Re: We have nine reps but only two are any good . . . .

Bob,
You hit the nail on the head. The past few years our factory reps are nowhere to be found. Being that we have 9 factory reps that represent our products I can say that 2 of my reps are worth keeping. That leaves 7 reps that in my opion should not be reps. We have 3 factory reps that live within an hour and half drive from our dealership. Talk about an easy dealer visit. I do not see these reps any more than the reps that live 5 or more hours from our dealership(One rep I see more per year). Speaking to another dealer at the Louisville Show last year we talked about some reps that live close to our dealership we both shared, he was floored when he found out the reps were not at our dealership any more than his dealership. He was not happy with his lack of visits too. I believe a good rep should comes to visit the dealership with a purpose (training, reviewing market stats,ect.) not just report back to the manufacture that they visited us.

Manufactures reps working RV Shows:
We have a few reps that work there tail off at the RV shows and others that just show up late and leave early (just making an appearance). The reps that work there tails off usually get the lions share of the sales at the shows. How do you think the sales staff feel when the rep doesn't work near as hard as they do?



This past year I seen good reps let go by the manufactures and older less effective reps remain in the organization - go figure (maybe the good old boy club).

The Good Old Boy Club doesn't pay the bills.

Re: We have nine reps but only two are any good . . . .

This whole situation has nothing to do with Reps in general, it has to do with plain ole' work ethic and taking pride in what you do. I find this situation happening in many industries, from salespeople to managers, from professional athletes to doctors and lawyers. Many people just don't understand the concept of giving 100%.

As for the convention, a lot of businesses, including mine, are suffering from today's economic climate. I also do training in the auto industry, and I've had every one of my contracts except one cancel because of the current situation. I'm sure the economy will come back some day, and you'll see the convention be as populated as ever.

A famous trainer once said, "Why would we keep a Manager around five minutes longer than we had to if he/she wasn't doing the job?" I think it's a lot easier to keep dead weight around than to consistently look for the good talent - the devil you know is better than the devil you don't know mentality.

It's nice to have you back Bob. I was wondering where you were since you weren't replying to my blogs.

Re: We have nine reps but only two are any good . . . .

Great contributions guys, let's hope others join in now that the weekend is behind us. Of course, most of us are glued to the televesion today to see if the so-called leaders in our country can come up with a solution for the current financial crisis that has frozen people, and companyies, in their tracks. The economy is grinding to a halt in all industries so it is more important than ever to have your best people in the street.

Hard times can be good times when recruiting new sales people. There are many good companies that have failed for various reasons - there had to be some really great sales people on the payroll and hopefully others in the RV industry know who they are and how to get in touch with them.

I've always said that if I had ten sales people and I ranked them 1 through 10, then if a real good 4 or 5 came through the door - then number ten went out the door when it swung the other say! If they are this bad, now is a perfect time to replace them.

Re: We have nine reps but only two are any good . . . .

I guess I am pretty lucky. Most of my reps are good, at least if I judge them against other reps. There is room for improvement and I will say that some of them are not very good at product or "sales training". They usually know their own product ok, but are not up on their competitors which is amazing to me.

My main complaint with reps is at Louisville. I have had a very hard time getting them to talk to me, especially on Wed afternoon and Thursday. Amazing.

Re: We have nine reps but only two are any good . . . .

The 80-20 rule comes to mind immediatly after reading this blog. I would take a closer look at the reps boss and find out if he/she is hiring the best people. Is he/she providing the proper tools and motivation to excite the rep force and are they accountable? Good people can be poisoned very easily by poor managment. The RV industry is a very exciting place to work with attractive products and should attract the best reps out there. Compair it to reping mining tools or door seals or any number of parts that go into building an RV. Reping RVs is exciting at any price point!The issue is one of attitude and commitment to be the best and it begins with great managment!

Why not speak to the manufacturer

What concerns me more than anything is that dealers are on this blog sharing their concerns with other dealers instead of the manufactures who they represent. Don't be part of the problem be part of the solution. Question: If you had a sales person who did not preform at your dealership to your expectations would you keep them? If you have a manufacturer rep who doesnt meet your expectations contact their corporate office and explain to the manager why you are unhappy with your rep and what your expectations of his or her job are for yoru dealership. If the manufacturer doesn't correct the problem or share your same ideology then fire the manufacturer. This is a great country because we have freedom of choice. Your free to choose as a dealer any RV manufacturer you want. If you choose to do business with manufacturers who offer your sub par represenitives then the only person you have to blame is yourself. I could not agree more with some of the comments above but now comes the real question. "What have you done to change the situation"

Re: We have nine reps but only two are any good . . . .

What a great contribution, and oh so true. I couldn't agree more, but some dealer-manufacturer relationships have really been strained the past few years with critical warranty issues that many reps have tried to side-step.

Believe it or not, I had a very well respected dealer tell me a story about a warranty issue with a major manufacturer (public company) over a squeaky floor. After denying any responsibility for two months, the company told him to "send them a picture of the problem." Have relationships deteriorated to such a point that somebody will ask for the impossible and still believe they are serving their dealers.

Manufacturer's reps have to be involved in all aspects of the dealer's business so that issues covered in this blog and the well know issues between manufacturers and dealers on warranty issues have to discussed openly and honestly, but dealers are losing a lot of confidence in the companies they represent. I'll repeat what was said above; "What have you done to change the situation?" I know there are dealers out there with truly amazing stories on these topics, please feel free to share them with our readers. Thank you.

Re: We have nine reps but only two are any good . . . .

I agree there are many "order takers" and "good ole boys" out there. However there are also many managers and retail salesman at dealerships that are lacking qualities of a professionalism. I go on visits to dealerships and have a hard time getting quality face time with owners, gms, sms, and sales representives even though I have scheduled trips well in advance. They think they already know everything there is to know.

They do not take phone calls or return calls, but expect us to jump into action when they call. They worry about what we're going to get them for lunch or dinner. Most forget this is suppose to be a business partnership. Manufacturers spend a lot of money on travel and as a partnership dealer visits should be welcomed and owners/managers should help us get the most out of our visits. Our products make most dealerships a lot of $.

During product training some retail sales reps are rude and do not pay attention.

They expect us to come to shows even if they do not have a strong representation of our product in it.

All I'm saying is that a strong relationship requires both parties working together in a professional manner.

Re: We have nine reps but only two are any good . . . .

To the point made by "Time for a change!" above .... why are they still dealers for your company. If they don't represent your brand well when you are there - how do you think they do when you are not there?

When they treat you with disrespect and rude in your training classes, then how do you think they treat their customers.

I believe everything you have said.

If they don't appreciate your brand and represent you well, then what have you done to change the situation?