I get an e-mail from a rep the other day with special BTG (by the glass) pricing on wine that just changed distributors. I order some cases for our wine bar. I receive a confirmation e-mail with the order but the pricing is full wholesale and no break on what I was told was BTG pricing. I contact my rep and he’s going to check into it. He calls me and says he called the rep from the former distributor to ask if I’ve ever ordered the wine for BTG before and was told no, in essence I don’t qualify for the BTG pricing since I had not carried it previously. I say WTF! you mean I can’t put it on my bar list? He tells me I already have the 1/2 bottles that I serve and have never had the full bottles. I tell him maybe I’ve decided to have both and WTF was he calling the previous rep for, by then I’m so aggravated I tell him to cancel the order and will replace it with something else from another distributor.
Last time I order from that company, he can kiss my WWOTW tush !
Watch the news for “Wine Salesman has broom removed from rectum.”
Carrie,
I think you misunderstand…I think he meant literally hot, as in sitting in the truck. ![[snort.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/b/bdc3944606213c4dca6c1169cf0a166c8bc4f8c9.gif "snort.gif"){kind=small}
PS WWOTW? Or maybe I don’t want to know?
You can always tell when it’s “slow out there”…
We have been getting unbelievable full court press (worse than other summers). Hocking all kinds of straight garbage too.
What’s really shocking and unreal was that twice a year the major wholesalers (those that are unionized) close for a full week. The little guys usually stay open and I actually end up buying a decent amount from those guys (meaning new placements and what not). This time around, about half of them went away. Not a smart thing.
My new favorite was the guy pitching me wines from obscure places in Spain with limited producers in each zone. That’s what I want, when I can but GOOD, well known Spanish wines at deep discounts all day long.
He actually had the nerve to show up and say that he was a customer. I understand that he was shopping, but a rep is a rep at the end of the day. Shopping in my store won’t get you business, only having a good book of wine.
It’s a balancing act. I work for one of the large distributors in GA. I think I do well by just going with what my customers wants and needs are… you can always get some help on your priorities later. I try to be creative within the context of what my customer wants. I always try to exhibit humility, what I know or think has to be put in the proper context. When a customer has a complaint about my company, I understand the concern. If it’s something I can’t fix, I’ll try to figure out a way to work around it. And I try to be pleasant, likable, and laid back. Not getting upset or showing frustration when there’s a problem or when things don’t go my way. And follow up, follow up, follow up, along with effective planning and organization… That’s what it takes for me. I’m not the smartest, the best looking, or anything else… but if I can put these things into practice I’ll be fine.
Look at her avatar and you’ll get it.
I think what you are saying great, but the issues that I have is that I have reps that always try to make their priority, my priority. I’m sure there is a wine I can buy from every wholesaler that is good, and has a mutual interest in it.
Mistakes happen, that never upsets me unless, I need something in a timely fashion, and I express the importance. If I don’t, then that’s my fault.
I like what you said about following up. I tend to ‘test’ sales people by asking them to follow up with an email (hey, I get busy and forget things, and don’t want to disrespect people who do the work), and I would say there is about a 60% fail rate of doing it in a timely fashion, and about a 20% rate of not doing it all. Kudos to you man!
Ian,
I agree that many reps drop the ball when it comes to follow through, we do have some that are terrific. I ask for e-mails with reminders when something is releasing or “don’t let me forget I need XYZ by a certain date” and often I never hear from them or they send me an
e-mail with something unrelated. I realize I am not their only account but on the other hand the Reps say no one is buying wine either, I try.
Recently I had an email correspondence with a winemaker, he was going to pass along my interest to the distributor. That was 3+ weeks ago, not a peep from anyone.
Matt,
Good to hear there are sales reps like you.
This is what really ticks me off. You are 100% correct, most places aren’t buying a damn thing, and they can’t be bothered with a follow up to someone who show’s interest?
Wacky Woman on the Wagon?
ok I got it… ![[stirthepothal.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/f/f40faec63ca1018898a40805efbf9f0066a3d205.gif "[stirthepothal.gif]"){kind=small}
![[drinkers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/8/82916bed5ad74ac8470bc04089d9758b0c80c9fa.gif "drinkers"){kind=small}
I view follow-up as the key to success. It’s as important as making as presentations. When you are successful at it, you become to go-to rep and customers start bringing the opportunities to you.
I just got back on the distributor side after a few years on the supplier side… I was amazed (not in a good way) at some of the distributor sales rep work habits when I worked on the supplier side…
And as a supplier, they are your way in to any account. Not a warm and fuzzy feeling, eh?
Don’t even get me started. There are great sales reps, and there are those who should not be itb.
Except for Serge, of course.
Carrie,
Send me this guy’s contact info. Not only could he use a good cooler of some kind, but he could also make use of one of my argon devices.
![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
Kevin I hope you’re coming to dinner on the 9th. We should trade stories. You’re right. 100% right. I’ve worked 20+ years with some of the very best sales people in the world and my experience with sales people in the wine industry on the middle tier, the one being talked about here, led to my new nickname for them as a group: ‘Baboons’.
We fired all our distributors last year and I went out and hired a sales guy based on my experience in managing sales. He’s outperformed the 09 ‘baboons’ by 140% through 7/31 of this year. By 7/31 I mean he’s 140% ahead of their TOTAL 2009 results.
Yeah. I am so sick of those unequivocal loser, waste of humanity sales people. 
John, the regional manager for a high quality Italian import company asked me jokingly today “What universe do you live in? Do you still believe in Santa Claus?” when I asked him why my sales rep for his distributor was not familiar enough with a quite popular wine of his to recognize it’s NAME when I left a message on her voice mail…
Of course there are the reps that go beyond the call of duty, I feel I should point out the positives when they happen too. I ordered a bunch of wine for a customer that is going to pick it up tomorrow. Delivery was scheduled for today, by 2:30 I was getting concerned since they always deliver early. I started calling the customer service desk to ask if it was on the truck, there was a 10 minute wait and I didn’t have time to hang on the phone. I called and left my rep a voice message. She called right back and said she will do a “Demand Will Call” and bring it by on her way home, apparently they neglected to tell her the wine was out of stock and more was delivered today. This is the second time stuff has been delivered by her in the last month when the company has messed up. The last time was all the glassware for B.fest ! She is one that really takes her job seriously and I’m happy to order from her.
With all due respect to some of the posters above, I think the characterization of distributor reps as baboons is a little off base. I know plenty that take their jobs seriously and are conscientious. There are plenty of practical and logistical challenges on the middle tier that make the job difficult, but there are also plenty of reps that rise above it. I love wine and buy wine, if you’re going to bash my occupation on a message board you should know that I am also a potential customer.
C. Bowman, you’ve got a good rep for sure. Demand bills are a great tool to make yourself stand out from a customer service standpoint. I’ll do them unless it’s physically impossible, then I’ll enlist the help of my DM. You can’t let your customer be without product- even if it’s their mistake.
Matt,
You are probably right, just as there both good and bad doctors, lawyers etc (ok less good lawyers 
). Unfortunately it is usually the baboon that garners more attention. The good hardworking quiet reps as Carrie points out generally get little recognition or due attention.
Plus it’s more fun talking about baboons. ![[swearing.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/8/8a0d3f3461d40641d294442fc2be78039bf94d19.gif "[swearing.gif]"){kind=small}
