Manufacturer’s representative
Also called manufacturer’s rep, rep agency, independent sales rep
Reviewed by Dasha ShakovVP Marketing, Proton
Updated
What is manufacturer’s representative?
A manufacturer’s representative is an independent salesperson or agency that sells a manufacturer’s products on commission, without buying or stocking any. Reps work a territory for several non-competing manufacturers and call on distributors and end users to win orders that distributors then fill.
How it works
A lighting rep, for instance, may get fixtures specified on a project, help the distributor quote the job and arrange special pricing, while the distributor stocks, sells, ships and invoices the product.
Manufacturer’s representative example
Over lunch, a valve manufacturer’s rep agency trains a distributor’s inside sales team on a new line. Two weeks later the agency passes along a lead for a plant that needs 30 of the new valves.
Related terms
- Line cardA line card is a distributor’s list of the manufacturers and brands it sells, typically shown as a page of logos.
- Specification sellingSpecification selling is the work of getting a product written into a project’s plans or specifications so that contractors bidding the job must quote it.
- Ship and debitShip and debit is an arrangement in which a manufacturer lets a distributor sell to one customer or project below its normal cost, then repays the gap.
- Authorized distributorAn authorized distributor is a distributor that a manufacturer has formally approved to sell its products, under a written agreement.
