The independent rep business is tougher than ever; that's why it's better than ever for those who make it.
So let it be understood that I'm not picking only on reps in pointing to their mantra that goes, "Our principals keep asking us to do more and more for less and less." There's little doubt this is true. Just about every independent rep tells of increased duties while commission percentages drop or stagnate. It's just that everyone else in the channel has similar stories to tell of doing more for less. Vendors and customers constantly increase demands while getting ever stingier about compensating for the services rendered.