How high should sales be before I replace an Manufacturer Agent with a factory Factory-Direct person?
A newly-appointed sales manager asked this question at a recent M.A.N.A. seminar. Apparently the man either had no sales or management experience, or he was totally naive about the agent/manufacturer relationship. The answer supplied by one of the panel was this: “It would seem from the way you have stated your question that your agent has done his job. You seem to be asking about replacing an agent for doing a good job – not for doing a poor one. Why break up a winning team? After all, agents aren’t used to build a territory for factory people. They are used because they are an effective selling force. You should also remember that if the agent has done a good job in the territory for you, he can do the same thing for your competitor if you cut him loose.” Agency Sales, March 1990. Back to Top of Manufacturers’ F.A.Q.
