Circuits Assembly - August 2008 - (Page 21)

Be kind to the rep. They are a vital and necessary been made or broken not just on the technical aspects of Manufacturing part of the supplier-user chain. Contrary to what some a demonstration, but on how well the client was managed end-users (and sales managers) may think, reps are not at the manufacturer’s facility. A good rep has a strong relaparasites. Sure, there are some sleazoids out there; every tionship with the clients in their territory and, rest assured, field has them, and in our industry they are not confined a low threshold for being embarrassed or let down. to the sales side of the fence either. Most reps (as well as Reputation. Somewhat related yet separate from support direct sales people) I have worked with are conscientious is the reputation that the principal has. Quite simply, is it professionals who place their customers’ concerns high in a line that the rep is proud to have on his line card and to their priorities. Remember, we’re all in this together. represent? Is the product reliable and does the company n have a reputation for high quality, dependable service and support? Or is the line a major embarrassment? Do orders fall through the cracks; does every installation become a struggle, and the field service techs run the other way every time the T A K E C HA R G E O F phone rings? Those top-tier lines didn’t just YOU happen to be that way. It takes a great deal RS of effort and commitment on the part of the TA TI manufacturer. Frankly, most still struggle with C it. End-users know winners from the also-rans. CH The former enjoy an earned reputation and the rep will naturally gravitate toward such a line. This isn’t rocket science: It is much easier to sell a product, be it equipment or material, if the line has a good reputation. As a third-party, bear in mind there is not much a rep can do about the reputations of the lines they carry. While they are a conduit for communication between customer and manufacturer, it is up to the principal to respond, and appropriately. Money. This may come as news, but like the rest of us, the rep is not in business for their health. Nor does the extreme pleasure Maintain your ESD program derived from dealing with engineers and purwith Staticide topicals or ESD Safety Shield. chasing people provide adequate compensation (though you think it would). No, the rep is out there slaving for the legal tender, just like the rest of us. Accordingly, a manufacturer that Two types of coatings to cover For details and ordering instructions pays a good commission and pays on time is your needs: biodegradable topicals for these user-friendly and highly and stable coatings. Staticide effective coatings for plastic from the preferred one. topicals eliminate static and the nation’s most reliable producer, A typical commission rate for equipment prevent tribogeneration while visit our website. (in North America) is around 10%. This may Staticide ESD Safety Shield www.aclstaticide.com sound like a lot, particularly for an expensive maintains resistivity by With Staticide protection, piece of capital equipment, but keep in mind dissipating static at a safe rate. you’re in charge! the rep is assuming a good part, if not all, of the cost of sale. Unlike for a direct salesman, principals do not reimburse reps’ expenses (fuel, auto and those lunches they bought you). The payment “gestation” period can be quite long as well. For example, you buy a pick-and-place system with a lead-time of 14 weeks. Your payment terms are net 30 days, so it is at least a month after delivery that you pay the manufacturer. The rep usually is paid commission a good month after that. So the rep doesn’t see a dime for their efforts (and financial outlay) for almost a half a year after When it comes to static protection, Staticide has you covered. completing the sale. Better AL LE NG ES circuitsassembly.com Circuits Assembly AUGUST 2008 21 http://www.aclstaticide.com http://www.aclstaticide.com http://circuitsassembly.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Circuits Assembly - August 2008

Circuits Assembly - August 2008 Contents Caveat Lector Industry News Market Watch Talking Heads Screen Printing Better Manufacturing Auditing a Fabricatior Cutting Machine Programming Time Simultaneous Acoustic Imaging and Surface Mapping Tech Tips Soldering Test and Inspection Process Doctor Pb-Free Lessons Learned Getting Lean Component Advances Product Spotlight Ad Index Assembly Insider Techincal Abstracts

Circuits Assembly - August 2008

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