Below you will find MANA’s carefully curated list of best practices for manufacturers selling through manufactures’ reps.

Contents

  1. Understand the Manufacturer-Manufacturers’ Representative Relationship
  2. Select the Right Manufacturers’ Rep
  3. Create Fair and Balanced Written Agreements
  4. Develop Trust and Open Communications With Manufacturers’ Reps
  5. Form Rep Councils to Improve the Rep-Manufacturer Relationship
  6. Create Mutual Action Plans on How to Grow Territory Sales
  7. Set Up Territory Visits for Maximum Benefit
  8. Run Impactful Sales Meetings
  9. Develop Missionary Territories

1. Understand the Manufacturer-Manufacturers’ Representative Relationship

An understanding of the effective way to partner with your manufacturers’ representatives is crucial for developing long-term and mutually profitable relationships

RELEVANT AGENCY SALES MAGAZINE ARTICLES

TELEFORUMS AND PODCASTS

Teleforums are hour-long conversations with people who know the topic. Podcasts are shorter interviews with knowledgeable people.

Sync your phone to your car speakers and listen to the teleforums or podcasts as you drive to and from work.

2. Select the Right Manufacturers’ Rep

Learn the importance of and how to conduct a thorough interview and due diligence process. You want ensure there’s a high probability the relationship works well for both of you prior to signing the agreement.

RELEVANT AGENCY SALES MAGAZINE ARTICLES

TELEFORUMS AND PODCASTS

Teleforums are hour-long conversations with people who know the topic. Podcasts are shorter interviews with knowledgeable people.

Sync your phone to your car speakers and listen to the teleforums or podcasts as you drive to and from work.

3. Create Fair and Balanced Written Agreements

At the conclusion of the selection process, manufacturers sign agreements with their manufacturers’ representatives. These agreements need to work for both parties; otherwise, they work for neither. These agreements govern how the relationship will work and spell out the rules of engagement.

The manual contains background and rationale information for the clauses found in a typical manufacturers’ representative agreement. You will also find sample agreements in it.

For help with agreements, MANA recommends you contact our list of Rep Savvy Attorneys.

What commission rates apply for the products or services my company supplies?

RELEVANT AGENCY SALES MAGAZINE ARTICLES

OTHER RESOURCES

VIDEO

TELEFORUMS AND PODCASTS

Teleforums are hour-long conversations with people who know the topic. Podcasts are shorter interviews with knowledgeable people.

Sync your phone to your car speakers and listen to the teleforums or podcasts as you drive to and from work.

4. Develop Trust and Open Communications With Manufacturers’ Reps

Manufacturers and their manufacturers’ representatives need to communicate in an effective manner. For communications to flow freely, the trust level must be high. These communications deal with relevant information that provides value for both sides of the relationship.

TELEFORUM

Teleforums are hour-long conversations with people who know the topic.

Sync your phone to your car speakers and listen to the teleforum as you commute to and from your office.

5. Form Rep Councils to Improve the Rep-Manufacturer Relationship

Once you establish your manufacturers’ representative network, you want them to sell lots for you. You work together as “Partners in Profits” and an effective tool that fosters this type of a relationship is a Rep Council. The Rep Council provides focused feedback and recommendations on ways you can improve how you work with each other. You select a small number of your manufacturers’ representatives and sales management staff to make up the Rep Council.

RELEVANT AGENCY SALES MAGAZINE ARTICLES

MANAcasts

MANAcasts are conversations with people who know the topic.

PODCAST

Sync your phone to your car speakers and listen to the teleforums or podcasts as you commute to and from your office.

6. Create Mutual Action Plans on How to Grow Territory Sales

7. Set Up Territory Visits for Maximum Benefit