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HOW TO FIND QUALIFIED SALES REPS

There are websites dedicated to the search for sales representatives, such as RepGlobal which is free. Place an ad and see if you get requests. Depending on your industry and on the country for which you are looking for sales representatives, this method will yield diverse results.

You can also look for representatives by yourself. Target the industry in which you want to find a representative. Then wonder which other (non-competing) companies this sales representative would also represent. Go to the website of these potential companies and find which representative they use. Verify that this sales representative does not rep for one of your competitors and contact him.

Note that this process has good chances of success because the representatives found already work in your industry. They are cerntainly looking for other companies to represent in order to grow.

Another way of looking is to attend trade shows. You can ask other (non-competing) companies directly if they have found a good representative for a given country. Ask the person you meet if you can mention him/her or the company when you contact the sales representative. A reference is always the best possible introduction.

Whatever method you use to contact one or several representatives, you will then need to negotiate the conditions of representation or distribution.

The main terms to negotiate are obviously prices and exclusivity. It is not advisable to grant exclusivity to a representative from the get go. Exclusivity will be a consequence of the representative efficiently selling your products. If the representative does not sell (or not enough), you leave the door open to find another, more efficient, rep.

Do not hesitate to give this explanation regarding non-exclusivity to your representative. Some reps will close the door and will not accept a non-exclusive contract. But most will understand a trial period. Accepting a trial period also shows that your representative is open-minded and understanding, and also that he is more confident in his ability to sell your products. Insisting on exclusivity shows an uncertainty regarding the possibility to sell your products.

This method of looking for sales representatives will lead you in many case to finding several representatives for the same territory. If this is the case, start negotiating with all the reps you found. Negotiating the terms of representation will give you more contact with the different representatives and you will be in a better position to choose the one that works best for you.

There are many criteria to choose the right sales rep. Which representative answers your requests the quickest? With which one is it easiest to communicate? Which one speaks your language best (if abroad)? Which one knows the market better? Which one is bringing the most prospects? Which ones wants the lowest commission?

Be transparent with your potential representatives. Explain that you are looking for the best rep for the territory and that you are in contact with several of them. It is better to be open about it and to eliminate those who do not work for you until you keep only one, rather than being stuck later in a situation where several representatives are arguing over the same client.