Evaluating a Prospective Representative « Electronics Representatives Association

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Prospective Representative Evaluation Form

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Rep Firm: ______________________________________________ Date: _________________

Address: _____________________________________________________________________

City/State/Zip Code: ____________________________________________________________________________

Phone: __________________________________________

Fax: _________________________________________

E-mail: __________________________________________

URL: _________________________________________

Person Interviewed: _______________________________ Title: ________________________

Person Interviewed: _______________________________ Title:________________________

1. REPRESENTATIVE COMPANY INFORMATION:

(a) History:

(1) Are you a corporation, a partnership or a sole proprietorship? ____________________________

(2) In what state (and year) was your business established? ________________________________

(3) Who are the owners of your company and at what percentage ownership?

_______________________________________________________________________

(4) Will you furnish a brief company history or brochure? _________________________________

(5) Does your company have a Web site? May we view it now? ______________________________

(b) Company Growth and Future Plans:

(1) Will you describe your sales performance history?_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

(2) Do you have a formal marketing plan?____________________________________________

(3) Do you prepare an annual budget? ______________________________________________

(1) What territory do you cover? __________________________________________________

(2) Will you supply a territory map? _______________________________________________

(3) Will you accept deviations from your traditional territory? ______________________________

(4) What do you consider to be your primary and secondary markets? _________________________

(d) Office Facilities:

(1) How many offices do you have? Locations? Number of outside/inside sales personnel per office?

_________________________________________________________________________

(2) Virtual offices: describe your home-office set-up of employees (number of phone lines, fax, modem/connection):

_________________________________________________________________________

(3) Do you use contact tracking software? Which? ______________________________________

(4) Do you use computer order tracking software? Which? ________________________________

(5) Describe the “information connections” you have with other principals (Web/browser based, dial-in, dedicated line): ________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

(e) Warehousing:

(1) Do you have a warehouse? ___________________________________________________

(2) What is its size? __________________________________________________________

(3) Do you presently stock items for resale? __________________________________________

(f) Personnel:

(1) How many people are employed by your company? How many full time? How many part time?

________________________________________________________________________

(2) How many outside salespeople do you have?_________ How many inside salespeople? ________

(3) How many administrative support people do you have? What are their duties/responsibilities?

_________________________________________________________________________

(4) How many people are involved in the management of your company? _______________________

(5) Are any of your people Certified Professional Manufacturers’ Representatives (CPMRs)? How many?

_______________________________________________________________________

(6) How many of your people hold degrees? What types of degrees (business/technical)?

___________________________________________________________________________

(g) Present Lines Represented:

(1) Please furnish a complete, current line list:

_________________________________________________________________________

(2) What lines are most synergistic with our products? _________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

(3) Do any of our products conflict with any of your principals? ______________________________

(4) Will you supply several principal references? ________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

(h) Professional Affiliations:

(1) Are you a member of ERA? ____________________________________________________

(2) Are you a member of any other trade associations? ____________________________________

(3) Are any of your people members of IEEE? __________________________________________

(4) Are you a member of the Chamber of Commerce? _____________________________________

(5) Do you or any of your people have any other professional affiliations? _______________________

(i) Stock Ownership in Companies You Represent:

(1) Do you, or any of your people, participate in stock ownership of any of your current principals?

________________________________________________________________________

2. VALUE ADDED MARKETING SERVICES:

(a) Quotations:

(1) Do you prepare and present quotations? ___________________________________________

(2) Do you prepare and present proposals? ____________________________________________

(3) Please demonstrate your procedure for quotations (log-in, presenting to customer, tracking, follow up)

_________________________________________________________________________

(4) Please demonstrate your procedure for samples (log-in, presenting to customer, tracking, follow up)

_________________________________________________________________________

(b) Sales Forecasts:

(1) Do you prepare sales forecasts — how many and how often? ______________________________

(2) Are these forecasts initiated by you or required by your principals? _________________________

(3) Do you or your principals have a program to follow up on these forecasts? ____________________

(1) Do you conduct market surveys for any of your principals? _______________________________

(2) How are you compensated for conducting these surveys? ________________________________

(d) Rep Councils:

(1) Do you participate on any Rep Councils? ___________________________________________

(e) Purchase Order Management:

(1) Do you accept and manage (expedite) orders for your principals? __________________________

(2) Are you compensated for this service? ____________________________________________

(f) Sales Performance:

(1) How do you monitor sales performance of your company and of your outside salespeople? _________

_________________________________________________________________________

(2) Do you report sales performance to your principal if requested? ___________________________

(3) Do you provide regular sales activity reports to your principals? ___________________________

3. VALUE ADDED SALES PROMOTION:

(a) Direct Mail:

(1) Do you have a direct mail program? ______________________________________________

(2) Is your mail list computerized? _________________________________________________

(3) How many people are on your mail list and how was it compiled?__________________________

(4) Do you use “bounce back” cards in your mailings? ____________________________________

(5) Do you have your own company mailer? ___________________________________________

(6) How often do you do mailings?_________________________________________________

(7) How much do your principals contribute to the cost of your mail program? ___________________

(8) Do you do any direct e-mail programs (e-mail promotion of products)? ______________________

(b) Trade Shows:

(1) Do you participate in local trade shows — which ones? _________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

(2) Do you participate in national trade shows — which ones? _______________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

(3) What support do you expect from your principals for these activities? Do you co-op cost estimates for each _____________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

(1) Do you have a professionally printed line list? _______________________________________

(2) Do you prepare sales promotional literature for any of your principals? ______________________

(3) Do you produce a newsletter? If so, how often? ______________________________________

(4) Do you have computer graphics capability? _________________________________________

(5) Do you have your own catalog? _________________________________________________

(6) Do you have any other sales promotional activity? ____________________________________

4. VISITS BY FACTORY PERSONNEL:

(a) Policy Regarding Territory Visits by Factory Personnel

(1) Do you work from a prepared itinerary? May we see an example? __________________________

(2) Who is responsible for trip reports? ______________________________________________

(3) Do you have a policy regarding customer entertainment expenses? _________________________

(4) How often and under what circumstances are such visits warranted? ________________________

5. COMPENSATION:

(a) How do you compensate your salespeople? ___________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

(b) Do you have any incentive programs? _______________________________________________

(d) Do you have a qualified retirement program? __________________________________________

(e) What type of insurance plan do you have for your employees? ____________________________

(f) Do you pay your employees’ expenses? ______________________________________________

(g) Do you have employment contracts? ________________________________________________

(h) What other benefits is your company providing? _______________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

6. TRAINING:

(a) Product Training:

(1) Will you send your salespeople to factory seminars? ___________________________________

(2) Will you send your salespeople to regional seminars? __________________________________

(3) What expenses will you expect the principal to pay? ___________________________________

(4) Will you plan and facilitate product training at your facilities? ____________________________

(b) Sales Training:

(1) Do you provide a regular sales training program for your salespeople? ______________________

(2) Do your people attend sales training programs and/or seminars? _________________________

(3) How often do they attend? ___________________________________________________

(4) Do you subscribe to any sales consultant or improvement programs? ______________________

_________________________________________________________________________

(1) Do you encourage your employees to further their education at company expense? ______________

(2) What type of continuing education programs are you promoting for your employees to keep abreast of our changing times? _________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

7. TERRITORIAL COVERAGE:

(a) What type of customers do you contact? _____________________________________________

(b) How do you rank your customers? Who are your key accounts? _____________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

(d) Will you provide us with customer references? ________________________________________

8. OTHER VALUE-ADDED SERVICE:

(a) Do you have service or calibration facilities?___________________________________________

(b) Do you conduct product demonstrations? ____________________________________________

(d) Do you perform any other value-added services? _______________________________________

9. ANNUAL MEETING:

(a) Do you conduct an annual meeting with your company? Do you conduct a strategic planning meeting?

___________________________________________________________________________

(b) If so, what subjects do you cover during the meeting(s)? ___________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________

10. REFERENCES/FINANCE:

(a) Name(s) of bank(s) and account numbers? ___________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

(b) Do you have a line of credit? _____________________________________________________

(d) Will you provide several trade references? ____________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

11. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

_______________________________________________________________________________