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It's clear from conversations with ASA members across the country, finding talent continues to be an issue for distributors, manufacturers, and manufacturer reps. Identified as a problem several years ago, [...]

Just this morning, a co-worker reminisced about the first time she met my oldest daughter, Frances. She recalled two- year-old Frances walking into the Gerhard's Kitchen & Bath Store she [...]

Buckeye Fabricating Co is a typical small company generating less than $3 million in sales annually. It dreams of becoming a major player in the pressure vessel fabrication industry and a key part of this vision includes the successful use of professional manufacturers' agents. The firm conducted a study to determine its ideal representative. Of forty-eight candidates surveyed, one from Illinois was selected, and business results attest to the validity of Buckeye's choice.

Many elements contribute to excellent sales performance in manufacturer-independent sales representative arrangements. The most critical of these factors is the accurate matching of the two partners. Manufacturers must acknowledge that successful manufacturers' agents will not profoundly alter what they do or how they do it when they opt to represent a new manufacturer. It is therefore crucial for manufacturers to find and recruit only those representatives who are doing what is required to succeed for that manufacturer, for which several tips are given.

Sales agencies can increase their profits and improve efficiency by hiring highly skilled people on a part-time basis instead of having full-time employees who lack the necessary skills. Real benefits to agencies translate to payroll savings, more work accomplished and no obligations to pay for benefits. Two indicators for the use of part-time employees are the economic situation and the difficulty in finding good full-time employees.

Manufacturers' agents should view the task of hiring new people as something similar to that of buying new cars. Just as consumers create a mental picture of the cars they want, so should manufacturers' agents visualize the kind of employees they need. However, most employers fail to realize that recruiting new employees also involves buying the services of the people hired. Also, most of the serious errors in selecting new workers are done during job interviews. Employers should interview job applicants thoroughly and learn to read between the lines when assessing resumes.

Advertisements for soliciting sales representation should be well planned to draw the attention of the desired manufacturers' agents. An effective advertisement should highlight the company's existing business in its area and the agencies its currently working with. An opportunity for a long-term relationship, better incentives and the company's ability to handle sales leads should also be stipulated in the advertisement.

Luring salespeople away from the competition may have its benefits, but the drawbacks can be numerous It happens in every industry. Whether it's Coke and Pepsi, Nike and Reebok, or […]

The selection and hiring of poor and incompetent manufacturers' representatives can lead to the wasting of opportunity costs and direct costs, which involve training and contract negotiation among others. Details on interview questions in hiring the right rep firm, as well as planning to visit their office and inviting them to yours, are discussed.

Manufacturer's sales representatives' selection, relationship, payments, training program, monetary incentives, and learning are discussed. Running of manufacturers' councils are also presented.

Byline: TJ O'Connor The twin challenges of managing an aging workforce and finding high-quality recruits will test many companies in the electrical market over the next few years. Historically, the [...]

Byline: Tom & TJ O'Connor The twin challenges of managing an aging workforce and finding high-quality recruits will test many companies in the electrical market over the next few years. [...]

You've been growing your company, and it's generating a pretty healthy profit. Your staff of salespeople is doing a good job, leaving you free to run the business. But now [...]

The best way to recruit and retain top-level sales representatives is to develop a human resource system. The system involves five steps that are dependent on each another. These steps are understanding the position requirements, developing minimum performance standards, establishing work contact, developing a competency-based performance review and creating a competency-based compensation system.

Hiring additional personnel as part of the expansion of a manufacturer's sales agency involves personal issues. Agency owners must begin with the understanding that people have their own prejudices and may hold different perspectives toward the same situation. Thus, the decision to hire depends on an owner's level of comfort. If the agency feels that it is better off under the same environment, then hiring more people is moot and academic. On the other hand, bringing in new personnel means obligations and responsibilities for both parties.

A guideline on how manufacturers can recruit the appropriate sales agents for their products is presented. Job descriptions must be written with the assistance of both human resources and marketing personnel. These descriptions must be flexible enough to accomodate the individual characteristics of agents. Potential recruits are acquired through advertisements, trade shows and recommendations from other manufacturers.

Manufacturers seeking the best sales agents should put the same effort into recruiting an agent as they would in hiring an executive. Sales agents want to know they will be treated as team partners, not just marketing channels. Honesty and openness are appreciated. Companies should take care in establishing relationships and keep their current agents happy since word-of-mouth advertising remains one of the most effective means of recruiting.

Today's economic environment may be taking a toll on independent insurance agencies, but it also presents a unique opportunity. With more high-quality individuals available than ever before, now may be [...]

Recruitment Process Techniques Last month, we discussed the process used for finding appropriate reps, and how to select a few to visit in each target market. When we visit potential [...]

National Seeks Surer 32000 Design-Win Effort With Costly Rep Buyout Plan It is move to conscript independent sales representatives to create a nationwide direct sales force, National Semiconductor is underwriting [...]