target market. Never enter into an agreement
with a distributor company that refuses
to disclose its other customers.
Many principals complain about nonperforming
reps who consistently fail to
meet their sales targets. In my experience,
nonperformance is more often the
consequence of failing support by the
principal than by nonperforming reps.
Supporting your rep means promptly
responding to queries, providing adequate
tech support and ongoing training,
sharing in the expense of advertising and
tradeshows, but also actively following
up on quotes. The person who has the
responsibility to sell your product line
also serves other companies, so intensive
communication with your rep is essential
for your product line to get the
attention it needs.
Setting up your own sales/service business.
Dealing with reps or distributors
will increase sales, but at some point this
will reach a plateau and the best way to