I have sold other brands over the years, and the reps who were independent had the annoying habit of trying to supplement their income by introducing me to other fine 'opportunities.' More than one of them tried to get me to carry competing products - not all were other spas, or other brands, but many were things that generally sell against tubs.
In 20 years of doing this, I have the greatest respect for my Watkins reps.
Rick S - my very first Rep from 1986 - is still with Watkins MFG Corp as far as I know - he is now head of International sales and I think he is based in Australia.
8-)
You can be an independent rep with an exclusive contract. That's a head office issue in drawing up the contract.
I guess there are 2 sides to that:
1) Dealers sell multiple lines of products to generate revenue from various means so why not a rep? I personally never have but considered repping products that complimented spas.
2) Focus on your main line of product and make it profitable for yourself and your dealers. If "exclusive", the drive to make it a success is possibly increased...
Then there's the legal aspect of exclusivity and the detail of the contract which can be construed as an employee/employer relationship. It can get messy...
