Shows
The Rep ConnectionDeveloping New Markets Using Reps2025-05-1356 minThe Rep ConnectionDeveloping New Markets With Professional Manufacturers' Reps2025-05-1328 minThe Rep ConnectionHow to Run Impactful Sales Meetings with Manufacturers' Reps2025-05-1354 minThe Rep ConnectionHow to Handle Territory Visits2025-05-1359 minThe Rep ConnectionWorking With Rep Councils2025-05-1325 minThe Rep ConnectionRep-Manufacturer Communications2025-05-1354 minThe Rep ConnectionSales Reps and Manufacturers: Adversarial or Cooperative?2025-05-131h 01The Rep ConnectionUnderstanding the Rep-Principal Relationship2025-05-1358 minThe Rep ConnectionWorking as Partners in ProfitsOriginally recorded May 20202025-05-1330 minThe Rep ConnectionWhat is a Rep? Why Start a Rep Agency?In less than 10 minutes, hear what it means to become a professional manufacturers' representative.2024-12-1009 minThe Rep ConnectionSteps To Rep ProfessionalismAn introduction to MANA's steps to rep professionalism2024-12-0906 minThe Rep ConnectionHiring Salespeople for Your Manufacturers’ Representative FirmInsights For Hiring Salespeople for Your Manufacturers’ Representative Firm2024-12-0134 minThe Rep ConnectionHarvard Business School - Outsourcing Sales by Charles CohonEntrepreneurial Harvard Business School students often use outsourcing as a tool when they launch new ventures. To explain how the selling function can be outsourced, Harvard Business School invited Manufacturers' Agents National Association (MANA) CEO and President Charles Cohon to speak to its MBA students on how to find, recruit, contract with, and work successfully with independent manufacturers' representatives. Special thanks to: Jodi Gernon, Director, Arthur Rock Center for Entrepreneurship at Harvard Business School, for putting her team on the task of making this event a success, Catherine Cronin, Staff Assistant, Rock Center for Entrepreneurship, Harvard Business School, for...2024-12-011h 13
Lessons from the Top#003 - Mark CohonMark Cohon is an experienced sports and entertainment executive, entrepreneur, and former commissioner of the Canadian Football League. He earned a great reputation at Major League Baseball International and the National Basketball Association. After leaving the CFL, he became the Chairman of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences and is now the Executive Chairman of the Georgian Bay Spirits Co. Additionally, he serves on several corporate boards.2023-03-1742 min
Lessons from the Top#003 - Mark CohonMark Cohon is an experienced sports and entertainment executive, entrepreneur, and former commissioner of the Canadian Football League. He earned a great reputation at Major League Baseball International and the National Basketball Association. After leaving the CFL, he became the Chairman of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences and is now the Executive Chairman of the Georgian Bay Spirits Co. Additionally, he serves on several corporate boards.2023-03-1542 minThe Rep Connection021: Peter ZafiroPeter Zafiro, General Manager, LinMot USA, Inc. is an experienced hand working with manufacturers’ representatives and in this episode of Outsourcing Selling he shares how he views working with reps. “I’ve gone to market with a variety of business models over the years. I’ve worked with factory direct-only salespeople, hybrids of direct and independent reps and with independent reps only,” says Zafiro. “What I’ve found is that I get the most bang for my buck with reps. Here’s why: I’ve found that reps are simply the most professional salespeople in their territories. They’re absolutely...2017-09-2026 minThe Rep Connection020: If Your Rep Agreement is a Cadillac Don’t Trade It For A Broken-Down YugoYears ago, your principal signed a rep agreement with you that protected your commission earnings, so you invested time and hard work to grow that line. Now your principal wants you to sign a new rep agreement. What should you do? In this podcast attorney Randy Gillary shares his recommendations on how to evaluate a principal’s proposal to re-write your rep agreement. Principals don’t re-write rep agreements because they feel the rep’s interests were not sufficiently protected, says Gillary, they do it because they want to reduce the commissions they pay or to terminate the re...2017-09-1312 minThe Rep Connection019: Best Practices Interview with First Mfr. on MANA’s Board of Directors: Charlie Ingram, Eriez Mfg.In this podcast Charlie Ingram, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Eriez Manufacturing, gives representatives a chance to see themselves as a manufacturer sees them. For representatives’ benefit, Charlie shares his perspectives on sales reports, rep councils, international sales meetings, manufacturers’ recruiting practices to locate and onboard new reps, 50+ year representative relationships, and ways representatives can protect their lines with proactive communication. It’s a rare opportunity to view representatives through the lens of a manufacturer and a must-listen program for representatives who want to keep their current lines happy and add new lines.2017-09-0615 minThe Rep Connection018: My biggest principal was just sold. What do I do now?Sometimes a new owner makes things better for reps. More often, a new owner eventually challenges legacy reps to prove their value, or even fires all its reps to save on commissions. Whether the outcome is positive or not positive, the news that your largest principal is always jarring, and the first thing that comes to reps’ minds when that news breaks is “What do I do now?” In this podcast, attorney Thomas J. Kammerait of the law firm von Briesen & Roper, s.c. discusses the rights reps retain and the perils reps face when one of...2017-08-3017 minThe Rep Connection017: Women Entrepreneurs – Untapped Rep Talent PoolIn this podcast the first woman member of MANA’s Board of Directors, Michelle Jobst of Jobst Incorporated, Eden Prairie, MN, discusses her recent Agency Sales magazine editorial The Untapped Talent Pool and her own experiences as a woman working in the manufacturers’ representative industry since 1994. Opportunities for women, and opportunities to capitalize on the untapped skills of talented woman entrepreneurs are growing, says Jobst, and companies that flourish will not want to miss their chance to include woman-owned representative firms in their sales network.2017-08-0914 minThe Rep Connection016: 1949 Rep Article Rings True TodayThe year was 1947. Harry S Truman was president, the World Series was televised for the first time (the New York Yankees beat the Brooklyn Dodgers in seven games), Chuck Yeager broke the sound barrier, and on October 17, 1947, the Manufacturers’ Agents National Association joined the community of not-for-profit trade associations. Fast forward to July 1949, and MANA members discovered the first, 24-page issue of The Agent and Representative magazine (eventually renamed Agency Sales) in their mailboxes. Digging through the first few issues of The Agent and Representative reveals how much MANA has changed, and...2017-06-2908 minThe Rep Connection015: European Manufacturers’ RepresentativesManufacturers’ representatives are thriving in North America, but that’s not the only place where sales force outsourcing has robust support. European manufacturers’ representatives, known there as commercial agents, are flourishing on the other side of the Atlantic. In this podcast we speak with Olivier Mazoyer, president of commercial agent company AJM Forces de Ventes Associées about his company and how commercial agents work in Europe. Olivier also is president of Alliance Professionelle des Agents Commerciaux de France (APAC), the French counterpart of MANA and of Internationally United Commercial Agents and Brokers (IUCAB), an umbrella association of most...2017-06-0710 minThe Rep Connection014: Business Networking Group 2.0 – The Rep CouncilBusiness networking groups bring together business owners from a wide range of businesses. A veterinarian, a real estate agent, and a restauranteur could be part of the same networking group, with their only common interest being the desire to bring their business problems to a fresh set of eyes. But what if you could assemble a group who had deep, detailed knowledge of your business and industry instead of choosing your group from random industries? And at about half the cost of joining a business networking group. For manufacturers that sell through manufacturers’ representatives, that in...2017-05-3105 minThe Rep Connection013: The Principal Is the CustomerManufacturers’ representatives famously coddle their customers, the people and companies that buy products from the manufacturers listed on the representatives’ line cards. The manufacturers listed on the representatives’ line card, often referred to as the representatives’ principals, are the entities that send the representatives monthly commission checks. Too often representatives remember to sell to the companies that buy products from the representatives’ line cards and forget to sell to the companies that send the representatives their monthly commission checks. In this podcast, manufacturers’ representative and past MANA Chair Tom Hayward discusses the reasons why it is im...2017-05-2418 minThe Rep Connection012: Export 101 - Selling to Mexico Through Manufacturers’ RepresentativesLast year Mexico imported approximately $182 million from U.S. companies. One of the ways U.S. companies can pursue their own slice of that $182 million pie is through manufacturers’ representatives in Mexico. In this podcast MexicoRepresentation.com President Ed Juline describes how U.S. manufacturers can engage with Mexican manufacturers’ representatives and clears up some of the misconceptions U.S. manufactures have about best practices in dealing with customers in Mexico.2017-05-1715 minThe Rep Connection011: Ask the Right Questions“Questioning is the prequel to selling,” says Manufacturers’ Agents National Association Board Member Stephen Fowler. “The RIGHT questions should discover the RIGHT answers. Questions uncover facts, beliefs, timing, and circumstances. Open minded, curious, goal-directed, RIGHT questioners have interest, enthusiasm, respect and need a special sympathetic intelligence. Armed with the right answers they map the trip and sequence the actions to achieve their goals by fulfilling those of their customers.” In this podcast, Fowler, President of Process Equipment Resources & Consulting Services in Bridgewater, NJ, described best practices in eliciting the information you’ll need to best serve your customers’ nee...2017-05-1045 minThe Rep Connection010: $76,877,889.41 Commission JudgementI’ve heard of manufacturers’ representatives going to court and being awarded past due commission on a million-dollar order. I’ve even heard of manufacturers’ representative s going to court and being awarded a million-dollar commission. But this is the first time I’ve heard of a manufacturers’ representative going to court and being awarded a $76,877,889.41 commission judgement. In this podcast manufacturers’ representative Don Hanes and his attorney Anthony Santucci discuss the events that brought them to United State District Court where Hanes was awarded a $76,877,889.41 judgement against his Chinese principal, and the path ahead toward collection that judgement...2017-05-0317 minThe Rep Connection009: Why I Love to Find My Competitors’ House AccountsWhy I Love to Find My Competitors’ House Accounts is one of the most popular articles ever to appear in Agency Sales magazine. In this podcast the article’s author, Doyle Evans, president emeritus, Pinnacle Marketing, Inc., Raleigh, North Carolina, discusses how accounts his competitors try to service without a manufacturers’ representative are low-hanging fruit for him to convert to his principals’ products. In the article, Doyle notes, “I’m referring to the principal that assigned a manufacturers’ representative to a territory, but holds back one or more customers as so-called ‘house accounts,’ or customers that will be managed directl...2017-04-2619 minThe Rep Connection008: 700,000 Manufacturers’ Agents Thriving in Europe and WorldwideSales force outsourcing is booming in Europe, says Christian Rebernig, Secretary General of the Internationally United Commercial Agents and Brokers (www.iucab.com). Known commonly in Europe as commercial agents rather than manufacturers’ representative or manufacturers’ agents, companies that provide European sales representation to worldwide manufacturers enjoy productive political and economic climates, says Christian. IUCAB is an umbrella organization of European and other worldwide country representative associations, and maintains a list of country associations where manufacturers seeking reps can launch a search. IUCAB also maintains a searchable database of North American MANA member representative firms that international manu...2017-04-1916 minThe Rep Connection007: Millennial and Baby Boomer Reps – Baton Pass to the Next GenerationOlympic relay runners routinely pass the baton with graceful finesse, never missing a step. Handoffs from Baby Boomers to Millennials tend not to go that smoothly. Those Olympic athletes have a distinct advantage over the Baby Boomers and Millennials. The athletes know in advance who will pass the baton, who will receive it, and exactly where in the race the baton will be passed. Baby Boomers and Millennials must make those decisions while they are running the race. And the person passing the baton often eager to hang onto it longer than the person who to receive...2017-04-1219 minThe Rep Connection006: First Visit To a New Lawyer: What Happens Before the Clock StartsSome people can’t bring themselves to visit a dentist. Others struggle to get themselves into their accountant’s office at tax time. And for many, fear of the unknown keeps them from reaching out to a lawyer whose specialty is manufacturers’ representative law. In this episode attorney Matthew Benson discusses the kind of conversation he and most MANA-associated attorneys have with MANA members before the clock on hourly billing starts to run, for example: What are my legal rights? How much will this cost? How do you evaluate my case? How long will this take? What d...2017-04-0513 minThe Rep Connection005: Preparing to Interview for a New LineYou’ve caught the interest of a manufacturer who needs a representative. The phone interview went well, you’re made it onto the short list of candidates, and the final face-to-face interview is coming up fast. The days when you can “wing it” are gone, say GSA Optimum President John Beaver. What kind of research should you do? What kinds of topics should you cover in your presentation? How should the interview be structured? In this episode John Beaver discusses the best practices in preparing for and delivering your pitch for a new line. “Unless you’re interviewing...2017-03-2917 minThe Rep Connection004: Key Elements of a Rep AgreementIt’s more than making sure the T’s are crossed and the I’s are dotted. A good rep/principal agreement requires strategic thinking before the first clause is even written. In this episode attorney Daniel Beederman reviews the strategy underlying the creation of a successful rep/principal agreement.2017-03-2222 minThe Rep Connection003: The Fatal Unforced Error - Why The Big Line Went AwayThe rep was doing a great job for the manufacturer, but the certified letter just arrived in the rep’s office anyway. Why did this happen? Not for the lack of sales activities. Not for the lack of sales. It was for the lack of Backselling. Bottom line, the rep did a great job with customers but a terrible job with the manufacturer. The manufacturer only knew what the rep was telling her, and the rep wasn’t telling her anything. So she assumed the sales were just luck and that the rep was milking her line. 2017-03-1523 minThe Rep Connection002: Canadian Reps - The Same But DifferentWhat’s it like to be a rep or work with reps in Canada? It’s the same as it would be in the United States, but it’s also different. In this podcast we speak with Canadian rep Craig Lindsay, President of Pacesetter Sales & Associates, who share the misconceptions and misunderstandings manufacturers and reps have about how reps operate in Canada. Among the challenges Craig’s firm has mastered is servicing a mostly long and narrow sales territory, some 2,800 miles long but just 100 miles deep. That’s because most of Canada’s commerce occurs within about 100 miles of its...2017-03-0816 minThe Rep Connection001: Race To Quality At a joint meeting of the Manufacturers' Agents National Association (MANA) and the Electronics Representatives Association (ERA), MANA's CEO Charles Cohon shared his predictions for the rep industry. "I think the best way to explain why we are here today comes from Nvidia cofounder Chris Malachowsky, who was quoted in Forbes about his firm's success. "He said, 'There's a California surfing competition that happens in a five-month window every year. When they see some type of wave phenomenon or storm in Japan, they tell all the surfers to show up in California, because there's going to be a wave in two...2017-03-0152 min
The Rep Connection000: Outsourcing Selling PreviewSavvy manufacturers’ know that there is only one thing more expensive than fielding a highly-qualified sales force. It’s not fielding a highly-qualified sales force, especially if your competition does. But those same savvy manufacturers also know that hiring direct employees to field that highly-qualified sales force is very, very expensive. And they will have to pay those direct employees’ salaries, benefits, and expenses before they actually close any sales. If they actually close any sales at all. How do those savvy manufacturers avoid paying salaries when there are no sales? They don’t hire sales em...2017-02-1704 min