WARRIORS OF - Electrical Business Magazine

one factory rep ranges, on average, from$175,000 to $225,000.“We have a broad product offering andcomplementary products that bring opportunitiesthat may not be seen by a factoryrep for one product,” asserts Tony Munden,president of Munden Enterprises Ltd. inWolfville, N.S., which represents FlukeNetworks and Fluke Electronics in AtlanticCanada. “We can provide a manufacturerwith an experienced and motivated s alesteam at a very low variable sales cost. Also,... your one stopshop for• Custom extrusions• Custom lengths• High temperature products• Non-metallic conduits• Nylon conduits• CSA certified products• UL certified products• Conduit & cable accessoriesand much more...P.O. Box 665Cobourg, ON K9A 4R5Phone: (905) 355-29591-800-561-4216we have a 30-day marriage that can be severedby either party. We continually have toprove that we are doing the job.”Heading a force of four outside salespeoplecovering the Atlantic region, Mundenemphasizes that his team spends a tremendousamount of time and money driving thebusiness by marketing the products they sell.Some of his company’s initiatives designedto spur sales include conducting CounterDays, participating in trade shows, as well ashosting Lunch and Learns. For the calendarA Canadian manufacturerof metallic flexible conduitsWe take great pridein offering youexemplary customerservice andexceptionalworkmanshipFax: (905) 355-33841-800-230-9753sales@superiorflex.comwww.superiorflex.comyear 2010, Munden Enterprises participatedin more than 75 distributor-focused events.Products from principal manufacturers areshowcased at each of these events.Munden touts his company’s recentlylaunched electronic marketing program. “Wehave a database of over 1200 people, brokendown by vertical markets such as consultants,contractors, end users, utility, telecom, industrialdistribution and electrical distributors.”Munden sends out four marketing emails perweeks targeted to 1-2 market segments. Theseemails are focused on new product or specificproduct applications. “We are not limited todealing with one or two distributors, but sellproducts to every distributor in the region.One of our strengths is that no one distributorrepresents more than 20 per cent of our totalbusiness. Based on this, we are involved inthe majority of the projects within the regionbased on our broad customer base.”Mark Chowen, president of TMC Sales—astart-up independent agency formed in Winnipegin 2009—credits his enterprise’s quicksuccesses with such top-notch customers asGescan, Nedco and Guillevin to what he callshis “immediately impact on the market withhis experience and existing relationships”.Chowen asserts that, with the diversity of theelectrical market today, independent agentshave become even more valuable. “By representingmore than one manufacturer, itenables us to earn som e crossover businessby representing complementary lines, whichleads to growing the business of both or allthe manufacturers represented. An agency isan ideal choice for a manufacturer lookingfor full coverage of a territory but is unableto put a full-time factory rep in place.”Territorial intelligenceThe market intelligence offered by the independentsales agent is lauded as a godsendby smaller, lesser-known manufacturers whoneed the close relationships these reps havecemented with distributor and contractorclients to promote their products. Largercompanies may rely on agents to penetratemarkets they wish to serve better.Because agencies often sell the productlines of between 10 to 15 dif ferent suppliers,some manufacturers feel their lines justwon’t get enough attention from outsourcedsales personnel. Countering this perception,Ed Tuggle, vice-president and principalof Alberta-based D.A.D. Sales, says the keyto selling multiple lines is to maximize the18 Spring 2011 • Distribution & Supply