Manufacturer’s Reps practice a wide range of trades, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t first salespeople. In a recent article by Tim Ryder, he makes some important distinctions about the abilities and capabilities of a manufacturer representative.
The adage of being a “Jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none” does not necessarily apply to independent manufacturers’ representatives. While the “business” end may require that we become “Jacks” of the many facets of running our agencies (such as HR, IT, accounting, engineering, healthcare, management, etc.), our “profession” requires that we are “masters” in the selling process.
Most of us got into the manufacturers’ representative business because we had a certain set of skills in selling that gave us the confidence not only to make a living in sales, but to make a career out of it.
