Outsourcing your field sales force in the South of France
You manufacture tools, fixings, hardware, PPE or garden products and want to be present in French DIY stores, builders’ merchants or hardware shops in the South of France without recruiting a sales team? Outsourcing your field sales force is the most direct solution. Go Distribution, a multi-line sales agency founded in 1994 in Bègles (Bordeaux), does exactly this for French and European manufacturers.
What is sales force outsourcing?
Outsourcing your sales force means entrusting all or part of your prospecting and customer follow-up to salespeople who are not your employees. Two models exist: the multi-line sales agent, an independent who represents several complementary brands and is paid on commission; and the contract sales force, where a service provider supplies dedicated salespeople, billed for the time spent. In both cases, you buy a field presence without carrying an in-house sales team.
Multi-line agent, contract sales force or employed sales rep: the comparison
The three options do not involve the same costs or the same lead times. The table below summarises the usual differences; actual conditions always depend on the contract.
| Criterion | Multi-line sales agent | Contract sales force | Employed sales rep |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | 100% variable: commission on sales collected | Fixed: daily or monthly fee charged by the provider, sometimes a bonus | Fixed: salary, social charges, vehicle, expenses (€60–70k per year all-in) |
| Time to start | A few weeks: your ranges join existing sales rounds | 1 to 3 months: the provider recruits or assigns, then trains | 3 to 6 months of recruitment, then a learning curve |
| Customer portfolio | Existing: the agent already visits the buyers | Depends on the provider, often to be built | To be built |
| Exclusivity | Exclusivity for your brand in the agent’s territory; the agent carries other lines, never competing ones | Salesperson dedicated to your brand during the assignment | Total |
| Commitment | Commercial agency contract (French Commercial Code), statutory notice of 1 to 3 months | Service contract, often with a minimum term | Employment contract (usually permanent) |
A contract sales force is well suited to one-off operations: a launch, a roll-out, a seasonal campaign. For a lasting presence in an established distribution network, the multi-line agent brings what the other two models must first build: relationships with the buyers.
The numbers: employed sales rep or outsourced sales force?
In practice, an employed field sales rep costs €60–70k per year all-in: salary, social charges, vehicle, fuel, phone, computer and travel expenses. This cost runs from day one, whether sales follow or not. With a sales agent, you only pay a commission on the turnover actually invoiced.
- Assumption 1: full cost of an employed sales rep = €65k per year (middle of the €60–70k range);
- Assumption 2: agent’s commission rate = 10% of net sales (usual rates range from 6% to 14% depending on products and channels);
- Assumption 3: sales achieved in the territory in the first year = €300k excl. VAT.
Result: the commission amounts to €30k, compared with €65k for the employee, a difference of €35k in the first year. The cost of the two options only evens out at around €650k of annual sales (€65k ÷ 10%). Below that threshold, the agent costs less; above it, you pay more, but only because you sell more.
This calculation does not take lead time into account: a newly recruited employee starts from scratch, whereas an agent presents your ranges to buyers he already visits. First-year sales are therefore rarely comparable between the two options.
Our channels: an outsourced sales force for DIY, builders’ merchants and garden
DIY superstores
Leroy Merlin, Castorama, Brico Dépôt, Bricomarché, Weldom, Mr.Bricolage: listing is decided at head-office level, but sales happen in store, with the department manager. Our agents follow up on product placements, replenishment and merchandising store by store. See our page on distribution in French DIY stores.
Garden centres
Gamm Vert, Jardiland, Truffaut, Botanic and independent garden centres work to the rhythm of the seasons: displays are prepared months in advance. We support your garden ranges, garden tools and seasonal products. See our page on distribution in garden centres.
Builders’ merchants
Gedimat, Tout Faire, BigMat, Chausson and independent builders’ merchants often buy branch by branch. Regular visits to the trade counters and branch managers make the difference. See our page on distribution in builders’ merchants.
Hardware shops
Independent hardware shops and buying groups such as Master Pro or Quincaillerie Angles place smaller but regular orders, which are hard to make profitable with an employee. It is natural territory for a multi-line agent. See our page on distribution in hardware shops.
Industrial supplies
Industrial supply distributors (Setin, Foussier, Legallais and independents) expect a technical contact able to present a range of fixings, cutting tools or PPE to their teams. See our page on distribution in industrial supplies.
Sales outsourcing in the South-West and South-East of France: our territory
Go Distribution covers 31 departments across three regions, with 6 agents who each work their own territory all year round:
- Nouvelle-Aquitaine: Bordeaux and the Gironde, the Landes, the Basque Country and Béarn, Lot-et-Garonne, the Charentes, the Dordogne, Deux-Sèvres, Vienne, Haute-Vienne and Corrèze;
- Occitanie: Toulouse, the Gers, Hautes-Pyrénées, the Tarn, Aveyron, the Lot, Montpellier, Nîmes, Perpignan;
- PACA: Marseille, the Var, the Vaucluse, Alpes-Maritimes and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence.
The field team includes Michael Lina (southern Gironde, Landes, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Lot-et-Garonne), Laurent Langlade (northern Gironde, Charentes, Dordogne, Deux-Sèvres, Vienne, Haute-Vienne, Corrèze), Adrien Gasso (Occitanie, from Toulouse to Perpignan) and Frédéric Polichetti (PACA and Gard).
How outsourcing your sales force works
- The agreement. We sign an exclusive distribution agreement setting out the territory, the channels, the commission rate and the terms of cooperation.
- The range presentation. You train us on your products, your selling points and your terms of sale; together we identify the priority retail chains and stores.
- The listing. Our agents present your ranges to the buyers and department managers they already visit, and support your applications to head-office buying centres when needed.
- Field follow-up. Replenishment, product placements, merchandising, in-store demonstrations: your products are followed up on every round.
- CRM reporting. Every visit is logged in our CRM: you know who was visited, what was ordered and what remains to be done.
The brands that entrust us with their sales force
We represent complementary, never competing brands, including SPIT, Red Head, Alpha Coupe, Isaberg Rapid, Mottez and Master Lock. Discover all the brands we represent.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a commercial agency agreement last?
The agreement can be concluded for a fixed or an indefinite term. We favour long-term cooperation: a listing and a presence on the shelves are built over several seasons.
Do I have to grant the agency exclusivity?
We work under an exclusive agreement for our territory and our channels. In return, we undertake never to represent a brand that competes with yours: our lines are always complementary.
What is the usual commission rate?
Rates are generally between 6% and 14% of net sales, depending on the type of product, the average order value, the target channels and the merchandising work required. The rate is set in the agreement.
What notice is required to end the agreement?
For an agreement of indefinite duration, the French Commercial Code provides for one month’s notice in the first year, two months in the second year and three months from the third year onwards. The contract may provide for longer periods.
What reporting will I receive?
Every visit is tracked in our CRM: stores visited, orders, listings obtained, field feedback on competitors and prices. You receive a regular report, at a frequency agreed with you in the agreement.
Which areas do you cover?
We cover 31 departments in the South of France, in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Occitanie and PACA, from Bayonne to Marseille. If you already have a sales force in the north or east of France, we can take care of the South only.
Want to outsource your sales force in the South of France?
Show us your ranges: we will tell you frankly what they can achieve in DIY stores, builders’ merchants, hardware shops, garden centres and industrial supplies.
Call us on +33 6 75 43 71 74 or write to us below.