRESENTATIVES

New MeMbers

Have you visited the Member Area

of the MANA website?

MANAonline.org

ABM EQUIPMENT CO., INC.Portland, orJohn cassa(503) 248-0079www.abmequipment.comBulk Powder, material handling equipment, packaging equipment, product inspection equipment, scale equipment.

AIMcharlotte, NcMaria Mcclory(704) 299-4704Hand painted glassware, worry stones, angel gifts, cards, jewelry, earrings, necklaces, rings, toys, wall frames, gifts for pets, baby gifts, novelty giftware for home, garden.

ALLIANT SALES & MARKETINGthibodaux, LAclynest Leboeuf(985) 438-7194www.alliantsalesandmarketing.comindustrial supplies, woodworking/metalworking, machinery.

ALLOY ID, INC.Mesquite, tXrick cumby(972) 289-0011www.alloyid.net

ASSOCIATES MARKETINGseattle, WA Amber Gould(206) 550-3652www.associatesmarketing.netGourmet, housewares, table tops.

BLAKESLEE EQUIPMENT CO.cleveland, oHMark Blakeslee(440) 808-6666Water treatment heat transfer equipment; conveying.

DHILAN/NIKHIL CORP.toronto, oN, canadaWayne sankarlal(416) 628-3809telematics-based products and services.

DIAMOND INDUSTRIAL SALES, LTD.Glen ellyn, iLDaniel steinbach(630) 469-6833Machined castings/forgings.

ENGINEERING SALES NETWORK, LLCst. Paul, MNBill Kellogg(651) 675-4949contract ND engineering, precision gears, contract assembly, engineered/precision components.

THE FORBES CONNECTION, LLCcroton on Hudson, NYJay forbes(914) 271-9001www.forbesconnection.comHealth & beauty care, food, snacks, candy, general merchandise, school supplies, private label.

GREENWOOD AUTOMATION SALES, LLCGreenwood, iNKenneth Pfahl(317) 519-1182Automation components.

HEATON INTERNATIONAL, INC.Laguna Niguel, cAJames Heaton(949) 212-5733contract manufacturing services, plastic injection molding, metal stamping/forming, medical disposables/consumables, tool fabrication, electronic design/assembly, product assembly, packaging, warehousing, foB logistics support.

HENNELLY SALES MANAGEMENTLos Angeles, cAscott Hennelly(213) 210-6266flexible circuits, temperature sensors, heaters, bellows, coils, ceramic to metal hermetics seals.

HESCO, INC.Warren, MiDeanna Livingston(586) 978-7200Process equipment into water/waste water treatment plants, control panels.

KRM AVIATION, LLCWichita, Ks Kenneth Mikolajchak(316) 636-5592Aerospace/general aviation products/services.

LAWLESS SALES GROUPDallas, tXrichard Lawlesswww.lawlessgroup.comfasteners, tools, hardware wholesalers, mill/safety supplies, material handling, contractor/industrial supplies, home centers.

LEHIGH SALES SOLUTIONS, LLCBreinigsville, PArichard schlauch(610) 336-6676Business process outsourcing, consulting, printing, publishing, graphics, business it services, computer software, consulting, medical devices, supplies.

JAMES D. MCFARLAND CO., INC.Glenmoore, PABryan Mcfarland(610) 942-7010www.jdminc.netMachining, injection molding, sheet metal fabrication, stampings.

JW MCMONAGLE & ASSOCS., LLCBroomall, PAJohn McMonagle(610) 909-5400function hardware, building product, wood products.SPONSORED BY:REYENGA ENTERPRISES, INC.euless, tXcraig reyenga (817) 913-4891

PACIFIC SYSTEMS GROUPtorrance, cArobert Hahn(310) 528-4638www.psghvac.com

PAL SALESWoodbridge, ctPeric isentein(203) 387-5205Precision molded plastics, miniature diaphragm pumps/solenoid valves.

PLUM ROOFING PRODUCTS, LLCcleburne, tXLee Martin(817) 676-1827www.plumroofingproducts.comGreen, energy saving roofing products, roofing systems for commercial roofing, consultation/technical services.

PRISM SALES, INC.Panora, iAJeffrey Beckman(641) 757-9632HVAc; mini splits, hand tools, radiant gas fired, hydronic radiant, boilers, bath fans.

PROCESS MACHINING CORP.salt Lake city, UtLarry croft(801) 486-1811www.processmachineryslc.com

RJC ADVISORSLawrence, MArichard cavallaro(978) 566-1752

RM CONTROLS, INC.Newbury Park, cAroy ratcliffe(805) 499-4499www.rmcontrols.comProcess control instrumentation.

ROCKWOOD ENTERPRISES, INC.Houston, tXDuane Aman(281) 445-5770www.equinomics101.comcomputer software: blackboard modules.

TECHNOLOGIES WESTtrabuco canyon, cAsidney Kritzstein(949) 766-9495www.techwest.nettest/measurement instruments, Ac/Dc power supplies, Ate, digital test, environmental test chambers, eMc,rf/microwave, data acquisition, oeM.

SOUTHLAND SALES, LLCLake Park, GAstacy smith(229) 548-1800Mechanical bearings, brakers, starters, contacts, hydraulics, industrial safety supplies, absorbents, repairs.

STALLARD RESOURCES, LLCLinesville, PADouglas stallard(814) 683-4536Packaging, inspection, material handling equipment, machinery, wire shelving, stainless steel fixtures, storage shelving, carts, trays.

WESTLAKE, INC.romeoville, iLsteven stark(815) 210-7590

THE WHITTEMORE CO.Bloomingdale, iLDavid Zaval(630) 529-9747www.whittemore-inc.comWorkholding products, industrial cutting tools, broaching products/services, gauging solutions for in-process, post-process oeM component parts.

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MANUFACTURERS

New MeMbers

STEVE ABRAMS MARKETING, LLCflorham Park, NJsteve Abrams(973) 722-4279www.steveabramsmarketing.com

ALPHALITEMount Laurel, NJtimothy Paul svitak(856) 261-8086www.alphalite.com

BOLLHOFF, INC.Kendallville, iNrandall thomas sheetz(815) 721-0897www.bollhoff.comManufacturer of blind rivet nuts, self pierce riveting systems, sheet metal clinching systems, plastic fasteners, brass threaded inserts for plastics, quarter turn fasteners, tolerance compensation fasteners.

CALIFORNIA WIRE EDMsanta Ana, cAMike Grimm(714) 751-2336www.calwire.comManufacturer of medical, dental parts, assemblies.

COMPREHENSIVE LOGISTICS, INC.Youngstown, oHKristina Manganella(330) 539-1099www.complog.comsupply chain management & distribution, transportation management, synchronous manufacturing & value added services; sub assembly, sequencing, kitting inspection, repacking & just-in-time logistics.

CONSTRUCTION SPECIALTIES, INC.Lebanon, NJKen Major(908) 849-4013www.c-sgroup.comManufacturer of market louver systems, grilles, sun controls, expansion joint covers, explosion, fire vents, wall protection systems; entrance flooring, door protection system, cubicle curtains.

DANCRAFT, INC.Providence, riDan D’Alessio(401) 272-0480www.dancraftdisplays.comAcrylic sign holders - stock & custom, design & manufacture stock and custom acrylic displays, contract laser cutting, engraving and fabrication of plastics, novelty keychains for retail.

DUVAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC.Quebec, canadaPierre Jobidon(418) 780-8108www.duvaltechnologies.comWe are a manufacturer of industrial lubricant, penetrant, solvent and cleaner. Most of our products are made with renewable and biodegradable materials.

DYNAMAC, INC.Addison, iLMartin Keane(630) 543-0033www.dynamac-usa.comfull service precision, robotic machining facility. We operate lights out 24/7. industries that we service are microwave connectors, medical & general machining. our niche is turning & milling. our size range is micro miniature 20 x 20. turning capacity is 2 inches.

EAGLEBURGMANN KE, INC.Hebron, KYMichael G. Green(859) 586-3820www.ke-burgmann.comManufacturer of metal, fabric, rubber expansion joints, offer filed service, installation.

ELEMENTO 3Mexico, MexicoVanessa Patino+00525552544652www.elemento3.com

ELSCOTT MANUFACTURINGGouldsboro, MePaul Hurlburt(888) 391-7401www.elscott.comNegative temperature coefficient (Ntc) thermistors; PcBA technology including sMt, thru-hole, flex & rigid circuit, electro-mechanical and hand assembly, single & double sided, 0201 chip devices, roHs lead free, iPc 600/610 and J-stD-003 certified. A wide range of transformers & coil construction types & capability ranges.

ENGINEERED PARTS SOURCING, INC.Alpharetta, GAtim Harris(770) 664-6742www.engineeredpartsinc.com

FAST FELT CORPORATIONHouston, tXDavid A. collins(713) 784-5513www.fastfelt.comowner, sales of proprietary, patented roofing technology; a polymer nail-reinforcement applied to organic underlayment rolls & in the near future synthetics for roofing and building covers.

FIBER-TECH, INC.franksville, WiMichael Bever(262) 835-1300www.fiber-techinc.comManufacturer of fiber reinforced plastic composite components & assemblies for oeMs in agricultural & construction equipment, commercial rail, mass transit, telecommunications, transportation, aerospace & power generation markets. complete manufacturing cycle from initial concept & design engineering through prototype, tooling, preproduction & production in volumes from tens to thousands.

GRAFTEL, LLCelk Grove Village, iLDavid James Glover(847) 364-2600www.graftel.comAccredited calibration & testing services of water flow, gas flow, air velocity, temperature, humidity.

HVR ADVANCED POWER COMPONENTS, INC.tonawanda, NYDavid Yanko(716) 693-4700www.hvrapc.com

ITW SEXTONMartinsburg, WVYurij Wowczuk(304) 267-8923www.sextoncan.comManufacturer of deep drawn stampings for the automotive filtration, heavy equipment, industrial, electronics marketplaces.

INDUSTRIAL ENCLOSURE CORPORATIONAurora, iLDave Buddle(630) 898-0400www.industrialenclosure.comcustom & standard electrical enclosures mild steel stainless steel aluminum.

INKMARTAlbertville, ALsteve capizzi(678) 717-7713www.inkmart.com

INNOVATIVE LIGHTroland, iArick Jacobsen(515) 388-1011www.innovativelight.comLeD lighting systems, injection plastic molding, automotive, marine, truck & trailer.

IONIC FOOT SPA VERTSANTEYoungstown, oHchantal Pepin(330) 519-5663www.ionicfootspavertsante.com

LTM CONCRETEDenver, coLloyd Lawrence(303) 592-9548www.ltmconcrete.com

MICRO CONTACTS, INC.Hicksville, NYrichard Mancini(516) 433-4830www.microcontacts.com

PANOAK NATURAL GAStulsa, oKcameron Hutton(918) 622-3442www.panoak.comNatural gas producer, operator, exploration, pipelining.

PLITEQtoronto, oN, canadaPaul Downey(416) 440-1094www.pliteq.comAcoustical, sound control, recycled products, floor & wall.

RIVERDALE MILLS CORP.Northbridge, MALawrence Walsh(508) 234-7808www.riverdale.com

SFR INDUSTRIES, INC.cadott, WiMichael Geary(715) 289-4440www.sfrindustries.comManufacturer of plastic profile extrusions.

SMI USA, INC.Atlanta, GArebekah rund(404) 799-9929www.smigroup.net

SOUTHERN VALVE FITTING USA, INC.Naples, fLrobert W. richard(305) 757-8455www.soval.com

STRATEGIOML’Assomption, Qc, canadaJacques Dalphond(514) 248-1633www.videotron.ca

SUPERIOR GEARBOX COMPANYstockton, MoKen cook(417) 276-5191www.superiorgearbox.comGearboxes.

THOMAS CONVEYOR CO.Burleson, tXMark Wilkerson(817) 295-7151www.thomasconveyor.comManufacturer of screw conveyors, screw feeders, shaftless screw conveyors, heat transfer conveyors, bucket elevators & drag conveyors. Also fabricate small hoppers,bins & conveyor slide gates.

THREE SIXTY MANUFACTURING SERVICESeast Longmeadow, MAruss Davies(413) 526-2329www.360manufacturing services.com

TW GROUP NORTH AMERICA, INC.rochester, Misergio Gabriel(248) 877-3475www.twgroup.com.br

UV INTERNATIONALcedar Knolls , NJDi cai(973) 775-1660www.uvintl.com

V- BLOX CORPORATIONJacksonville, fLfrank Peake(904) 425-4908www.vblox.com

VECTOR TECHNOLOGIES, LTD.Milwaukee, Withomas L. Maddox(414) 247-7100www.vector-vacuums.comindustrial central vacuum systems, multi-stage blowers, exhausters.

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66 | agency sales | December 2011

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In Memoriam LeonL.Wolf,84,diedinOctober.AlifelongresidentofCincinnati,Ohio,andaveteranofWorldWarII,Wolfwasapracticingattorneyfor57years.Hewasamember of the law firm of Strauss & Troy with offices in Cincinnati and northern Kentucky. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati College of Law, he served as assistantattorneygeneralfortheStateofOhiofrom1954-55. A substantial portion of his practice since 1955 had been devoted to counseling manufacturers and independent representatives in the drafting, administration and termination of contracts. He was a contributing speaker at MANA’s seminars for agents and manufacturers, focusing on clearly understanding the written

contract. He also was a contributor to Agency Sales magazine. He is survived by his wife of 63 years, Betty Ann Wolf, and five children.

ADVERTISER LISTRamirez & Associates, P.C. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Schoenberg Finkel Newman & Rosenberg, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29SalesWise . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35LawOfficeofDouglasA.Andrews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56RepPlace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Hertz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61MRERF. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83

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Agency Sales December 2011

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