Why SSI
Our Mission
Sales Solutions Inc. is an extraordinary manufacturers’ representative group that strives to eliminate workplace injuries using a highly trained, consultative sales force in the safety industry. We promote our manufacturers’ brands and products to provide solutions for end users, and sell through our distribution partners.
The Sales Solutions Way
The Sales Solutions Way is how we live out our values every day — through professionalism, expertise, fun, customer focus, hard work, and self-starter initiative. These principles shape our culture and drive us to serve our customers, manufacturers, and each other with excellence.
Professionalism
Professionalism is the standard we hold ourselves to in every interaction — with manufacturers, distributors, and end users alike. It’s the discipline behind the expertise and passion we bring to the job, not a value that stands apart from them.
Expertise
As experts in our field, our customers can rely on us for in-depth knowledge of our products, applications, and industry standards. We prioritize continuous learning and embrace innovation to help our customers succeed.
Hard Work & Self Starters
We are hardworking, self-driven professionals, dedicated to going the extra mile to outwork the competition and provide exceptional service.
Customer Focussed
Our goal is to be a true partner to our customers, always looking out for their best interests.
Fun
We believe in making work fun, enjoying our team and customers, and being grateful for the opportunity to serve. We’re grateful for our blessings and know that family is paramount.
Why Safety Manufacturers Choose Sales Solutions
Territory
SSI covers the eastern United States, from Maine through Florida, with a single accountable point of contact for the entire territory rather than a patchwork of regional reps.
Markets We Serve
Our manufacturers reach decision makers across industrial manufacturing and refining, commercial construction, road infrastructure construction, municipal and government agencies, utility and utility subcontractors, public transportation agencies, state departments of transportation (DOTs), and HazMat/environmental contractors and first responders — anywhere job-site and facility safety products are specified and purchased.
Sales Model: End-User Pull-Through + Distribution
SSI builds demand directly with end users and specifiers in the field, then routes that demand through our established distributor network for fulfillment. That pull-through model grows a manufacturer’s distributor relationships and its end-user base at the same time, rather than relying on distributors alone to generate sales.
Outside Sales Coverage
Outside territory managers live and work within the areas they cover across our Maine-to-Florida territory, visiting job sites, distributors, and end users in person rather than managing the region remotely.
Inside-Sales Structure
Each territory manager works in tandem with an inside sales manager and a dedicated customer service support team, so distributors and manufacturers get both a field presence and responsive day-to-day account support, not a single rep covering both roles alone.
Field Training Capabilities
Our team provides on-site training and product demonstrations for distributors, contractors, and end users, reviewing real job-site applications and reinforcing proper product use, maintenance, and compliance with federal, state, and local regulations.
Team Certifications & Training
Five team members hold CPMR (Certified Professional Manufacturers’ Representative) certification, a three-year professional development and certification program for manufacturers’ representatives, and two hold the Certified Sales Professional (CSP) designation. The entire sales team, inside and outside, has completed David Rubinstein’s “Sell Like Hell” training together, giving everyone working on an account a shared sales process.
Several team members are OSHA-authorized construction Outreach trainers who have completed OSHA 500 requirements and can deliver OSHA 10- and 30-hour Construction Outreach classes. Every SSI sales representative has also completed fall-protection competent-person training, and several team members hold ATSSA Traffic Control Supervisor (TCS) certification. The team continues its education through manufacturer factory training and industry trade shows to keep product and jobsite knowledge current.
Warehouse and Logistics Capabilities
SSI stocks select lines at our logistics center in Martinsburg, WV, putting product within one-day LTL delivery to markets like Hartford and Atlanta and within two-day parcel reach of roughly half the population of the eastern US — speed that’s especially valuable for building awareness around new or immature product lines.
Associations
SSI team members are active in the trade organizations that shape our industry’s standards, including the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP), the American Traffic Safety Services Association (ATSSA), and the Manufacturers’ Agents National Association (MANA), along with regional groups such as the General Building Contractors Association, the Mid-Atlantic Construction Safety Council, and the Associated General Contractors of America. Several team members serve as chapter presidents and committee members rather than holding membership in name only.
CRM, Data, and Reporting Capabilities
Every account and opportunity is tracked in a shared CRM with a defined sales pipeline, giving manufacturers ongoing visibility into activity and sales progress across the territory rather than relying on a rep’s memory or year-end totals.
New-Product Launch Process
A new line launches through the distributor and end-user relationships SSI has already built in the territory. Where we stock inventory, product is warehoused in Martinsburg so distributors get fast, reliable delivery from day one, and our territory managers pair that with on-site training and application support to build distributor and end-user confidence in the new product.
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the questions manufacturers and distributors most often ask about partnering with Sales Solutions Inc. — the manufacturers’ representative agency for industrial and construction safety products across the eastern United States, Maine to Florida.
About Sales Solutions
What is Sales Solutions Inc.?
Sales Solutions Inc. (SSI) is the manufacturers’ representative agency for industrial and construction safety products across the eastern seaboard, from Maine to Florida. We create demand for our manufacturers’ products and sell through our established network of distributors, and we stock select lines at our logistics warehouse in Martinsburg, WV. We represent lines across four categories: fall protection, personal protective equipment and heat stress, traffic control and work-zone safety, and industrial safety.
What does a manufacturers' representative do?
A manufacturers’ representative is an independent sales agency that represents several non-competing manufacturers in a defined territory, without ever buying or owning the product itself. The rep generates demand, manages relationships with distributors and end users, and is paid a commission on the sales it produces — functioning as the manufacturer’s outsourced regional sales force. For a manufacturer, that means established market access, existing distributor relationships, and local product expertise, all without the fixed cost of hiring, training, and managing a direct sales team in that territory.
What industries does Sales Solutions specialize in?
SSI specializes in industrial and construction safety — the equipment that keeps workers safe on job sites and in industrial facilities. Within that space we represent four categories: fall protection and safety at heights; personal protective equipment (PPE) and heat stress; traffic control and work-zone safety; and industrial safety, including gas detection, emergency eyewash, personal safety lighting, and jobsite storage.
What geographic territory does SSI cover?
SSI covers the eastern United States, from Maine to Florida. Our logistics operation is centrally located in Martinsburg, West Virginia, which lets us stock inventory and serve distributors up and down the eastern seaboard quickly.
How long has SSI been in business?
SSI has been in business since 2003, growing steadily every year by building lasting relationships with key end users and distributor partners throughout our territory. Several of our manufacturer partnerships have continued for over 23 years — a track record we see as central to how we operate, not incidental to it.
Where are SSI sales representatives located?
SSI’s outside territory managers live and work within the areas they cover, spread across our Maine-to-Florida territory rather than operating out of one central office. Our logistics and inside-support operations are centrally based at our warehouse in Martinsburg, WV, which puts most of the territory our field team covers within a day’s reach.
For Manufacturers
Why should a safety manufacturer use an independent manufacturers' rep?
An independent rep gives a manufacturer an established, in-territory sales force without the cost of hiring, training, and managing direct employees — SSI is paid on commission only when we generate a sale, so a manufacturer’s selling cost scales with revenue instead of sitting on the books as a fixed cost regardless of results. Industry research from the Manufacturers’ Representative Educational Research Foundation has put the fully loaded cost of a single direct outside sales call somewhere between $250 and $500 once salary, benefits, travel, and overhead are factored in — a cost a rep’s commission structure avoids entirely. On top of that cost advantage, a rep like SSI already has the distributor relationships, market knowledge, and territory presence a new direct hire would need months or years to build.
How does SSI introduce a new product into the market?
SSI introduces a new line through the distributor and end-user relationships we’ve already built in the territory, rather than starting from zero. Where we stock inventory, product is warehoused at our Martinsburg, WV facility so distributors get fast, reliable delivery from day one — which builds the awareness and trust a new or unproven line needs to gain traction. Our territory managers pair that with on-site training and application support to help distributors and end users understand the product and how to sell or use it.
How does SSI work with distribution?
SSI sells through an established network of distributors rather than direct to end users. We create demand for our manufacturers’ products with end users and specifiers in the field, then route that demand through the distributor channel — which grows both the manufacturer’s distributor base and its end-user base at the same time.
Does SSI call on end users?
Yes. Our territory managers regularly visit job sites and end-user locations to understand working conditions, review applications, and identify where a manufacturer’s product fits. That direct end-user contact is part of how SSI creates demand for a product — the resulting sales are then fulfilled through our distributor network, not sold direct.
Does SSI provide product demonstrations and training?
Yes. Our team visits job sites and customer locations to understand working conditions, review applications, and show the range of products that meet federal, state, and local regulations. We also provide on-site training and demonstrations to ensure proper product use and maintenance — reinforcing the manufacturer’s brand and product knowledge directly with the people specifying and buying it.
What reporting does SSI provide manufacturers?
SSI tracks every account and deal in a shared CRM with a defined opportunity pipeline, so a manufacturer’s activity and sales progress across our territory is organized and visible rather than living in one rep’s head. That gives manufacturers ongoing insight into where their line stands with individual distributors and end users, not just a sales total at the end of the period.
Does SSI provide warehousing and logistics support?
Yes. Manufacturers have had long-term success bringing their products closer to the market through our Martinsburg, WV logistics center, rather than shipping factory-direct or from overseas on every order. The location puts product within one-day LTL delivery to markets like Hartford and Atlanta, and within two-day parcel reach of roughly half the population of the eastern US. That speed matters most for undeveloped or immature product lines — faster delivery and service is what builds the awareness and repeat trust with distributors that a new line needs to gain traction.
For Distributors
Does SSI sell products directly?
No. SSI is a manufacturers’ representative, not a distributor — we never take ownership of the product we sell. We create demand with end users and specifiers and then route that demand through our distributor network, so distributors remain the ones stocking, selling, and fulfilling orders for the lines we represent.
How can a distributor schedule product training?
The most direct path is through your SSI territory manager, who can schedule an on-site or in-person training session for your team. If you’re not sure who covers your area, reach out through the contact page on this site and we’ll connect you with the right person.
Can SSI assist with contractor/end-user demonstrations?
Yes. Our territory managers regularly conduct on-site demonstrations for contractors and end users, working alongside the distributor to help close the sale and make sure the product is specified and used correctly. This is part of the application engineering support SSI provides on top of standard sales activity.
How does SSI help distributors grow safety-product sales?
SSI generates demand for the lines we represent directly with end users and specifiers, then routes that demand to distributors — meaning distributors benefit from sales activity they didn’t have to generate themselves. Because we represent multiple non-competing categories — fall protection, PPE, traffic control, and industrial safety — a distributor can also grow revenue across several complementary product lines through a single point of contact, rather than managing separate reps for each one. Ongoing training, application support, and on-site demonstrations further help a distributor’s own sales team sell with more confidence and close more business.