Becoming a Manufacturer’s Representative There are many different things you can study in college and what you choose to study will depend on what you decide you want to become. One of the many things you could choose to be is a manufacturer’s representative. As a manufacturer’s representative, you would be responsible for representing the products produced by a certain company in the marketplace. In order to be successful, you will need to develop sales skills and you will need to be able to communicate clearly and easily with people. People skills and a love of working with people are an absolute must for this position. In this position, you can choose to either work for one company or to work for several companies at a time. Of course, if you work for several companies at a time, you will probably want to limit your representation to products that complement each other well. There are several things that you will need to make sure you do throughout school if you are going to work in a position like this. Get A Degree and Do Your Homework The first thing you will definitely need to do is earn a college degree. In a few rare cases you may be able to land a job without a degree, but this is becoming part of history. There are enough talented college graduates out there that in order to compete for a position, you must earn a degree as well. It is also critical that you gain extensive sales experience before you apply for a position. Your abilities will be a large determining factor in how successful the company is. They need you to have the skills to make them successful, or you will be out of a job. The next thing you will want to do is perform some research. Be sure to go online or to the library to find out information about current manufacturers. Discover what products they sell and what their company policy is. Two sites that are ideal for performing this research are the National Association of Manufacturers or the International Association of Manufacturers’ websites. Key points that you will need to look for include how long the business has been running, their code of ethics and the compensation package that they offer. Visit the Bureau of Labor Statistics website as well to find out what kind of grade the business has.
You want to work for a reputable company and you can ensure that you do by performing this research before you begin applying for various jobs. In addition, you will want to select a company that has a promising future of growth and success. Through performing this research you will have good idea of whether or not the prospects of the future look good. In other words, you can determine whether or not it looks like there will be an increased demand for the product in the future. Be Resourceful with Your Resources There are other resources that can supplement your research as well. These other resources are also important for providing you with details that will impact your final decision. For example, you may want to find out where forums for contract manufacturing representatives meet and attend a few of their meetings. One forum that you may be interested in attending is the Manufacturers Reps Forum. Join this forum and begin attending regularly. Make sure that you do not miss out on the conferences either as these activities are a great way to network, get to know others in the industry, and to learn more about your future job. Many manufacturers attend these activities specifically to find talented representatives who will be able to perform well for them. In addition, as you get to know other representatives, they may recommend you when there is an opening at their company. This is a great way to land a job. As you do extended research like this, you will be able to determine which businesses you would like to work for and which people provide interesting products. When you know exactly which businesses you would like to work for and you feel like you have enough knowledge about that company, you will be able to contact the manager and request more information about working for them. Then, you will begin the process of filling out the application and interviewing with various representatives. You will be fully prepared for these interviews because of all of the research you have performed. Once you are hired, it is very important that you attend the trainings so that you will become familiar with business procedures. In addition, you should continue to participate in forums and other nationally recognized organizations.