| When
manufacturers choose to outsource field sales to manufacturers'
representatives, they provide their distributors as well as end
customers with more than a source, but with a resource as well.
This stems from the benefits inherent in the rep's permanence in
the territory, the systems selling enabled by product line
synergy, the caliber of rep sales personnel and their heightened
ability, compared to factory-payroll personnel, to serve as the
customer's advocate.
Relationships
After all, a rep's success is linked to his or her contacts with
customers and distributors in the territory, not with their
friends in the corporate hierarchy. The factory-direct
salesperson who produces is likely to be promoted, whether to
another location or to the home office. The average stay of a
company salesperson in a given territory is only 22 months. For
manufacturers' representatives, a figure of 22 years would be
more likely!
Efficient Sales Calls
But beyond the importance of the stability of
relationships, the most simplistic value of the rep to the
customer is that the multiple-line sales call is simply more
cost-effective. The buyer saves time discussing several needs
during a single meeting. A systems approach brings value to the
customer. It also facilitates multi-level contact within the
customers' organization.
Win-Win-Win - How the Customer Benefits from the Rep
Relationship
| 1. |
Stable relationship with someone who
knows the total corporate culture |
| 2. |
Long-term commitment to the territory
|
| 3. |
Serves the customer as a multi-faceted
resource |
| 4. |
More efficient sales calls - cover
several products in a single meeting |
| 5. |
Consultative selling |
| 6. |
Bridges the communications gap among
departments |
| 7. |
Advocacy, ability to secure exceptions
to supplier policy |
| 8. |
Help in order strategy, through
distribution or direct |
| 9. |
Perspective on market conditions and
trends |
| 10. |
Solutions approach - looking at the
forest, not just the trees |
Advocacy - the customer's most important resource
The objectivity and perspective that the multiple-line
sales professional brings to the table is never more important
than when the customer's need diverges from the manufacturer's
standard operating procedures. Whether it's a product
modification or an expedited delivery, the representative can,
and will, fight harder for the customer. The rep has more at
stake, with all the other products being sold into that company,
as well as more freedom than the direct salesperson to carry his
clout on the customer's behalf all the way to the top.
The representative's role in advocacy goes hand in hand with
that in consulting. Because they're in the territory for the
long term, representatives look beyond the sale to the total
relationship. Territory knowledge combined with multiple-line
exposure and entrepreneurial personality adds up to a
wide-ranging perspective on who's doing what, how it's working,
and where it leads. The market intelligence available to reps is
invaluable both to the manufacturers they represent and to the
customers they call on.
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