L

Why Hire a Manufacturer’s Rep?
Such firms can help a supplier grow its market presence without having to hire a full-time sales staff,
but it’s important to pick the right firm.
L
Rosie Hirsch
is the president of RVLI
(RV Lifestyle Inc.), an
Agoura Hills, Calif.based manufacturer’s
rep firm for the RV
and marine industries.
She has been an RV
aftermarket sales
consultant for more
than 25 years. For
more information,
visit www.rvli.com.
et’s start with the basic question: “Why hire a
rep group in the first place?”
The answer is actually quite simple: A sales
representative group creates consistent, profitable
growth for their supplier partners. For certain manufacturers, it doesn’t make economic sense to maintain
full-time sales staff in-house; it makes more sense
to contract out the sales, marketing and training
responsibilities to experienced professionals who
can provide a large impact in geographic regions,
with fully developed relationships at dealer and distributor levels.
The RV retail sales floor is a battlefield – one
where the strongest and most resilient dealers have
survived the siege of the Great Recession and are
still navigating through the downturn of the past
few years. And now, with super-lean budgets and
trimmed down staffing, they need manufacturer reps
as their “mercenaries” to help continue the battle for
retail sales gains and company profits.
What qualities should you look for when hiring a
rep group? The following six characteristics are key:
1. Integrity & ethics
2. RV product knowledge
3. A “can-do” attitude
4. Dedication
5. Communication/follow-through
6. Adaptability
Integrity & Ethics
Just as you expect any of your own employees
to be honest, professional and respectful, you
should expect the same from your reps; after all,
they are an extension of your company. You want
an agent with a reputation for maintaining the
highest levels of integrity and ethics.
The employees for the agency should demonstrate these traits daily in phone conversations,
e-mails, conducting sales calls, training sessions
and working with inside and outside distributor
sales personnel. Whenever a mistake is made,
they answer for it, correct it, and move on. No
excuses. They should deliver what was promised,
when it was promised. You hire a representative
agency to be your “eyes and ears” out in the
field knowing they have your company’s best
interest in mind.
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RV Product Knowledge
There is an old saying about consultants –
that a consultant is simply a person who tells
you what time it is after having looked at your
watch. Your rep group should be a leader in the
RV aftermarket field – someone who has been
around the proverbial block a thousand times.
They don’t need to look at your watch to know
what time it is because they are the springs, gears,
and face of the clock!
But, of course, experience alone isn’t enough.
Our industry is changing all the time and the need
for your rep to be well-versed on your product
offering, and how it applies to distribution as well
as retail, is critical. This means working through
all aspects of your product: marketing, merchandising, and knowing how it will be accepted in
the RV industry. It is important you hire a group
that sees the “big picture” right down to the tiniest
detail for your products success.
A ‘Can-Do’ Attitude
A top-notch rep group achieves success
through passion and enthusiasm. They will
demonstrate interest and excitement for the RV
industry generally, and for people and products more specifically, in everything they do.
The rep group you need meets challenges headon and works through obstacles diligently and
industriously.
For example, years ago we went to market
with a particular product that most everyone in
the industry thought could not sell. I received
phone calls from industry people who stated the
product was “too innovative for our industry”
and that no one had “seen” it yet. I heard things
like “stick to a brand everyone knows, that will
create commissionable sales right away.”
But my team believed in the product and the
supplier, so we simply worked harder to show
how this new product would work. As a result,
we took a product that had a different formulation and application, no brand exposure, and
made it a top-seller in the industry. The supplier believed in our team, and we believed in
them. A true partnership crafts success in the
marketplace.
rv-pro.com
5/15/13 3:14 PM
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Dedication
Dedication and commitment are critical
characteristics. The best rep groups know
how to build relationships and nurture those
relationships over time
to achieve sales growth.
They are dedicated to
that task. In fact, they
are relentless.
One of the important
lessons I have learned is
to live in the shoes of the
people you service. By
this, I mean consumers,
dealers and distributor
outside and inside sales
consultants. As a representative agency, we must
understand and listen to what their needs are
— in some instances identify needs before
they do, and devote the time to do so.
plier to the dealer (via the distributors) in
a way that ramps up sales and margins.
Having open and honest communication
“ A top-notch rep group achieves
success through passion and
enthusiasm. They will demonstrate
interest and excitement for the RV
industry generally, and for people
and products more specifically,
in everything they do.
”
about the needs of a dealer — and how
that transcends into our marketplace, is
an outstanding and rewarding experience.
Communication/Follow-Through
Adaptability
Follow-through applies more to individual sales efforts and tasks, rather than
to the totality of the business relationship
(that’s dedication), but it is equally important. You want a rep group that routinely
communicates what is going on in the field,
and follows-through on key project tasks
to make sure things are accomplished as
previously agreed upon, to ensure miscommunication does not occur.
Follow-through also is the best lead-in
to the next step in the process. You will benefit by having a group that takes the lead by
following-up and following-through, even
to the point where they will lead the sales
team through the next sales opportunity
or proverbial doorway, rather than sitting
back and waiting for you to tell them what
to do next, or vice versa.
For RVLI, the best example is our
supplier line for RV aftermarket parts. A
dialed-in rep force can truly lift the retail
burden off the dealer by linking the sup-
Right off the bat, let’s make this clear
– adaptability is what to look for – not
flexibility. Flexibility is good because it
means the group can make adjustments.
But adaptability is better because adaptability means the group will not only
adjust to change, but they will learn from
it and adapt to the changed landscape. This
means you want a rep group comprised
of hungry and avid learners. They will be
quickly dialed-in to what your needs are;
as quickly as things change, they will be
dialed-in again.
Altogether, the representative sales consultant agency you choose should possess
these identifiable qualities. Different agencies go to market in various ways, so you’ll
want to be sure their strategic plans, business focus, and approach align with your
company’s overall vision. Holding true to
these main tenets and choosing an agency
you can trust will set your company up for
long-term growth.
rv-pro.com RVPJune.indd 73
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June 2013 • RV Pro • 73
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