The Internet is giving reps a wake-up call. They have a new opportunity to explain their role to manufacturers and customers.
Shortly after I joined Supply House Times in 1990, Wal-Mart became the scourge of the manufacturers rep profession when it announced its intent to eliminate reps in its dealings with manufacturers. Some believed that Wal-Mart?s move would spell the beginning of the end for reps because other large retailers, and even wholesalers, eventually would follow suit.
A decade later, many reps have survived the Wal-Mart scare long enough to face a new threat of elimination from the Internet. I assume the same people who predicted the demise of the reps from Wal-Mart are at work again now.