Asking for a budget will scare off some managers, but if you want to control the destiny of your business, a sales team is the only way to go. With distributors, you are at their mercy. A sales team is focused on your business and selling your products. The main problem with distributors is that they are carrying many products not just yours.You must fight for mind share among the distributor's sales people. Your product must be valuable to them in their compensation scheme. The right question to ask is how much money can a sales rep or a distributor make with your product compared to all other products she or he sells. You might not be able to get that information from a distributor. The managers you deal with to negotiate the contract are not the same as the sales reps with feet on the ground. It's best to have your own feet on the street.

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