By Charles Cohon, President and CEO, MANA Charlie Ingram, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, Eriez Manufacturing, just shared with me his insights about how having a rep sales force is helping his company get through the COVID‑19 crisis. Here’s what he had to say: “Effective immediately, our home office employees have travel restrictions, […]
by Greg Bruno, President, Midlantic Enterprises, Inc. There are many ways to communicate with principals; a phone call, a voice mail, a written note, a text, an e-mail, a fax and let’s not forget the letter. We have all used these to build our businesses and to communicate with our principals. E-mail messages have rendered […]
by Charles Ingram, VP of Sales & Marketing, Eriez Magnetics A common topic of discussion among manufacturers’ sales managers, besides the exploits of their favorite sports team, is how to get their reps’ attention for their company — and keep it. While there are certainly special or unique methods many manufacturers use (no, I’m not […]
by Jerry Leth, Vice-President and General Manager, MANA What do we mean by professional and why is it important for you to be professional? Let’s discuss the importance of your being professional first. A “natural selection” process exists when manufacturers’ reps and manufacturers connect with each other. A Fortune 500 company won’t set up a relationship with […]
by Michelle Jobst, CPMR, Jobst Incorporated Are you hitting your target results for sales, business development, and career aspirations? Hopefully you’ve built out a clear process and are right on track to hit the results you are aiming for. However, if the answer to that question is “No,” chances are you lack an essential ingredient […]
by Jerry Leth, Vice-President and General Manager, MANA During the last decade, we saw many changes. Our activity level substantially increased and how we communicate with each other continues to evolve (social media, texting). Like a “New Year Resolution,” how about creating some “New Decade Resolutions” to help adapt to these changes? The challenge you […]
by Sid Ragona, Ph.D., Ragona Scientific When a North American rep takes on a foreign principal, not only does it require every one of the same skills one currently uses with a domestic principal but also demands that a whole host of additional skills be added to the rep toolbox. We all know that communication, trust […]
by Stephen Fowler, President, PERCS Businesses invest countless hours and dollars to identify, target and educate their customers. Ultimately though all leads emerge as foundlings left at the doorstep of the sales funnel. They are left waiting to be adopted, nourished, and finally molded into our customer. Orphan leads should be potential or repeat customers. […]
When we talk about MANA members, the first word that always comes to mind is professionalism. The reason is that MANA is the number one resource for professional reps, reps who aspire to become professional, and principals who set high standards of professionalism of reps they choose to be their partners. In speaking with many […]
by John Beaver, GSA Optimum Management likes to use the word “merged.” This scenario has played out for me several times, and I’m pleased to say I’ve benefited more than I’ve lost — the key is being proactive. Yes, sometimes you will lose; it’s just the way the cards play out. Rather than simply giving […]
by David Ice, CPMR, Ice & Associates, Inc. In the 1990s, I had the good fortune to be hired as the sales manager for a contract manufacturer who had a desire to build a rep sales organization in the United States and in adjacent countries. As I proceeded into that assignment I met, interviewed, hired, […]
by Tommy Garnett, CPMR, CSP, Garnett Component Sales, Inc. The relationship between a manufacturer’s inside sales staff and the representing agency is one of the most crucial elements in creating mutual success. Inside sales serves a dual role; first, they must provide support and service to the customer and secondly, they have to champion the […]
by Douglas Bower You can ask most 20-something-year-old males, “What is your ideal car?” The answer that you would most likely hear is a Ferrari or a car of similar ilk. Ask a sales manager or a principal or manufacturer, “What is an ideal rep?” He or she will most likely answer “one that has […]
by John Davis, Paul Davis Automation We have all been there — it’s 1:30 p.m., the car is hot, the A/C still cooling down the sweltering interior. The taste of a wolfed-down lunch lingers as you growl at Siri or Google to please dial the correct number. It is Thursday, the customer from this morning’s […]
by Jerry Leth, Vice-President and General Manager, MANA First, let me answer the question, “Why does that matter?” Manufacturers’ agents want to represent the highest quality principals willing to work with them. To them, the “ideal” principal equals a quality principal. The higher quality the principals they represent, the more “ideal” and the more they […]
by Ed Juline, CPMR, CSP, Mexico Representation How many times have you encountered a manufacturer’s, customer’s or government’s process and asked yourself, “Why is this process so difficult? Why is this process so bureaucratic? Why is this process making our lives more difficult?” I have yet to dig into any broken or lengthy process and […]
by Craig Lindsay, CPMR, CSP, Pacesetter Sales & Associates We faced a conundrum in our business a few years ago. We were on pace to have a record-setting year when we began thinking about our planning for the next year and beyond. With puffed chests and pride in ourselves based on past accomplishments, we began the process. […]
by Charles Ingram, VP of Sales & Marketing, Eriez Magnetics So you’re a manufacturer and you want to develop new business, grow your sales, perhaps in a new geographic territory, new industry/market, or maybe you have a new product to launch. What are the factors any good manufacturer should consider to maximize the likelihood of […]
by John Haskell When a principal changes its regional sales manager or general sales manager it can spell trouble for the independent rep firm. What can you do to accomplish these changes in a non‑threatening manner? One major caveat — I don’t believe the title “regional sales manager” is an appropriate title for people the […]
by Michelle Jobst, CPMR, Jobst Incorporated Cold calling — It can seem like an old fashioned and inefficient task. I would imagine that most salespeople enjoy other contact points more than this one. So why do it? When it is used as one of the many methods to interact with customers, I find that there […]