Letters to the Editor

The column "It's Elementary: Sales Rep Training 101," written by Lisa Ashcraft and Barney Stacher for the July Manufacturers and Reps Corner, has generated some response from the rep community. Two sales reps from the Southwest wrote in to offer advice for manufacturers dealing with reps, and to stress the importance of sales rep training, particularly in the current difficult selling climate. When sales reps are well trained, says one, "it's a win-win for all of us."

Tackling a different subject, a Canadian manufacturer wrote to voice her concerns about trade show oversaturation.

Dear Editor,

As a 25-year sales rep veteran, I applaud the wonderful article that appears in the July issue of Gifts & Dec. If I may, I would like to add the following to it …

A major selling tool to the rep is receiving a copy of the invoice upon shipment. That way, the rep knows exactly when and what was shipped. The rep can use that to follow up with the customer. It also tells the rep that after he wrote the order and sent it in, it was not lost in the mail or fax or e-mail transmission.

Also, the manufacturers/sales managers need to listen more to what patterns sell in different territories, as well as to whether there are strong seasonal buying trends. Here in Arizona-New Mexico, Southwest-influenced items will always be strong and the summer months bring a tremendous slow time for purchasing.

Thanks again ... more articles like these are needed!

Glenn Siegel, Glenn Siegel & Associates, Phoenix, AZ

Dear Editor,

This was one of the best articles I have ever read about independent sales rep training and support! Every point made rang true. I have copied this article and will carry it with me, and show it to anyone in our business who will listen.

In my business, as a sales and marketing consultant for younger, growth-oriented companies, I stress each and every one of these points every single day. The most important asset that any company has is its sales representative! Providing them with maximum sales training and support can only make them better, and that means more business.

The timing of this article is wonderful. In a year when the business is harder to come by, a company must do all it can to make sure that its sales force is the most informed and motivated group on the street. Retailers will be relying on their good reps more than ever this fall, and you want your rep to be the one that is taking good care of that retailer. In the end, those reps will be the ones writing the most business. And that then becomes a win-win for all of us.

Tom Havens, The Havens Company Scottsdale, AZ

Dear Editor,

I am the owner of a giftware manufacturing company in Toronto, Canada. I had the pleasure of attending the Atlanta gift show recently and spoke with many people from different parts of the industry: buyers, exhibitors, etc. Something that was mentioned during nearly every conversation was the way in which gift shows are run these days, and, more specifically, the increase in the size of the show, including the number of exhibitors.

I am quite familiar with the CGTA Gift Show that is held in Mississauga, Ontario (a suburb of Toronto). I first attended this show in 1994; today, the show features three times as many exhibitors. I heard from many exhibitors in Atlanta that many of the shows in the U.S. have gotten much larger as well. I wonder if there are really that many more buyers and end consumers or if we are just spreading the industry thin.

With many items, I saw the exact same thing in ten other booths. Is it really necessary to have ten booths at the same show carrying the same item? The show producers — are they getting greedy by letting in more and more exhibitors? What will be the long-term effects of these larger and larger shows?

Alison Sumeray, Stargazer Originals Mississauga, Ontario, Canada