Using Manufacturer's Reps Next Previous Contents Using Manufacturer's Reps Summary of a 1989 talk given by Mr. Jack Frye, a Michigan manufacturer's rep with over 20 years' experience selling consumer products. Reps are independent salespeople who work on commission, i.e., the manufacturer pays them a percentage of what they sell. There are sales reps servicing virtually every market in every region of the world. They know the buyers in that regional market, call on them regularly, and have built up credibility, or at least a working relationship, with them over time.
Reps represent multiple manufacturers of related product lines.
If they're selling to auto repair shops, they'll carry a range of products that those shops buy. Reps would like to carry all the best-selling brands that the buyers they call on buy. At first blush, it would appear that the more lines they carry, the more sales per call they'd make. The first line pitched will have the buyer's attention, the 2nd a little less, and by the 4th or 5th, it's likely the buyer's eyes will start glassing over. Their cost is limited to a percentage of what they sell and, hopefully, you've built that percentage into your price.