Hi,

Im currently working as a Trader (import/export) of FMCG products(mostly personal care products shampoos, toothpastes of the well-known brands).
This means I buy and sell big loads, stocklots of products to wholesellers all over the world.

Im working for a company but feel that I want to start working for myself.

Am thinking of being an Independant Sales Agent.

With this I mean the following: Small family businesses or Distributors that do not have enough man-power (or budget) to hire a full time sales person/account manager for one or more of their product ranges, could use me.

I would contact the stores/chains that they wish to supply their product(s) to and would present their product range and try to get the chains to take up the product(s) into their assortment.

Afterwards I would follow up like any other Account Manager would.

I would work on commission basis only. % on each order.
So the risk of the company that would hire me is minimum.

Hopefully in time I would create stronger relationships with the chain stores and would become a valuable Sales Agent for small manufacturers and/or distributors (because of my then existing network).

Does anyone have any feedback for me on this?
I have no idea if this idea is workable.

Is anyone of you doing this already? What are your experiences?

Are there any purchase managers out there that could give me tips on how to present products effectively?
What is important when presenting a product?
What information MUST be included in a product presentation.

How should I charge? (% commission per order ..? What percentage? 5%?) - Or should I charge seperately fix amount for part of my fixed costs ??

Hope to hear from you soon.
Thank you so much for your help.

Genie