How Manufacturers Become Their Reps' Emotional Favorite

Charles CohonCEO & President

Manufacturers’ Agents National Association

[email protected]

(877)626-2776

10% Income, 20% Time. Why?

Jack BermanBob Reiss

It’s Not Just Business.

It’s Personal.

19 Categories

It’s Not Just Business. It’s Personal.

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19 Categories

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4


• Respect my company

and accomplishments.

• Make me look good to

my customers.


Rep Company Pride

Appreciate the rep

rep friendly/part of the family

Respect my company and accomplishments


Appreciate the rep


Communicates quickly and accurately:

reports, quotes, samples,

answers, quality issues

Make me look good to my customers.


Appreciate the rep





Collaborative style



Appreciate the rep





Collaborative style

Pays on time



Appreciate the rep





Collaborative style

Pays on time

Profitable



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Emotional Favorite


Appreciate the rep





Collaborative style

Pays on time

ProfitableTrainingExclusive TerritoriesFun to work with

Great Products

Sales Tools

Synergy

Tech Support

Understands the rep model

Empowering

Golden Rule

Great Infrastructure

Great MarketingLong term approach

Skilled presenter

The rep you want:

• Rep Company Pride


• Reinforce

• Contradict

…want LEIA, to be Loved,

Encouraged, Inspired and

Appreciated.


If you invest your time,

treasure and talent into

building "real relationships"

with your reps, THEY will

kick down walls and set

records for you!


Reps and salespeople

want …to KNOW you

care and they want to

FEEL like they are your

PRIZED RACE HORSES!


The companies who … get an

Unfair Advantage…

•Are fun to work with.

•APPRECIATE the work that we

do for them.

•Take care of issues (quality,

quotes, lead time, etc) quickly!


• Respected and appreciated by

the principal….

• A "member of the family…"

• Top-notch support …

• Never play games with the

(commission) plan, make

unilateral changes to it, or be

delinquent on payments...


…“treat everyone as you

would like to be treated"

or "do unto others as you

would have them do unto

you" works every time.


Training is key. You lose (reps’)

interest if they cannot explain

your products. Show that your

organization needs them and

you are willing to give full

support. I guarantee they will

be your partners forever!


ManaEbook.com


Not Emotional Favorite


If I do too much

business, they might:


1. Replace me with

in-house personnel

2. Cut the commission

3. Shrink my territory.

better prices or terms

than I am empowered to

give.


They give my customers

They don’t listen to my

input, and afford me no

respect for my

experience.


Communication:

goals or have no

shared goals or

expectations.


They don’t set realistic

don’t understand the

business.


They hire regional

sales managers who

customer service

department


They have a poor


1. Ship on time

2. Innovate enough new

products

3. Tell the truth

4. Understand the rep

business

Principals who don’t always:

Principals who:


1. Expect too much from the

rep in terms of collecting

bills.

2. Talk to my buyers without

keeping me in the loop.

1. Have too many “house

accounts” in my territory.

2. Have poor follow-through

and don’t pay attention to

detail.

3. Hide problems.


Principals who:

Why are certain lines

favored over others?


1. The principals treat us like

partners.

2. We know the products and are

therefore comfortable selling them.

3. Commissions are fair in rate,

amount, split, and are paid on

time.




1. The principal responds

promptly.

2. The products are of good

quality.

3. The factory is easy to work with.

4. Customer acceptance.




1. Principals meet delivery

commitments.

2. Personal relationships with

the principal.

3. Good catalogs and selling aids.




1. Fits synergistically with our

other lines.

2. Principal is customer-oriented.

3. Good income potential.

4. Reasonable paperwork

requested.




What discourages reps?


1. Slow response - lack of

enthusiasm.

2. Lack of support and

understanding.

3. Late payment of commission.

4. Unreliable products and/or

delivery.



1. Poor product training.

2. Not competitive

3. Regional Managers

a) Micro-manage

b) Too aggressive

c) Lack product knowledge



1. Excessive unprepared

factory visits.

2. Management by

intimidation.

3. Unrealistic quotas and

budgets.



1. Poor product training.

2. Constant turnover in

personnel, including regional

managers.

3. Untrained inside people

Rude, hostile.

4. Difficult to work with.



What should a mfr.

do to get maximum

attention from reps?


1. From the top down, I would

instill and monitor an

attitude that we are a team

and that the rep is our

partner.


What should a mfr. do to get

maximum attention from reps?




1. Monitor customer service

people to respond promptly

2. Maintain good product

training on a regular basis.

3. Mail commissions on time -

same day each month

1. Publish a newsletter reporting

rep successes.

2. Minimize reports and

paperwork.

3. Provide extra commissions as

incentives.

4. Set mutual goals with reps.




1. Set mutual goals with

representatives.

2. Pay maximum possible commissions

and be fair on split commissions.

3. Provide best sales tools possible

4. Establish and listen to Rep Councils.




Why do you get MORE

than your fair share

from some Reps?


1. Dollar income they receive on

our line.

2. Success with our line.

3. Potential for the future.

4. Factory Support we give them.

5. Personal Relationships.


Why do you get MORE than

your fair share from some Reps?

1. Product Training.

2. Synergistic Lines.

3. Prompt Communications.

4. Easy-to-sell Products.

5. Competitive Pricing.


Why do you get MORE than


Why do you get LESS

than your fair share

from some Reps?


1. Not as Big as Other Lines

2. Poor Synergy With Other Lines

3. Too Many Lines

4. Rep Not Interested in Long

Haul


Why do you get LESS than


1. General Lack of Enthusiasm

2. Poor Communications

3. Our Neglect

4. Poor Penetration

5. Bad Relationships


Why do you get LESS than


What indicates that

reps are giving you

more than your

fair share?


A lot of activity as indicated by:

1. Phone calls

2. Sample Requests

3. Questions

4. Applications - etc.


What indicates that reps are

giving you more than your

fair share?

A lot of activity as indicated by:

1. Increasing Sales

2. Consistent Growth

3. New accounts

4. Good lead handing

5. Requests for Factory Visits


What indicates that reps are

giving you more than your

fair share?

What indicates that

reps give you less than

your fair share?


What indicates that reps

give you less than your

fair share?


1. Tardiness in returning calls

2. Lack of product knowledge

as seen by confusion, dumb

questions, overlooked

applications.

1. Not asking the questions

they should need answers to.

2. Contrived customer visits on

the arrival of the principal.


What indicates that reps

give you less than your

fair share?

What are your

people doing to get

MORE than their fair

share?


1. Improved product training.

2. Increased territory visits -

jointly planned.

3. Sending more technically

trained people in the field to

help reps and customers.


What are your people doing

to get MORE than their fair share?

1. Freer flow of samples.

2. Participation in Regional Shows

3. Newsletters on Products and

Applications

4. Recognition/Rep of the Month.

5. National Sales Meetings




1. Reduced Paperwork

2. Weekly phone calls

3. Regional Managers are spending

more time with less active reps.

4. Commission Incentive programs.

5. Performance Reviews




Inspect!


Don’t just expect.

Charles CohonCEO & President

Manufacturers’ Agents National Association

[email protected]

(877)626-2776

How Manufacturers Become Their Reps' Emotional Favorite

Business

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