They may have strong feelings about certain things, but they will follow your lead if you have a good working relationship with them. MacAfee remembers when he started to represent Nintendo's game systems in the late 1980s. Retailers had been burned by the video-game market before, and he found them to be wary of something similar. As it turned out, my client bought the Nintendos and of course did very well. Being proved right clearly helps the trust factor, but so does taking an honest approach.
Reps often are in the business for many years.
They say they like the flexibility, independence and interaction with clients. But another reason is that it takes several years to develop a true knowledge of the products they represent. Ed Du, owner of Pan Pacific Electronics, is an electronic-components wholesaler for the aerospace industry who also reps some of those products. We routinely go to Boeing and answer questions. We need to show them how to use the tools, and even show them if we have a new tool that does the work better or helps eliminate wrist injuries.