going to distribution from MFG

Do many MFG reps go to Schein or Patterson?

 

Really depends what you want to do? Patterson and Schein are good distribution companies, but not core manufacturers ( yes, schein does some manufacturing). All manufacturers are not the same and many "manufacturers" distribute product made partially and/or entirely from other manufacturers.

There are many successful and happy distributor reps doing extremely well financially over the long term as there are successful manufacturer reps.

 

Actually a 3M rep just recently left to become a distribution rep. Was kind of suprised to hear it.

 

Why would this be a surprise? Coming from the manufacture side of the industry I see many benefits to becoming a distributor rep. There are quite a few x-mfg reps that have make the switch and are doing quite well.

 

It's a tough jump in many cases... Most of those distribution rep jobs are based upon some sort of full commission, meaning you have to have a larger territory at the beginning to match up with what you're currently making throught the manufacturer. If you can find the right spot, potentially taking over for someone that leaves, or retirees then it can be awesome, but lateral moves (financially) can be hard to come by. Dollar to dollar, from what I've seen, I'd take a distribution job every day of the week...

 

There are many things to consider when making this move. As the above poster stated, it would be best to try to take over for someone leaving or retiring; however, there is a major problem with that theory. Most of the time there are several other reps in line for those good accounts unless you are in the middle of nowhere where there is no overlap between dealer reps. I know I would have been mad when I was a dealer rep if a mfr rep swooped in when someone was retiring and took their accts. It does happen but it's rare. Because of that, you would most likely be starting out with a scratch territory and have to establish accts like everyone else. It easily takes 3-5 years to make decent coin out of a scratch territory. That is why it is uncommon for mfr reps to go to dealer - most people can't afford to make 50% of their income for 3 yrs while they build a territory. I know of an ex-pharma rep that became a dealer rep and ran up $20k on credit cards because he unwisely chose not to drastically change his lifestyle before his territory was producing. You also need to consider that as a dealer rep you will need to make $15-$20k more a year to be at parity with your current comp plan assuming that, like me, you have a company car and full expenses. It could be great if you get accounts with a lot of potential and if you have a good relationship with the manager, but then again it could be a grass-is-greener situation. I would be sure to talk to some of the other reps before you pull the trigger because some managers are known to greatly exaggerate how much you can make and how quickly you will make it. IMO it might be better to look into management with the mfr you work for as an alternative, assuming that your motivation is increasing your income, especially if you have already put in a couple of years there. Just my 2 cents.