Hiring Playbook

Beyond the Rep: Building Sales Infrastructure That Wins

A rep can get you in the door. What happens next is a collective effort. Systems, support, and execution are what keep you there and grow the account.

Nick Lawless, March 30, 2026

In last week's edition of The Brief we explored the two main compensation models for territory sales reps. This piece goes a step further.

While building 360 Recruitment, I asked a lot of questions about what makes the brand and rep relationship actually work. Outside of the obvious "demand for the product," I found that internal support and systems play a bigger role than most brands expect. The right infrastructure does not just help your rep. It makes life easier for everyone involved: brand, rep, buyer, and ultimately the consumer.

We live in a world where lean organizations can thrive. That is especially true on the DTC side. But if that structure does not evolve when wholesale rolls out, you will experience serious friction.

Getting In Is the Hard Part

The hardest part of launching in wholesale is simply getting into accounts. Pro Shop floor space is limited. Every brand is competing for the same real estate. Once you are in, you have to be exceptional. You have to stay in and grow.

For newer brands, success looks like this: simultaneously investing in marketing, product development, and recruiting strong reps in key territories. The most you can ask of a rep at the beginning stage is to give you a chance, tap into their relationships and land intro orders, which are typically smaller in dollar value.

What comes after is more of a collective effort.

The real breakthrough comes from the reorder. One order is a chance. A reorder is a signal that you actually have a customer.

Getting to that reorder consistently is where your systems and infrastructure should shine.

Tip: Most brands see avg order value tied to intro order size early on. The goal is to move past that. As you go deeper with accounts, order sizes should increase. When avg order value surpasses intro orders, you know you’re building depth within your accounts.

The Tech Stack

Data is becoming every company’s most valuable asset. But if you’re not tracking it, you can’t use it. Most brands reading this are early in wholesale. Your tech stack should reflect where you’re going, not where you are.

Proactive planning is everything. Brands that wait until things get messy before building systems get left behind fast. We operate in a small world. You really only get one shot at doing this right.

Put yourself in the buyer's seat for a moment. You recently brought on a newer brand. Floor space is tight so you placed an intro order. You have five other reps you know and trust competing for that same space. You take a chance on the new brand and a few items start selling through. But you have not heard from the rep in a few weeks.

How does this play out? If your process is easy and not manual, they are likely going to reorder, maybe even on their own. If your process is outdated or difficult, they will let the rack sit. Your top sellers stay sold out until the rep circles back. The account sees an account management issue as a product sell through issue.

Your rep's job is to sell. Fill-ins and reorders are part of the role, but reps are not mindreaders. Things slip through the cracks. A proper order management system that allows accounts to reorder independently protects that business when your rep is not in the room.

RepSpark is the platform most golf brands in this space are using for wholesale order management. There are other options out there, but make sure whichever you choose is easy to use. If it is something your buyer and your rep are already accustomed to, even better.

The Internal Hire

DTC and wholesale are two different businesses. I always come back to the saying: you don't know what you don't know.

Segmenting the channels internally allows your team to focus on what makes each person exceptional. If you are a founder, or you have a team member who is exceptional at customer acquisition through DTC, you do not want to pull that person away from what they do best to learn the wholesale channel. The same is true in reverse.

Instead of defaulting the founder or another leader into the wholesale sales manager role, consider a strategic hire whose sole focus is to manage, motivate, and retain your field sales reps while equipping them with the tools, leads, and support needed to keep the channel growing. This person owns the wholesale operation internally so each channel can thrive independently.

Additionally, keep an eye on your internal team. You may have an inside sales team or a customer service team. Make sure that as your field team grows, your inside support team grows as well.

Tip: Partner Inside Sales and/or Customer Service with select Field Sales Reps. Each internal support rep should represent a select number of Field Sales Rep, somewhere between 3-5 is a good start. Now your customer has access to a full support system.

360 Recruitment can help you formulate KPI's, salary expectations, and strategy on finding, hiring, and retaining your next sales leader.

Set Your Rep Up to Win

The rep is one part of a larger support system. It is your duty to equip them with everything they need to succeed. Here are some additional things to consider.

Trade show presence is an important piece. The PGA Show, regional events, and AGM shows are where the industry gathers. The Association of Golf Merchandisers in particular is a good place to start, you will have the opportunity to meet some of the most influential and skilled merchandisers in the industry.

Sampling is next. Your rep will struggle to sell what they cannot show. Getting product into your rep's hands quickly and consistently is one of the most basic things a brand can do to improve rep performance.

Seeding is important too. I see this being skipped often with newer brands. Think teaching pros, club professionals, and influential players in key markets. Seeding creates visibility that your rep can leverage. A buyer who has already seen your product on someone they respect is a much easier conversation than one who has never heard of you.

Tip: Get creative with your seeding strategy. If your ideal buyer is private clubs, seed product across influential members. Private clubs are tight communities, and getting product on the right people drives chatter around the club. Again, this is most effective at private facilities, where the merchandiser is responsible for bringing in what members are already asking for.

Merchandising solutions help your product stand out on the floor. Getting into an account is one thing. How your product actually looks on the floor is another. Point of sale materials and display solutions show buyers that you have thought beyond the sell-in. It signals that you are a brand worth investing floor space in because you are going to help them sell through.

What Is at Stake

This is a highly competitive market. These suggestions are not meant to overwhelm. They are a look at what it actually takes to be great in this channel.

The biggest misconception in wholesale is that because reps are typically 1099 and commission based, the risk is low. What do you have to lose? You will find that the stakes are much higher than money alone. You will likely get one shot to do this right. Time and reputation are on the line.

I urge you to use this post as a checklist to determine your readiness. Remember, you do not have to do it all on your own, industry partners are here to help support you.

One More Thing

In the last edition we looked at how push and pull brands should think differently about their rep strategy. The infrastructure conversation is different. It applies across the board regardless of where your brand sits on that scale. A push brand and a pull brand both need systems, internal support, and the right partnerships. The investment level will reflect your size and your account base, but the framework is the same.

If you are building this out and want to think through what it should look like for your brand, I would be glad to work through it with you.

Several companies were listed in this article. If you are interested in learning more about them you can find more information through these links.

RepSpark, The PGA Show, Association of Golf Merchandisers, Downgrain Labs

Want to be Briefed before the rest?