A Rep Vets Suppliers
Staff -- Gifts & Decorative Accessories, 12/1/2002
Steve Grossman is a 25-year sales rep veteran and a partner in GM Partners, based in Arlington Heights, Illinois. His firm represents a number of manufacturers selling to mass food, hardware, and soft goods retailers in Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin as well as retailers in Phoenix, Arizona. Experience has taught him that it's important to do due diligence on a manufacturer before agreeing to represent them. Here's what he has to say about vetting, or evaluating, before committing:
"I recently traveled to Vancouver, BC, to visit a manufacturer of soy wax candles. I decided to begin visiting manufacturers, if possible, before representing them. This is especially true if I have not seen them at major shows or don't have a recommendation from fellow reps.
"Within the last year I've been 'hurt' by three manufacturers and have taken a more proactive role in screening future factories that I plan to represent, in order to get a reading on both the personnel and climate of the facilities. Over the years, I have learned to trust my own gut more than just what I hear. If I choose to sleep with a snake, I want to do it with my eyes wide open.
"The courting process tells you a lot about the factory and the people you will be working with. If the relationship starts out rocky, chances are that it will always be a bumpy ride. I would rather invest $1,000 in expenses and a couple of days researching a prospective supplier than waste days or weeks later, and risk my reputation as well as lose out on commission dollars.
Two categories"When it comes to finding new principals to represent, I find that there are two categories. The first one — and the one that we love — is the phone call we get from a sales manager that a buyer or fellow rep has recommended us, and that this new line will fit well with our current accounts.
"The other category is when I go after a particular manufacturer. This is becoming almost as hard as calling on a new buyer. First, you have to find the right person to talk to. Then you have to spend the time to get this person to take a phone call or answer an e-mail. Finally, it's time for an intelligent conversation about matters such as, 'Do our strengths match their needs?' Just like a buyer, the manufacturer has to be convinced that they are in a place where they see a need.
"Sometimes, I work for more than a year to sign up a good potential line. However, I only spend that much time if the sales manager has been responsive in our conversations, but has asked for more time before making a decision.
"Being a rep means always being on the move, expanding your account base and/or finding new manufacturers to add income and excitement to the lines you already have. But it always pays to take a close look before signing on the dotted line."
