06.01.2009
More than 80% of all electrical manufacturing firms use manufacturers’ representatives instead of company-employed salespeople to sell their products. Some manufacturers use manufacturers’ representatives to cover at least some territories that are not served by their direct salespeople. Many manufacturers use manufacturers’ representatives for all territories.
Manufacturer representatives become the service bridge between the manufacturer and the electrical distributor. Electrical distributors need reps to secure information from the factories in a timely manner, keep them up-to-date with new product launches, train their salespeople on product knowledge and selling skills, and identify market opportunities including building end-user relationships. The questioned posed to 40 electrical distributors and 31 manufacturers were: “What are the TOP 3 Qualities that make up your BEST Manufacturers’ Rep?”Electrical distributor and manufacturer responses were captured into the following categories with the percentage of research participants providing responses which were captured under each “BEST” category:
Distributors Speak Out About Reps
| # | Distributors “BEST” Rep Category | % |
| 1 | Provides Significant Physical Presence with Planning & Selling Skills/Product Training | 100% |
| 2 | Keeps Distributor Informed; Be Dependable & Responsive | 73% |
| 3 | Possesses Right Values & Beliefs | 48% |
| 4 | Partners with Distributor to Locate Market Opportunities | 35% |
Manufacturers Speak Out About Reps
| # | Manufacturers “BEST” Rep Category | % |
| 1 | Have Technically Competent Sales Force | 97% |
| 2 | Possesses Excellent Distributor, Specifying Engineer, & End-User Relationships | 71% |
| 3 | Holds Strong Strategic Vision & Business Management Skills | 61% |
We also wanted to assist the electrical distribution industry in understanding the key factors independent manufacturers’ representatives value most from their manufacturers. Therefore we posed the following question to 54 manufacturers’ representatives: “What are the TOP 3 Qualities that make up your BEST Manufacturer?” Rep responses were confined into the following categories:
Reps Speak Out About Manufacturers
| # | Reps “BEST” Manufacturer Category | % |
| 1 | Treats Rep as a Valuable Channel Partner | 82% |
| 2 | Supplies High Quality Products & New Product Development | 74% |
| 3 | Provides Ease of Doing Business with World-Class Customer Service | 57% |
| 4 | Affords Fair & Equitable Rep Compensation Plans | 30% |
| 5 | Supplies Marketing & Sales Management Support | 28% |
| 6 | Possesses Right Values & Beliefs | 26% |
We also asked these manufacturers’ representatives to “Name your BEST Manufacturer”. We received 54 responses. 30 manufacturers were listed with Hoffman Enclosures capturing the most votes. Following Hoffman as the leading vote getter was a tie for second among Ferraz Shawmut, Legrand, Lutron, RAB Lighting, and Southwire.