Rep Council Blog Making Connections at the WomenReps 2021 Conference by Michelle Jobst, CPMR, Jobst Incorporated In a crazy year with plenty of uncertainty, the WomenReps 2021 conference was conducted in Bloomington, Minnesota, in July. Even forest fires in the northern part of the state did not stop the event. It was a much-needed connection point for women in the sales representative business. Women from around the […] Read more Why Hire Reps? I Had No Choice! by Charles Cohon, President and CEO, MANA Helping manufacturers work effectively with reps is a primary reason MANA exists. So, manufacturers call all the time with questions about switching to reps. Until today, their reasons were pretty much always one of these three: “I need a salesforce that already knows best prospects and is a […] Read more What a Representative Firm Is Looking for When a Manufacturer Contacts Them Regarding Representation by Tommy Garnett, CPMR, CSP, Garnett Component Sales, Inc. Long-lasting relationships between manufacturers and representatives are beneficial to each party and the customer as well. This relationship begins when the manufacturer reaches out to the representative and solicits professional representation in a specific area or on an account-by-account basis. The information exchanged in this initial […] Read more Line Card Profitability Analysis in a Parallel Universe by Charles Cohon, President and CEO, MANA It’s a little bit like science fiction. What would a rep do if, one day, that rep woke up to find that the names of the companies on their line card were the same, but those companies were all subtly different? The people at the factory were subtly different. […] Read more Lights, Camera, Action — Are You Ready for Business in the Post-Covid World? by John Davis, Paul Davis Automation My dad was, and continues to be, a great mentor for this second-generation manufacturers’ representative firm owner. Over the years, he has imparted a great deal of wisdom gleaned from years on the road and refined by countless hours of reflective windshield time prior to the days of cell […] Read more “Reps Keep Ghosting Me — I Give Up,” Says Manufacturer by Charles Cohon, President and CEO, MANA “Based on my recent experiences, common courtesy is not common practice with reps,” said the manufacturer. “And, frankly, the absence of basic common courtesy gives the entire rep industry a black eye.” Is this manufacturer right? Let me share his story, and you be the judge. This manufacturer […] Read more Tips to Improve Your Online Presentation Skills by Kenneth Russell-Murray, ElectraSpec, Inc. As the restrictions related to COVID-19 begin to lift, I would imagine many of us are eager to begin meeting our customers face‑to‑face. Zoom calls have become the norm, and perhaps many of us can’t wait until this is no longer our only means of communicating with our clients. Given the […] Read more Moving the Needle on Shared Market Development Fees by Charles Cohon, President and CEO, MANA Last week a MANA rep member thanked me for MANA’s work to champion Shared Market Development Fees (SMDF). In recent years, said the rep, manufacturers have become more and more receptive to SMDF, which he credited to MANA’s efforts to familiarize manufacturers with SMDF. SMDF are monthly payments a […] Read more The Importance of Professionalism by Keynae Agnew, CPMR, Agnew Pacific Enterprises, LLC One of the benefits of serving on MANA’s Board of Directors and the Health Industries Representatives Association Board of Directors is that I get to meet and speak with many other manufacturers’ representatives. They have lots of different ways to go to market, and the products they sell […] Read more We Knew It Couldn’t Be Done by Charles Cohon, President and CEO, MANA Until We Had to Do It Experts tell us that after 18 months of quarantines and pandemic, “The New Normal” is coming. Part of that “new normal” will be that things we “knew” could not be done, pre-pandemic, actually could be done. Quarantines and a pandemic have forced […] Read more Direct Sales Employees vs. Independent Manufacturers’ Representatives by Jerry Leth, Vice-President and General Manager, MANA Manufacturers have a choice when it comes to selling their products or services. They can hire direct (W2) sales employees or outsource the sales function to independent manufacturers’ representatives (1099 Independent Contractors). Which makes the most sense? Some people use economics to make the choice. Which alternative […] Read more Why Didn’t I Call You Back? by Charles Cohon, President and CEO, MANA “I get plenty of voicemails, and I actually return lots of those calls,” explained the anonymous executive. “When I don’t return a call, it’s often for reasons like these: “You called four times without leaving a message. Each time you called, you disrupted the call I was on […] Read more Speed Is My Secret Weapon by John Beaver, GSA Optimum “I feel the need, the need for speed.” — Maverick, Top Gun It happens every time someone sends you an email. It happens every time someone leaves you a voicemail. It happens every time someone sends you a text. Every time someone reaches out to you, that sender’s internal clock starts […] Read more Flextime by Charles Cohon, President and CEO, MANA You have heard it from MANA, from manufacturers, and from reps. In the new normal, manufacturers that sell through reps have significant advantages over manufacturers with a captive sales force: In uncertain times, customers don’t take risks with untested vendors. They turn to trusted, proven resources for the products they need […] Read more The Importance of a Contract by Lisa Wilson, L.S. Wilson & Associates, Inc. A fellow sales representative on the West Coast, who happens to sell for the same principal that I do, recently phoned to let me know that the company management wanted to know from her, why I did not want to renew my contract. My initial response to […] Read more Backselling Emergency! by Charles Cohon, President and CEO, MANA What is backselling? It’s how savvy reps invest a little time every month to ensure their principals understand those reps’ value. They communicate with principals as if the line were in jeopardy even when it is not because they know that anything they say after the line is […] Read more Permanent Changes Long After the Current Pandemic Subsides by Michelle Jobst, CPMR, Jobst Incorporated When will the dust settle? What will the “new normal” look like? Although we might have a peek at individual changes, it is not possible to completely comprehend the effect of all the recent changes. That fine‑tuned crystal ball is still not available for general distribution. Here’s what we […] Read more Education Is a Two‑Way Street by Tommy Garnett, CPMR, CSP, Garnett Component Sales, Inc. In the ever-evolving relationship between manufacturers’ representatives and their principals, the need to educate one another remains vitally important. Manufacturers educate reps on capabilities, quality systems, lead times, polices and procedures and best practices that they feel will assist the rep to be more successful in […] Read more Always Take the Mint by Charles Cohon, President and CEO, MANA Thirty years ago, a colleague from my rep days shared some valuable advice she got from her mother. “Always take the mint.” “When somebody offers you a mint, maybe they are just offering to share. Or maybe you have bad breath. You will never know which. So always take […] Read more Proven Tips for Finding the Right Rep by Charles Ingram, VP of Sales & Marketing, Eriez Magnetics So, you need to find a great rep. Whether you’re just beginning to establish an independent manufacturers’ sales channel organization or have had one for years, there are some pretty good, well-proven methods for finding great reps to join your sales team. Even our company, Eriez Magnetics, […] Read more SHARE THIS PAGE Posts navigation Older Charles Cohon, CPMR, is CEO and president of MANA. In 2016 Cohon earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) designation after completing American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) coursework and testing. Cohon also earned an MBA with honors and with concentrations in strategic management and entrepreneurship from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and was founder and owner of a very successful Illinois manufacturers’ representative firm for nearly 30 years before joining MANA. Search for: ABOUT About MANA Message from Board of Directors Antitrust Restrictions and Guidelines By-Laws MANA Code of Ethics Member Testimonials Sister Associations What’s New At MANA Podcast Rep Council Blog Board of Directors MANUFACTURERS Manufacturers Top Considerations When Hiring Manufacturers’ Reps Are You Ready to Work With Reps? 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