What is a commercial agent? Definition
📚 Did you know?
In France, over 30,000 independent sales representatives work as mandataires. This status offers great flexibility, since they can represent several companies simultaneously, unlike exclusive sales agents.Example of a commercial agent
Mr Bernard is a sales representative for PharmaDenti.
So Mr Bernard goes out and sells his supplier’s products to prospects and customers. He becomes a PharmaDenti sales representative.
The key characteristics of a commercial agent
The commercial agent has several essential features:
- Self-employed status: He works as a freelancer
- Power of representation: legally binds his principals
- Commission-based remuneration: Generally between 5% and 20% of sales generated
- Multiple mandates possible: May represent several non-competing companies
- Mandatory registration: with the Registre Spécial des Agents Commerciaux (RSAC – Special Register of Sales Representatives)
Legal status and obligations of the agent
RSAC registration
Registration with the Registre Spécial des Agents Commerciaux is compulsory and costs around €25. You must register with the clerk’s office of your local commercial court.
Mandate contract
A written contract is essential and must specify :
- Scope of mandate (products, territory)
- Remuneration conditions
- Contract duration
- Respective obligations
- Cancellation conditions
Tax and social security obligations
- BNC (non-commercial profits) declaration
- URSSAF social security contributions (approx. 22% of sales)
- VAT according to applicable system
- Professional liability insurance
Our advice: expand your network and stay on top of your professional practice by joining a network of commercial agents such as the Fédération Nationale des Agents Commerciaux (F.N.A.C).
Optimize your agency business with Moovago
It can be complicated for a salesperson to manage several principals at the same time, especially as they don’t all offer the same services, and don’t all have the same customers.
Nevertheless, with a sales agent application such as Moovago, which has been designed for field sales representatives, sales agents and VRPs can easily manage their customers according to their principals.
A CRM like Moovago lets you :
- View customers on a map,
- Organize and optimize your sales rounds,
- Know which customers have been approached under which mandate(s),
- Collaborate with your mandate on its prospect database,
- View your total sales, for each principal, and your commissions,
- Validate your actions with your principal (via Excel export or shared session),
- Be efficient in all circumstances (quick note-taking, voice dictation, handy agenda, reminders, complete history…),
- Secure your portfolio on confidential and secure French servers.