Editorial...In The Field

Agency Sales,  Feb 2004  by Leth, Jerry

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The theme of this year's Agency Sales editorial content is "The Changing Role of the Rep," and that word "changing" keeps coming up more and more frequently in our daily communications. The world in which we live is "changing" at an ever increasing pace. The way we communicate with each other is "changing" almost on a daily basis. The globalization of the world economy is "changing" the world of the rep. Change, change, change - it's all over the place and it's making life a lot more stressful for a lot of you out there.

How do you keep your sanity in such an environment? Maybe the answer lies in the fact that some very basic and important values are not changing. Remember some of the changes of the past, like the fax machine, the computer, the Internet and probably even the introduction of the telephone forecast the end of the rep profession? It didn't happen, did it? The rep way of doing business still thrives, and more and more manufacturers are making the decision to outsource their sales function to manufacturers' agents. Why? The one constant that does not change is that selling is still about the personal relationship between the buyer and seller. Don't overlook this in these "changing" times. Focus on creating a business that helps customers solve problems in the most economical longterm manner and you'll not only survive, but thrive as well.

Jerry Leth became MANA's manager of membership in August 2000. Previously, Jerry owned and operated Letco Tech Sales, Inc., a MANA member, multi-line professional outsourced sales agency, for 10 years. Before starting his own agency, he was vice-president of sales and marketing for Torque & Tension Equipment, an importer of a UK-manufactured line of electronic torque analysers sold through a network of sales agencies. Jerry graduated from Stanford with a degree in mechanical engineering and worked for Hills Brothers Coffee in San Francisco in engineering and production before embarking on a sales career.

Copyright Manufacturers' Agents National Association Feb 2004
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