A new rep organization will soon be launched to help manufacturer’s reps combine their expertise to mutually benefit each other.
The job of a manufacturer’s rep is changing rapidly from simply selling to educating dealers about OEM integration and other emerging technologies and categories. And the means of communicating with dealers has moved beyond just in-person calls.
Many younger reps are entering the sector who will need to better understand communication tools that can be used to contact dealers more efficiently such as CRM (Customer Relationship Management).
For that reason, the reps at Crossover Marketing will launch the REPS initiative (Reps Elevating Performance Standards). Once launched, the focus will be on creating a place where reps can connect, learn, and grow together.
Eventually, the group may also hold online and in-person meetings around trade shows and other industry events
Rob Sutton, said his rep firm already gets numerous calls asking for help from other reps.
Every other channel in 12 volt has an organization to support learning and shared ideas–such as the MESA buying group and MERA for dealers and plus the EDA for distributors, said Sutton. This is finally a group for reps.
“We’re focusing on areas like embracing tech, innovation, omni-channel strategies, and data-driven decision making. The goal is to help reps deliver solutions and value, not just sales, in a rapidly evolving market,” he said.
For example, with Crossover’s Marketing tools, “We can touch 700 dealers in two territories with a keystroke.”
The organization will be open to all independent reps in the 12 volt industry.
Potential Focus Areas
- Dealer-Centric Approach: Focus on understanding and anticipating dealer needs, offering complex products and solutions rather than one-size-fits-all approaches.
- Embrace Technology: Make your CRM work for you, Power BI dashboard management, touchpoint-focused processes, and other solutions to gain a competitive edge.
- Innovation Focus: Prioritize big ideas in a collaborative environment to stay ahead in the rapidly evolving market.
- Omnichannel Presence: Develop a strong omnichannel strategy to provide seamless customer experiences across various touchpoints.
- Strategic Partnerships: Form strategic alliances with suppliers, technology providers, and other industry players to enhance capabilities and market reach.
- Data-Driven Decision Making: Utilize data analytics to gain insights into market trends, consumer behavior, and operational performance.
- Elevated Marketing and Retailing Excellence: Improving consumer experience and engagement using cutting-edge marketing tools and technology advancements in consumer interactions.
- Shared Outcomes, Common ROI Visions: Balancing consumer needs, manufacturer innovation, and retailer success for a sustainable, profitable future.
REPS said it will announce alliances over the next few months.
If you are an independent manufacturers representative in the 12V Industry or just interested in being part of the initiative, please contact Rob Sutton at [email protected]
How does someone go from being the rookie to being the authority? Crossover has done a great job of collecting lines but is that the extent of it ?
What experience and pearls of wisdom could they possibly off us seasoned road warriors ?
Mike, I would love to talk through it with you. I’m far from the authority, just trying to bring good people with the right intentions together and share what I’ve learned working my ass off the past two years my friend. I never expected this to be for everyone, but it would be better with your experience.
Very smart move. This is happening in the CEDIA Channel as well. Well done Rob!
This is a bad idea. MESA’s hierarchy alienated volume dealers and specialty retailers, and now Rob is making the same mistake. Worse, they’re going to try to monetize it(nothing is free). Not every rep will want to be part of this, and not every rep will want their competitors involved. No one wants to hand their competition an advantage. This is doomed to fail.
BRAVO to Rob Sutton. The rep’s job is the hardest one in the supply chain. Suppliers don’t know how to teach reps what to do other than product training. Suppliers don’t appreciate or respect the job that a rep is SUPPOSED to do. Retailers and distributors are most often underwhelmed (often rightly so) by the value add that a rep is SUPPOSED to bring to the supply chain. My perception is that a rep must KNOW all of the current and potential customers in the territory, understand their strength and weakness as business people and their relative skills in the product and business channels in which they participate. Then the rep has to best position his lines in the mix of retailers and distributors that will achieve the realistic expectations the suppliers. If the suppliers have unrealistic expectations the reps have to teach the supplier what is realistic and then get that done. To accomplish this tough act, the rep has to be the most knowledgeable guy in the room regarding everything about the territory. It is a tough job. BUT when executed properly, earns great respect for the rep.
I hope and trust that REPS will embrace its mission and find a way to hold members accountable, educate suppliers and add value to all of it’s constituents in the supply chain.