Preparing to sell

Sales agents and distributors

Guide

You can use a sales agent to act on your behalf. Although an agent may arrange a sale, the sale contract will be between you and the customer. An agent may be either an employee or self-employed. For further information see using a sales agent.

A distributor is a customer of yours who sells your products/services on to their own customers.

One advantage of a sales agent or distributor is immediate access to your target market without the need to build your own sales presence. They can also help you to break into new markets, such as overseas, where you may lack contacts, time, experience or expertise.

You should consider various factors to decide whether an agent or a distributor is beneficial for your business, for example:

  • access to your target market
  • how they will fit in with your existing operation
  • rights and responsibilities
  • sales process - how involved do you want to be
  • customer relationship - how close do you want to be with customers

Selling to agents and distributors

You will need to base your sales pitch on what you can offer the sales agent or distributor - convince them that it will be worth their while representing or stocking your product/service, eg:

  • easy to sell your product/service
  • potential profit from sales
  • boost their business - how your product fits with their existing range
  • service and logistics - reliable supply and quality of products/services

For further information see our guide on how to sell through a commercial agent.