Why You Need a Relationship With Your Manufacturer’s Representative

By Cass Jacoby, RCS Reporter.  

Join Heidi J. Ellsworth as she talks with Randy Chaffee about how having a relationship with your manufacturer’s representative is a key resource for the contractor. 

In a new episode of Roofing Road Trips, Heidi sits down with Randy Chaffee, a leading manufacturer’s representative for MARCO Industries to talk about the importance of cultivating a relationship with your reps.   

“I started in the world of manufacturers' repping four plus decades ago,” says Randy. “I use four plus decades because it sounds not as old as 40 plus years. No matter what I did, my heart was always in being on the road, building relationships and making customer friends, as I like to call them. So I've been doing it a long time.” 

Randy tells Heidi about his role as a manufacturer representative. “I represent the manufacturer to the distributor. Represent means more than just selling stuff,” says Randy. “It's problem solving, it's education and training, and support, all those kinds of things. And that's what I love. I love that relationship thing a lot.” 

Critical to the job of the manufacturer’s representative is taking care of the customer and building long-term relationships. The two discuss how a relationship with a manufacturer’s representative is an invaluable resource for the contractor. “Because there are so many things we can bring from training to backup information they may not have, to looking at an issue, to looking at a problem,” says Randy. “I want, as a rep, and I think this might resonate with contractors, is I want them or their distributor always coming to me first. And even if I can't handle it for you, if I can help you, then you're going to come to me the next time.” 

The two further discuss why this relationship is critical to a contractor’s success, highlighting how the manufacturer’s representative ultimately wants to support the contractor.  

“The key factor many times is that relationship part, the extras. The extra mile, the extra yard, the extra things that we can do for you,” says Randy. “I think for contractors, the better relationship they have with the reps for the different manufacturers, especially ones that they use a lot, they're going to be able to make their decisions better.” 

Listen to the entire podcast to learn about how best to cultivate important relationships if you are a manufacturer, contractor or a rep!