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MLR Hiring Checklist
If you are thinking about hiring a multi-line rep to service your
supplier company, consider these tips:
Plan to provide ongoing
training on products and
production on all lines.
Keep reps in the loop
whenever there are
challenges with inventory,
product quality, customer
service, etc., so they can
be prepared when meeting
with distributors.
The sales agreement must
include specifics about the
territory covered, a description
of job responsibilities for
both parties, and clearly
defined sales expectations,
compensation, and show and
sample budgets. If there are
house accounts, be clear
about them. Also, include a
termination notice of, ideally,
30 days in the first year
and 60 days in the second
and subsequent years on
orders placed.
Give your multi-line rep
the authority to make
sales decisions.
Recognize that the rep wants
to be an integral part of
your company.
Include reps in industry trade
shows and distributor events.
Don’t expect skyrocketing
sales increases in the first
six months—good things
take time.
Ask the rep for a business
plan that clearly maps out the
rep’s strategy.
Find a rep who is responsive.
Don’t pinch pennies to
lose dollars.
Don’t ask for call reports. If
these are needed, consider a
full-time factory rep instead.
Pay the multi-line rep for all
orders that come in from
the states he or she covers
including national accounts if
they have offices in that territory.
To find good reps, query
distributors in that territory.
Ask which multi-line reps are
working the territory and who
they would recommend.
Be respectful and thoughtful
about when and how often
you travel with a multi-line
rep. One or two trips per year
may be sufficient.
Be careful about taking multi-
line reps off the road for long
sales meetings. Not making
calls costs them money.
On how reps can remain relevant
in a changing industry:
Company
acquisitions are making our job
a little bit harder in regard to the
fact that all suppliers want to grow
in this industry and an acquisition
sometimes can create somewhat
of an overlap of the products we
represent per supplier. At the
end of the day, distributors go
to specific suppliers for specific
items that they manufacture and
decorate better than the other
supplier. That won’t change,
unless the supplier goes all in
and buys the same high-tech
machinery to either produce
a better product or be able to
decorate it better. It definitely can
be challenging. Thank goodness
our loyal distributors really try
to sell the lines we represent
because they know we give
them multiple suggestions and
solutions for each project.
On how distributors can help
him serve them better:
Reach
out and ask for help more often. I
try to be as proactive as I can by
asking questions during my office
visits and asking for artwork so
that I can forward it to appropriate
suppliers for virtual samples.
These lead to specs, and specs
typically result in orders. It’s all
about getting the ball rolling—as
we all know, time can kill deals.
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Best Multi-Line Reps
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FEATURE