Just as the vast majority of contracting firms can be classified as "good to excellent," the same can be said for sales rep firms serving the pro audio industry. Most rep firms are comprised of dedicated, hard-working and knowledgeable professionals who take their business very seriously.

Sam Helms

Lousy rep firms indeed exist. But so do lousy contracting firms, lousy consultants, lousy manufacturers, lousy writers, lousy web sites - let's be honest and say lousy (insert profession here). The bottom line is rep firms can serve as an extremely valuable resource to both contractors and manufacturers. I recently got to thinking about reps, the way they're viewed negatively in some quarters, how their roles are changing, if they'll still exist as we know them in the near future, how ongoing consolidation on both ends of their spectrum (manufacturing and contracting) might impact their role...

Mulling this over, I decided to go straight to the source, in the form of Sam Helms of Sigmet Corp., based in Manalapan, NJ. Sam’s been in the rep business for almost 30 years, working one of the biggest markets in the U.S. (NY metro and Eastern Seaboard), representing "A-Line" products.

Over that time, he's seen pro audio grow up from a certifiable cottage industry to its current growing and thriving state, filled with ever more sophisticated products and specialists deploying them. Via an extended phone conversation, we covered a lot of ground on the current and future state of reps, and here's what Sam had to say.

Keith Clark: So how did you end up getting involved in this business anyway?

Sam Helms: My educational background is in the medical field - I attended the Duke University School of Respiratory Therapy. At the same time, I loved audio, to the point where I owned a hi-fi store in Lynchburg, VA. In 1973, about the time I was getting tired of putting tubes down people’s throats, I made a call to Crown, seeking to sell their hi-fi products at my store.

They mentioned that they were looking for an independent rep firm in my region, because Ed Straw, the owner of MetroRep marketing, was contemplating retirement. Ed and I talked, and within two weeks I joined Ed, moving to Freehold, NJ. We sold hi-fi gear only, no pro audio. But I kept meeting up with people in New York City who were taking hi-fi stuff into pro audio. This was very interesting to me, with the industry starting to grow from there, and me with it.

Greg McMahon, who also worked for MetroRep at the time, left to start Signal Marketing, and after working successfully - independently of each other - Greg and I decided to put it all back together under the banner of Sigmet Marketing, and we’ve been together for about 15 years. Our firm deals mostly with sound contracting, large-format PA and MI/retail.

KC: What are some of the biggest changes you’ve seen over this period with respect to the sales rep business?

Sam: Obviously, commission rates have gone down!

But seriously, the need for larger-format systems has grown incredibly, and at the same time, our role as the rep has changed from just being the people who walk into a shop or store, toss a piece of lit on the desk and say "please buy this". These two factors add up to a rep that must know the gear, how it fits together, be able to offer solutions and options... I define the role as sales "integrator" rather than "rep".

Sales integrators should be able to look at designs, blueprints, facilities and the like, and be able to discuss, with depth and detail, how the products they're offering will fit into a given project, how they can make the system better, and how specifically to implement these suggestions.

A sales integrator is more in line with the needs of contractors and consultants, more so than ever when it comes to understanding the specifics of their work and how products can make their lives easier and better.