Find sales agents or sales representatives in Spain

For a lot of products working with a local sales agent or with a dedicated sales representative can be a good solution.

Especially if you have a customized product or service, or you want to work with a number of resellers in the country, an agent can be the one connecting these parties to your organization abroad.

Agents can be individuals, but I often recommend to work with established companies who already have a good network and where you are not dependent on just one person.

Set up your sales force in Spain

Spain is a vibrant and diverse market where you have good chances of introducing a new product. As of the latest data, Spain has a population of approximately 47 million people. According to the World Bank, Spain’s GDP per capita was about $30,370 in USD as of the last reporting year.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SPANISH BUSINESS CULTURE?

The business culture in Spain is generally relaxed. Spaniards value trusting relationships. While they may greet one another by kissing on the cheeks, you do not need to do so in business meetings. A handshake is more recommendable. Being great conversationalists, they will ask you about your background and personal life. Your honesty will gain trust and be a foundation for your business relationships. It is advisable to stay humble and non-confrontational.

WHAT ARE NEGOTIATION TACTICS IN SPAIN?

  • Do not be surprised if meetings do not follow the agenda.
  • If you want to discuss your business over a meal, you need to inform your counterparts in advance. Do take notes that in Spain, meal time is meant to relax and not to close deals. The one who invites will be the one to pay the bill.
  • Presentations can go at length.
  • The way you dress while doing business is important.
  • Personal networks are essential in this country. It will be beneficial if you have a local representative with an extended network.
  • Negotiations should only begin after you have already established the relationships.
  • Final decisions depend on people with senior positions in the company.

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Alternatives for working with agents in Spain: local offices or distance selling

If you don’t want to work with agents, you can always set up a local office yourself or try to sell your product from abroad. This all depends on the product or service and the ease to reach the right buyers. Be careful with the contracts that you close with agents. In many countries their status is well protected and you can’t take their recurring income easily away from them.

Agents

  • Agents represent you in the country and have a limited negotiation room.
  • They often sell not only for you, but also for other parties.
  • A good agent already has a network in your target market and can start selling directly.

Local offices

  • Local offices are a costly option, but give you full control on your sales.
  • You have to send someone over and hire local staff and office facilities.
  • This gives the opportunity to do local marketing and business development from within the country.

Distance selling

  • If you product can easily be delivered and serviced from abroad (like software) this may be a good option.
  • Video conferencing is more accepted now and can limit travel.
  • Lead generation may be done with SEO, advertising and email marketing.

How to convince an agent to work for you?

I always put a lot of emphasis on drafting a good distributor pitch. Even if you already have great sales materials for your end-users, this often does not make clear what the benefits are for a potential agent, distributor or retailer to work with you. 

When you approach potential sales channels with your standard documentation, chances are high that they are holding of. If you make it crystal clear what are the benefits for them, like in the example presentation, you will get a much higher response rate.

Please note that it helps to put concrete data in your presentation. You may think it is sensitive, but just know the secret is in how you achieve the rotation or the low returns level, not in the data itself. So share it here, in order to get the right attention.

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