Filling a Void
Being the biggest isn’ t always the formula for success. That’ s what one manufacturer maintained as he explained,“ I know that I’ m a small fish in a much bigger pond when it comes to getting the attention of successful reps.
“ What has worked for me is that I’ ve had great luck when I take a really close look at the other lines the manufacturers’ representative represents. After looking at the rep’ s entire offering, I determine if there’ s a void. What that void represents is a niche for me to fill. Once I identify that void, I’ ll contact some of his other lines. Believe me, it’ s really not that difficult to get information from other manufacturers as
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long as you’ re non-competitors. What those other manufacturers tell me is the rep’ s level of commitment. The bottom line here is that commitment to a line is what we’ re really looking for. If we can learn that the rep is committed to his other lines, then we’ ll feel as if we’ re a shoo-in. It all comes down to synergy and determining if we can assist the rep in presenting a more complete line card to the majority of his customers. This is an approach we’ ve successfully followed whenever we seek new representation.”
The Effectiveness of Joint Sales Calls
One manufacturer has taken the joint sales call to a proactive level that has worked well to establish relationships with high-level personnel at many customers’ locations. According to this manufacturer,“ One of the major strengths the rep possesses is the ability to establish, nurture and maintain relationships at the decision-making buying level, especially with their larger customers.