Manufacturers Reps Still Best Way to Enter Market, Says MRC Industry Speaker

The Manufacturers' Rep Council conducted its 2009/2010 Long-Range Planning meeting in September and utilized the SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) to determine the council's direction instead of its traditional brainstorming approach. Guest speaker Bryan Shirley, president and CEO of the Manufacturers' Agents National Association (MANA), also outlined the 10 largest challenges facing the manufacturers' rep industry today.

"We need to communicate and get the word out," Shirley said. "Manufacturers' reps and outsourced professional field sales are still the best way to go to market. We need to promote and protect the function together. Invest in your future, network with reps and remember that you are not in this alone." [Read More]