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The Focus Newsletter is a quarterly publication for PTRA members. Below is the most current newsletter. PDFs are available (right) for archived files.
FOCUS

[Printable Version]

June 2010
Volume 9, Issue 1


Don Elfstrom, PTRA President

Don Elfstrom,
PTRA'S President

President's Perspective
by Don Elfstrom
PTRA President

Get It While the Getting Is Good

I am excited about my business and our industry. I feel confident that our agency will have sustainability for the coming years, and that the industry will also have the same sustainability. I have been saying for the last 10 years that the PT rep has had, and will have, an opportunity for a strong future due to a large industry trend to outsource whatever is possible. So much in business today is outsourced – IT management, administrative services, engineering services, component assembly and manufacturing, human resources, outside sales representation …shall I go on? The list is practically endless.

Corporation XYZ is having a board meeting at their headquarters where the highest executive management convenes to cover many agenda items. One of those items is to discuss the hiring of salespeople, which is badly needed now that business has picked up and inventories have increased to accommodate the increased demand or now that inventory is higher than demand requires and the timing is right to strategize about selling those inventoried products in the marketplace. During that conversation, we know the following observation will be made: “We can hire more salespeople, yet if the economy becomes unsustainable we are at risk of having to let these people go if we have to cash up again .”

This is our opportunity! It is vital at this time as individual agencies that we do all that we can to be very effective at providing the value that we claim to have. Sometimes that involves an investment in time and money that we are frankly afraid to spend. It may involve making a hard decision about the value or lack thereof of someone on our team. Principal members, it may be an opportunity for you to know the agencies better … to give valuable input or guidance to them that could improve their performance for your company and strengthen the agency which makes us all better. Whatever those investments may be, NOW is the time.

It is also timely to strengthen our industry and the association . As we’ve all been taught, we are ambassadors to our cause. We collectively tell our story as being a better, lower cost, more effective, more sustainable channel to our marketplace than a direct outside sales force. We serve PTRA by bringing in more members to further our industry. We are not afraid of other reps competing for our lines and that kind of thing because we know the industry for us is GROWING! In all territories, if the outsource trend is true there is enough business for everyone. Since we believe in our cause, we strongly encourage our Principals to become PTRA Members because we know they will benefit from their membership and their attendance at the annual conference.

Let’s all be strong and confident as we make investments in the future of our industry. We have enough indicators to show it is well worth it and a financial return can be made. I wish you all well, and that you have a fantastic summer.
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Past President's Perspective
  by Jay Holder, Immediate Past President

Jay Holder

Jay Holder
Immediate
Past President

As my time in office for PTRA is coming to end I have “mixed emotions” about my term finishing up. I will enjoy not having to endure the time spent putting an article together for this newsletter, but I will also miss being involved in the meetings and strategic planning sessions of the Executive Committee and Board of Directors.

The last two years have been the most difficult period many of us have experienced in our professional careers, but it looks as if the economy is slowly turning around and we are beginning to see our business coming around. PTRA got caught by the downturn last year and attendance was reflective of the economic situation for our 2009 Conference in Tucson. The 2010 Conference Committee led by Doug Landgraf and Fred Crider worked extremely hard putting together a great lineup of speakers and breakout sessions for our 2010 conference in Charleston, South Carolina. The good news is that our members showed how much they value the benefit of our Annual Conference as our attendance was back up to over 200 people.

The dust is still settling on all of our expenses, but the bottom line is that we made a profit on the conference, offsetting much of the loss from last year’s conference. One thing I have learned during my time involved on the Board of Directors is that the biggest asset PTRA has is its members and their willingness to get involved in running the Association. The Conference Committee, as directed by the membership through surveys and other feedback, has been directed by the Board to continue “raising the bar” for future conferences. Other trade associations have suffered greatly over the last two years in both membership numbers and conference attendance . PTRA can stand proud in that our membership is just six companies shy of our all-time high two years ago, our conference attendance was up more than 20 percent over last year, and our financial situation continues to be very strong.

I am confident President Don Elfstrom and the Board of Directors will continue leading PTRA into the future by working closely with all of the PTRA committees and implementing our Strategic Plan. Please get involved on one of the committees, you may find the Committee Chairmen and members listed at www.ptra .org. President Don Elfstrom and Conference Committee Chairman Curt Benson are already hard at work planning next year’s Conference in Sandestin, Florida.

See ya’ll there!

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Members’ News

Industrial Motor & Controls has hired two new inside sales team members . Don Moore started in our Cincinnati office in December. Don comes to us with over 10 years of inside sales experience. Robert Lowe joined our Cleveland office after two years with Rexel. Please join us in welcoming these two new associates to our team.


Reliable Power Transmission (RPT, LLC) would like to announce the addition of Ryan Broders to our sales staff. Ryan is a recent graduate of Texas A&M and will be in a training program until June 2010. He will them be calling on west and south Texas in support of our growing customer base. Ryan’s addition will increase our sales force to six people covering Texas and the surrounding states.

Let PTRA call attention to your successes, growth, and changes! Email information anytime and we'll include your news in the next edition of FOCUS.

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Welcome New Members

REPS

PRINCIPALS

Dale Jackson
DJ REPS
Upland, CA
909-946-5578
Bob Svacina
CONTREX, INC.
Maple Grove, MN
763-424-7800
Michael Swanson
FLORIDA PROFESSIONAL SALES, LLC
Cape Coral, FL
239-357-5129
Dave DeWitt
CROWN CONTROLS, LLC
Middletown, OH
513-360-4762
Kevin Hagerty
HAGERTY INDUSTRIAL SALES
Whitman, MA
781-738-2773
Barb Ross
DRIVES, LLC
Fulton, IL
815-589-2211
Kenny Nobis
NOBIS INDUSTRIAL SALES & MARKETING
Columbus, OH
614-208-4714
Mark Ward
ECLIPSE TOOLS NORTH AMERICA
Stoney Creek, ON, Canada
905-664-5585
Robert Furneaux
PTM INDUSTRIES, INC.
Toronto, ON, Canada
416-736-4972
Robert Hopkins
EMPIRE DIE CASTING CO., INC.
Macedonia, OH
330-467-0750
Rick McDaniel
POWER COMPONENTS
Charlotte, NC
704-321-9481
James Prevatt
GRIZZLY MANUFACTURING, INC.
Lake City, FL
386-755-0220
Paul Winget
SERVOMOTION SOLUTIONS, LLC
Berkeley Heights, NJ
908-219-4440
Marc Milgrim
HANSEN TRANSMISSIONS
Verona, AZ
540-213-2442
Tom Carlson
TECHNICAL PARTNERS GROUP
Minneapolis, MN
612-822-2508
Connie Veale
MASTERDRIVE, INC.
Fort Atkinson, WI
920-563-5838
Boyd Barnwell
TECHNOLOGY SERVICE & SOLUTIONS, INC.
Cincinnati, OH
513-729-6380
Pat Bernie
NMBTC
San Ramon, CA
408-930-6794
  Mike Nisenbaum
PEER CHAIN COMPANY
Waukegan, IL
847-775-4684
  Dave Vieira
SEPAC, INC.
Elmira, NY
607-732-2030


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Reps Looking Toward the Future
at this Year's PTRA Conference
PTRA'S 2010-2011 Board of Directors

Having a good time at the Conference.

PTRA's 2010-2011 Executive Committee


Keynote Speaker, Alan Beaulieu.

Research:
Fly on the Wall — Interviewing Sales Candidates
  • Do you interview salespeople?
  • Have you ever made a hiring mistake?
  • Do you ever wonder how other sales managers interview and hire?

If you answered yes to any of the above, please consider participating in a new research study on hiring sales candidates.

AxiomOne, a company specializing in employee selection strategies, is currently con-ducting a study on the interviewing and hiring practices used for salespeople . In this “Fly on the Wall” project, our hiring experts will be invisible observers during sales candidate interviews.

In exchange for allowing us to be a “fly on the wall,” we will:

(a) Provide feedback immediately after the interview that includes some “quick wins” your organization can implement immediately for better hiring results .

(b) Provide participants with a full copy of the study upon its completion .

For more information or to participate in the study, contact:

Mike Norton
AxiomOne, LLC
602-490-0380
mnorton@axiomone.com

 

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Consulting Services for Manufacturers and Reps
LINSTER CONSULTING, LLC
P.O. Box 14179 • Baton Rouge, LA 70898
Tel: 225-921-7702
linster@bellsouth.net
www.linsterconsults.com

For Manufacturers' Representatives For the Manufacturer Using Manufacturers' Representatives:
  • Attracting and keeping good lines
  • Staffing properly and profitably for superior results
  • Selling your factories products, pro-grams and policies
  • Communication skills revisited
  • Marketing your company to the industry
  • Operating a factory warehouse
  • Buying and selling too — be careful
  • Know the numbers — financials and sales
  • Owning your own office-warehouse property
  • Succession and exit strategies
  • Using a representative instead of a direct sales force for elements in selecting the right representative firm
  • The CONTRACT
  • Encouraging proper time for your line
  •  Managing the representative — too much, too little
  •  Sales call reports — can be dangerous
  •  National or regional sales meetings- where and when
  •  Measuring the representative’s performance
  •  Compensation and bonuses
  •  A working representative counsel
  • Industry shows and opportunity
  •  Terminations done right

Gale F. Linster, Principal

I am pleased to announce LINSTER CONSULTING, LLC offering services to PTRA Representative Members, Principal Members, and Industrial Products Reps, to mentor the business model and business plan. For more information visit www.linsterconsulting.com.

Strengthening the business model

 

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Check the PTRA Calendar Online for Upcoming Events

 

 

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