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

Genie,

What you're talking about is what is called a Manufactures Rep, or Manufactures Agent. I had an agency years ago in the automotive industry. Generally speaking, there are "Rep Groups" that are industry specific. It's a great way for new companies to get their products to market without a fixed overhead.

It's a difficult business to get started in because it really depends on clout, or the contacts you develop over time. Starting out you'll be begging for lines, if you're successful over time, companies will seek you out. Nearly all the mass retailers deal with Reps and prefer to do so. This is because rather than having to take the time to meet with twenty different manufactures, they can deal with 1 or 2 or 3 Reps that handle those lines. When the system works properly, the Rep is the clout for the factory, and they're the clout for the retailer. The commissions are generally based on the industry and the product. In the automotive industry muffler clamps or hose clamps might be a 2% line while waxes and chemicals were usually 10%. The average was 6%. The agency was paid on the net invoice amount..meaning less freight etc.

If you can break in and pay your dues so to speak it's a very lucrative business with low overhead.

In many cases when a line grows enough the factory wants their own rep handling it and you end up losing it...financially it really hurts if you've built up a 3 or 4 million dollar line over a number of years and then all of a sudden, not because of anything you did or didn't do, it's gone....but it's the nature of the beast.

Hope this helps
Denny

Denny

Hi Denny,

Thank you so much for your reply.
It has definitely given me more insight into the business

You mentioned you had an agency years ago in car industry.
Have you stopped doing this work?
If yes, why?
And what are you doing now?

(I understand if you can not answer the above mentioned questions, but I thought I'd ask you anyway, in case you don't mind.)

Thanks anyhow.

Kindest Regards,

Geni

Genie,

If you are still looking, you might consider my position as an Independent Agent. I do 100% of my business with just one company, but am free to work with others without restrictions.

I sell custom-printed promotional advertising products to a wide range of customers, including small business and corporations, non-profit organizations, gov't offices and agencies from the local school system to the US EPA, State Dept., and military bases. The only territory limitations are the US border.

The promotional advertising industry represents and $18 Billion US market, and one with a high repeat order factory. Take good care of a client and you could have a customer for life.

As an independent agent, you set your own hours, choose your customers you want to work with, and even set limits concerning the buyers and industries you target. My number one industry is health care, followed by banking/credit unions, then business-to-business marketing.

No need for a large amount of capital, K & B handles all the credit, billing, sales taxes, as well as many of the administative tasks that be real time crunchers. The idea is to leave you free to sell and service your clients.

July will mark my 23rd year in this industry, and it provides the sole income for our family. My last full-time job with 1987, and I couldn't imagine the circumstances that would motivate me to ever become an employee again.

I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have about the Opportunity or the industry.

Dennis Bevers
BASSCO, Inc.

Dennis Bevers
BASSCO, Inc.
Full-time, home-based, self-empolyed since 1987.
Dealers needed-US residents only!

if you can find the client from your exisitng client or other field in fashion field..maybe we can cooperated..I am based in asia...cooperated with one company so far on handbag filed..whatever you got enquiry then passed to me, I will try to deal the price ..
within your budget..and I think you still have markup to your own...

PLS contact me: vanessa.lin@gmail.com

We are working handbag, bedding...giftware..furniture..and few consuming products..

By the way I was the sales in furniture field..

Genie:
My wife is an independent sales consultant for lia sophia jewelery and doing very well. She is looking for recruits who are looking to make some real money on your own schedule. If interested email her at:
liasophiameredith@gmail.com
Mike-

I think the gentleman earlier gave some excellent advice and if I may piggyback on it a little based on my limited experience with manufacturers reps and vast experience in business development consulting, another good start while you are building up your big contacts is to start lower level. There are always small retail operations and small product manufacturers that could use a commision based rep. You may always consider specializing in something that you have a degree of confidence in being able to a) sale and b) close quickly so that you arent wasting a lot of time in the beggining.

I run a business center in Texas (www.texasbizcenters.com) that operates nationally and if you need any start up assistance, feel free to contact me directly.

Anthony Jones - Business Consultant
ABC Solutions
ajones@abcsolutions.cjb.net

Hi Genie
There are lots of companies that offer what you are looking for.
I can offer at least 2 possibilities where you can make very good money. Everything is setup for you (website, sales material, etc).
Where are you located?
Michel Haddad

Michel Haddad
localads0@gmail.com