Ask the management staff at Landover, Md.-based Harry Eklof & Associates what makes the manufacturers representative firm so successful, they will tell you it’s the relationships the company has with both distributors and contractors. But the glue that holds those relationships together is training — technical, hands-on training.
“We’re selling service, not product,” says Ken Herne, sales engineer for Eklof’s HVAC department. “Successful reps focus on service through training, which includes live, hands-on product training. When we’re trying to introduce new technology, the easiest way to do it is to have the mechanics’ hands on it.”