[Bountiful Waters]

Has anyone ever thought of, used, or spoken with any rep agencies to help get your product out? I would be interested to know any details.

Thanks

[JSC]

Hi BW
In years past I did. Later on as a Jobber salesman I have gotten to know quite a few of them.
As in everything else there are some good ones and some are just the opposit ... Some will take your line on just to keep some one else from getting it and sell just enough to keep it. A good one will work with you all the way if the chemistry is good between you and him. Standard commission for them is 10% and that not only includes them on the road but at shows as well (you will have to contribute some to the shows) .. As far as getting in touch with one I would suggest that you attend some of the shows and introduce your self to them and set up an appointment with them later .. do not be afraid of the ones that do not have the big lines as they can sometimes do you more good,
Wish I could give you some names but I have been off the road since 2001 and am out of touch with most of them. (Southeast jobbers are the ones I was most connected to)
Hope this helps a little.
JSC

[Vodkaman]

Bountiful, good thread.

JSC, I know it is like asking how long is a piece of string, but could you give an idea of how much business we could reasonably expect from a rep.

[JSC]

Man that is a tough question with a lot of maybes, good luck, and other stuff I have not thought of.
Most of the time a Rep will really want it after a demand has been established and that is another "Ball of Wax". That demand is a big chain in what one of them can do as it starts with the consumer and works its way up .. Retailer, Wholesaler (Distributor) and the Rep is doing the sales leg work for you within this chain. The "Web" being another factor that I have noticed to help create this demand and you can supply some of the items that the "Chain" has not yet added to their stock. I know I have not directly answered your question but that "String" is hard to "Guesstimate" ... Hope this might help a little.
JSC

[ghost]

I have recently been thinking about what if you found a person who is already a traveling salesman. Since he is already on the road why wouldn't someone like that work? You could easily make a display for him to show possible customers and if you know what cities he will be going to with a little bit of notice you could easily give him a list of the local tackle shops.
Just a thought I had recently

[JSC]

Ghost
The Rep Organizations in which we are speaking is maybe one or many individuals .. way back it was generally one individual who would have one to many Mfg. that he represented .. as time went on and more was expected of them they found that they could be more profitable and able to do a better job by joining forces .. Example a Rep had 6 South Eastern States to cover and had 6 Lines .. by joining with another he could have say 12 lines split the territory and have 3 of the 6 states. This is a brief overview .. lot more pros and cons. These Reps call on Wholesale Distributors and the larger Sporting Goods and Chains. They do call on the smaller independents with certain lines if time and sales permit and in accordance with any agreement they have with Mfg. that they rep.
Hope this helps
JSC

[ghost]

Yeah I see where a rep would come in. But on a much smaller scale a traveling saleman could be a big benefit I would think. You could get your product exposure across the country on someone elses dime. All it would cost you is the commision you would agree upon.

All my lures are sold to local bait shops within a 75 mile radius because I only do consignments and like that I can physically go to the store to see what is moving and what is not.

But for the guys who want to be on a larger scale but don't want to go with a rep and maybe risk being overwhelmed I think a traveling salesman would be a good alternative with very little cost.

[JSC]

Ghost the Reps are "Traveling Salesmen" & they work on a commission basis.
You might could get some one selling other products to do it on a smaller scale. A distributor Salesman generally sells only the products that the company he represents stocks .. depending on the agreement between salesman & company. Yes there are several alternate ways of selling. But ... if You want it to grow eventually big time You need to follow the accepted methods as it will catch you in the end.
Hope this helps a little.
JSC