Ask not what you can do for a manufacturer’s rep firm, but what a manufacturer’s rep firm can do for you. Competition among integrators is tougher than ever; but building relationships with manufacturer’s representatives could help you win bids and bring in more business.
According to D.J. Atkins, president of the Atkins Group, the basic role of a rep firm is to act as sales staff for a manufacturer. The actual work a rep firm does involves quite a bit more and differs significantly from that of manufacturers who use dedicated sales people to sell their products directly. The primary difference for integrators in working with rep firms is that a single rep firm may represent more than one product line. Atkins comments that having the ability to offer full solutions allows rep firms to be in constant (monthly and often weekly) communication with the integrators they work with, whereas a specific manufacturer’s sales staff may have the opportunity to be in contact a few times a year.