Solving the Skilled Labor Shortage with Strategic Sales Outsourcing

Industrial manufacturers across the industrial sector are feeling the strain of a skilled labor shortage that’s only getting worse. While much of the conversation focuses on the shop floor, there’s another growing gap that often gets overlooked: the loss of technical sales talent.

Seasoned machinists and sales reps—many trained through apprenticeships and hands-on sales experience—are retiring, and not enough trained workers are stepping in behind them.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, only 4.5 million of the 15 million Americans working in manufacturing are under the age of 35. Nearly half are 45 or older—a trend that simply isn’t sustainable. A Deloitte study estimates the industry could need 3.8 million new employees by 2033, with up to 1.9 million jobs left unfilled unless the market shifts.

That shortage isn’t just affecting production. It’s disrupting the sales channel and affecting end users, too.

Distributors expect guidance choosing and applying the right tools. End users still need someone who can stand at a machine and help solve a problem. But with shrinking teams and widening territories, many industrial manufacturers are struggling to keep up.

That’s where Independent Manufacturers’ Representatives (IMRs) are stepping in. An IMR is an outsources sales representative that serves multiple, non-competing manufacturers in a specific industry or territory, bridging the gap between manufacturers, end users, and customers.

IMRs bring deep application knowledge, strong distributor relationships, consistency in territory, and years of experience—all of which are difficult for internal teams to realistically sustain. As more manufacturers grapple with limited headcount, increased costs and rising expectations, outsourced sales teams are proving to be a flexible and cost-effective answer.

This article explores why IMRs are playing a critical role in industrial sales and how they’re helping manufacturers stay competitive despite shrinking talent pools.

Why the Skilled Labor Shortage Is Hitting Manufacturers Hard

A significant part of the problem is perception. Many younger workers see manufacturing as a dirty or physically punishing industry, even though most shops today are state of the art. But because of that gap between perception and reality, fewer young adults are choosing careers in machining or tooling. Those who do enter the field tend to have strong computer programming skills but limited hands-on experience, which creates its own learning curve.

Distributors are feeling similar strains as well. Many once relied on experienced sales and engineering teams who knew the tools and local shops through long-term relationships. Those teams now have fewer long-tenured people, and newer hires often lack the background needed to help customers select or apply products. Training these hires takes time and resources that are likely scarce.

Together, these shifts create a strain that is no longer limited to production lines. It reaches every part of the industry, including sales and technical support.

The Hidden Sales Problem No One Talks About

Unfortunately, this lack of experience also yields challenges for sales representatives out in the field.

Many newer sales hires may come into this industry with strong communication skills yet limited real-world manufacturing exposure. That gap creates pressure when a distributor or end user expects guidance that goes beyond a catalog page. And as territories widen even as sales forces shrink, the burden often shifts to simply whichever sales rep can respond the fastest.

In these scenarios, the customer may choose a different brand simply because someone else showed up first. Or a new distributor relationship may stall because there is no one available to help their team learn the product line. Every lost touchpoint or delayed response risks losing deals to competitors with better field coverage. These issues rarely appear in revenue reports but nonetheless have a massive impact on sales results.

The shortage has created a widening gap between what manufacturers expect from the field and what internal teams can cover. That gap is now one of the main reasons many companies are turning to outsourced sales support.

Hybrid Sales Teams Could Be the Answer

The strain created by the skilled labor shortage has pushed many manufacturers to look outside their walls for help. IMRs offer a mix of field coverage and technical know-how that is difficult to build quickly with internal staff. Outsourcing sales to an IMR can be an excellent way to keep sales activity steady and expand into new territories or markets while still maintaining the level of support distributors and end users expect.

And this approach doesn’t have to be all or nothing; a hybrid approach that combines a direct sales team alongside an IMR team can create a unified force that gives manufacturers the best of both worlds:

• Product expertise and stellar account management from the in-house sales team
• Speed, flexibility, and deep-rooted relationships from the IMR team

Let’s explore the advantages an IMR team can bring to manufacturers.

Technical Knowledge Built Through Repetition

IMRs spend their days standing at machines and working through applications. They see a wide range of production challenges across many different end users, which gives them a stronger foundation than someone who is new to the field.

A rep who has visited hundreds of shops can often solve problems faster than an internal hire who is still learning how tools behave in different environments. That kind of exposure is tough to replace, and it often becomes the difference between a stalled sale and a steady customer.

Relationships That Give Manufacturers a Head Start

Many IMRs have worked with the same distributor groups for decades, too. They know which branches support different types of accounts and the end users who need more frequent help.

When a manufacturer partners with an IMR, they gain access to this network immediately instead of spending months trying to build it from scratch. That familiarity also shortens the time it takes to introduce new tools or product lines and increase sales faster.

Faster Field Coverage When Needed

Internal teams often cover several states, which slows response times and makes onsite visits difficult. IMRs usually have a local presence, so they can stop at a shop the same day if a part isn’t running or if a distributor has a question they cannot answer.

That presence matters. It keeps tools running and helps a manufacturer stay visible in markets that might otherwise feel overlooked.

These advantages explain why outsourced sales support is such a valuable solution for manufacturers dealing with tight staffing and rising demands from distributors and end users.

What Happens When Manufacturers Try to Do Everything In-House

Many manufacturers want to support every distributor and end user with their own team. While it makes sense to have an in-house team, the current labor shortage makes it difficult. When internal staff are stretched thin, the first signs often show up in the field. For instance:

• A customer might have to wait several days for help with a tool that isn’t running, or a distributor may need guidance on a product line but cannot reach an application specialist. These delays chip away at trust, even when the product itself is solid.
• Staffing limits could place pressure on the people within the organization. A technical rep who covers too many accounts across too large of a territory may have to spend more time on the road, which slows their response time and limits how many customers they can visit.
• There could be little room left for hands-on support when one person is responsible for quoting, follow-up, product education, and internal reporting. This situation becomes even harder when a manufacturer brings on a new product line that requires frequent field visits in the early stages.
• Missed opportunities could create losses. A distributor may choose a different brand simply because someone else arrived first to promote a product that’s in stock, or a shop may struggle with a tool and decide not to try it again. Without enough field coverage, even the strongest product line can lose ground.

These challenges help explain why many manufacturers are turning to outside support to build hybrid teams. They need reliable reps, territory-specific coverage and a sales team capable of solving application issues with the right tools.

Durrie Sales in Action

A recent situation shows how much difference an IMR can make. In this scenario, a distributor was struggling with a drilling application. The customer needed to run parts that day, but the manufacturer’s technical rep was out of town and unable to reach the shop in time.

The distributor knew the job could not wait. That’s when they called Dan McVicker, a Technical Outside Sales Representative at Durrie Sales.

Dan already had a working relationship with the distributor and knew the product line well, so he drove to the shop and helped the customer run the parts successfully. The distributor relied on him because he had stepped in before and earned their trust through repeated, hands-on support.

Dan notes, “When you have relationships with distributors that are 30, 40 years old, and you’re still here—and some of the other brands’ sales guys aren’t—that is very real. They know they can trust you because you’re going to be there to help them.”

This kind of situation plays out often. When a distributor or end user can reach someone who understands the application, has a proven track record with it, and can show up quickly, problems are solved before they spread.

Outsourcing Your Sales Force Can Be a Smart Move

The shortage of skilled workers has changed expectations for manufacturers. Many internal teams no longer have the capacity or field experience to handle support for every account, but fortunately, outsourced sales teams can step into that space.

IMRs like Durrie Sales give manufacturers a way to grow without adding full-time staff. They help protect distributor relationships by responding quickly when something goes wrong and help manufacturers stay visible in markets where internal teams cannot visit often enough.

Building hybrid sales teams can give manufacturers a realistic way to meet growing demands when experienced workers are hard to find. And yet, restructuring an entire sales team can be a daunting task.

Want to learn how Durrie Sales supports manufacturers facing this challenge? Let’s talk about what a hybrid sales approach could look like for your business.