How to fix this rep thing This is a question I get asked on practically a daily basis by PCB shop owners and leaders. They tell me that they are just not getting out of their reps what they used to. They tell me that their reps are not getting out there enough, not […]

The idea of sales reps is not working. Not only is it not working, the situation is getting worse. The gap between reps and their principals is growing to the point where it’s hard to see if we can ever find a way of closing it in the future. I have been on both sides […]

Last week we discussed why PCB and PCBA manufacturer’s reps need a better deal. This week we will discuss some ideas, suggestions, and ideas of what that better deal and that better contract should look like. We are looking for a  win for both the principal and the rep. Let’s look at the issues and […]

First of all, let me say there are no bad guys here. Only good guys trying to work with each other. I am sure you have all noticed how difficult it is to find good reps today when it comes to selling PCBs and PCBA’s. That is not to say there are no good reps […]

For the past three weeks we have been discussing the rep-principal relationship and how it needs to be  improved, for the future. We listed what the reps want from this relationship and what the principals want from the relationship and just by comparing those two lists we can see that there are some wide gaps […]

Turn around is fair play: last week we discussed what the principals want from the rep-principal relationship, now we are going to discuss what the reps want. As we mentioned last week, these are wish lists only, some of the things both these entities want are not fair or even practical, but it symbolizes the […]

Last week in the first column of this four part series we discussed how the rep/principal relationship is no longer as productive as it once was. We discussed the disconnect between what the reps want out of the relationship and what the reps want from it.  And we discussed how this relationship has to not […]

Overall, the sales rep-principal relationship is not working the way it used to. In fact, it is archaic to the point of being unworkable. Let’s look at this issue from both sides and examine why it just doesn’t work. From the Reps point of view here the challenges of being a rep in 2021: Reps […]

After years of avoiding representing PCB shops, the reps are back looking for a good company, or two, to represent. There are a couple reasons for this. One is the onshoring of the market due to the pandemic and the tariffs. The other is that they feel – and several have told me this – […]

For years one of the most difficult relationships in business has been the one between an independent sales representative and the principal, the company she is selling for. This relationship has been tenuous at best and adversarial at worst. In fact, most of the time it has been adversarial. The principal’s constantly resenting the money […]