What kind of service do you expect from a good rep?

I expect a rep to visit my store to see and understand what my business is about, to suggest items that will enhance and complement my offerings, and not try to push things on me that have nothing to do with the vision of my store. The rep should know the trends of my area. I've always disliked the phrases, “We've written a lot of orders for this item,” or “This item is selling like crazy.” I need to know where the rep wrote those orders. Who are the people buying this item? Because competition is so stiff in my area, I also want assurance that no one else is carrying the same merchandise. Nothing makes me see red faster than to buy an item and then see it in another store. I have one rep who represents thousands of items. If there is something I like and she knows someone else has that item in my area, she tells me. I always have time for vendors, even if they walk in without an appointment. I enjoy sitting down with them and seeing what's new, what the trends are, etc. I may not order anything at that moment, but it's to my benefit to see what's available and whether it will help my business. I find that if I develop a good relationship with my vendors, they'll look out for me and help with suggestions and comments.

There are two critically important elements that define a really good rep, both of which assure them of future orders and greater success with my account. First and foremost, a rep needs to be knowledgeable — as in really knowledgeable — about the lines, the products, the manufacturers, the materials, availability and accuracy of ship times. If a manufacturer or agency doesn't arm their sales force with that kind of critical information, they're setting the rep up for failure. Secondly, the best reps understand that while they have great ideas about how to display their lines and products, no one knows my customers and their buying patterns better than I do. For example, if a rep insists all product from a particular vendor be shelved en masse (as opposed to split into more appropriate categories around the store or displayed with complementary items from other vendors), he or she won't get the order. The good ones meet me halfway, making suggestions, then listening to the logic of store traffic patterns. In the end, we all make more money that way.

In our 20 years of business, we've had a handful of reps who were fantastic. What makes them fantastic is service. But it's more than arriving on time and being courteous. Great reps know your store and customers. They suggest merchandise that will sell. They don't sell the same or similar merchandise to our competitors. They advise us on reorders or moving toward different product. They never advise us to order more than they know we will sell. In fact, great reps have advised us not to purchase the things I selected. They know what merchandise moves, what isn't the quality we expect or what might not arrive in a timely manner. Great reps have rearranged our shelves, helped us display product and even installed hardware to display product. You can imagine how shocked I was when one rep told me he would go home and get his drill and some tools. How often does someone give you this kind of service? These great reps are always available to us. If we need something in a hurry, they get it. They have never told us we were denied an account with a company because we weren't big enough or we would be a threat to a competitor. The really great reps have one common thread to their service — they believe in us.