11. Bank References:Bank Name Address/City/State/Zip Phone Fax to be open Maiame
12. What specifically interested you about ELF? a) Very flexible m/c and short delivery time, potential marketb) it can attend wide sector (beverage, food, oil, chemical....)c) aggressive sales strategy
13. Do you have an interest in:Touring ELF-USA? yesseeing a demonstration trailer? yesTouring a trade show where ELF is exhibiting? yesOther:
14. Comments: As you can see in our profile attached, we are a quite new company. However our team have been working in the food industry sector for many years, including in representation office. So we believe we have the experience to fulfill your expectation.
Thank you very much for this information. Sincerely, Electronic Liquid Fillers, Inc.
International sales manager Eric Thorgren analyzes the form:
1-3. The government in Brazil is more cooperative about letting American equipment in, so we thought this rep looked like a good opportunity for us.
4. Mechanical aptitude helps in our business. If we see that someone is already selling industrial equipment, then we assume some mechanical knowledge and a higher chance of success with us. We do give consideration to people without that kind of background, however, if they show a record of, say, selling refrigerators to Eskimos. We have to spend a little more time familiarizing and training them, though.
5. Reps from small companies -- a five- or six-person show -- are usually a better fit for us. We've found that they check in with us more frequently and give us individualized attention. Some larger corporations don't assign a single person to represent ELF's products. With more than one person checking in with us, it gets confusing.
6. This is a sneaky question. Here's where we'd screen out anyone already working for a direct competitor. Most reps don't do any manufacturing, but we do occasionally get approached by people in related businesses. A stainless-steel manufacturer, for example, might be able to fabricate components for ELF and may be a potential customer for our products. We've bought from our agents, and they've bought from us. It's been mutually beneficial.
7. This shows us not only what levels of expertise and concentration we can expect, but also whether the applicant is with a reputable company. Many applicants are already selling complementary products, and that is attractive. If a rep has a customer base, then we'll gain that base. . . instantly. Reps who are selling millions of dollars' worth of equipment impress us a lot more than the guy who isn't selling anything. If this is blank, we wonder if that's because the applicant is just starting or whether he's embarrassed because his volume is low. Do low volumes mean a low likelihood of success at ELF? Usually. But not always, and that's why we ask question 9.
8. I'm pleased with these numbers. Although 123 employees is a lot, there is a nice balance of sales and technical staff. An agent with a technician on board who can help with replacement parts, for example, is a bonus.
9. We've noticed that the reps from companies that are just starting up and don't have much sales volume have been among the most successful. They don't promise the world unless they're sure they can deliver. Again, it's the small-company mentality -- individualized, personal attention -- that works best for us.
10. Most reps are selling local stuff, so they don't bother to list references. It's fine if they aren't working with other U. S. companies. They'll be devoted to us.
11. We're at no risk, because we do everything with letters of credit, and so we don't look into bank references unless the applicant wants to buy one of our product lines. If the agent does happen to have a bad credit rating, we'd probably think that the guy would be unlikely to succeed at ELF. Then again, maybe someone who's bankrupt would be more motivated to sell.
12. This is great. This agent has read our brochures and has recognized what separates us from the competition: flexibility, short delivery time, and an aggressive sales strategy. Every so often people use this space to tell us where they heard about ELF -- trade journals, packaging magazines, and the like -- and we use the information to optimize our marketing dollars.
13. We realize that not everybody can visit us here in Indiana, but if a guy doesn't even want to see our traveling demo trailer or tour a trade show with us, how serious can he be? We want to spend a half day with each rep, showing off and explaining our equipment line and sales procedures. The shows are important to sales, and we want prospective reps to understand that. Many of our reps choose to participate in trade shows with us. They share the advertising cost and put on their own demos for prospective clients, and those who translate our brochure into other languages really improve their chances for getting orders.
14. "Eagerly await your response" and "Please respond as soon as possible" are typical answers here. This rep's enthusiasm was real. In the year this company has worked with us, it's closed seven major deals. We've been pleased with its reps' motivation and their level of activity.
