Backstage

Salesguys

If you own a company, you have to deal with salespeople frequently… I doubt there is any company out there that doesn’t have to… As a scene shop and lighting company, I end up with a ton of suppliers… Fabric (3 companies), Steel/Aluminum (3 Companies), Lumber (3 Companies), Printing (3 Companies), Large Paper Products (1 Company), Lighting Rental (4 Companies), Lighting Parts and Purchase (2 Companies), Lighting Cable (3 Companies), Laminate (5 Companies), Hardware (2 companies), Rigging (3 Companies), Etc… Some of the suppliers are great, and don’t bother me unless I need something, and when I do, they make it happen… Most of them are simply adequate, and will just do their job… Some however, should be selling used cars in Las Vegas… This last group always makes me want to take a shower after just talking to them on the phone… When they come to my shop, I want to power wash the floor wherever they were standing… Unfortunately One of those guys stopped by today, un-invited…
Now, I already deal with these people for some things, and the company falls in to the adequate group… I never had a specific salesperson, because I only call them a couple times a year… Their salesguy slithered in today though to give me his sales pitch… His first approach was to essentially tell me my normal supplier wasn’t as good as him in pricing… So he rattled of some prices for the material we were working with today… He made the mistake of not finding out what I pay before he opened his mouth…. When I told him he wasn’t any better, he had already lost his ability to impress me… I don’t represent a huge account to a big lumber yard, but over the year, it does add up… If I start splitting my orders between suppliers, my discount goes away… This guy doesn’t carry anything other than plywood and other sheet material, and he wants to sell by the skid. I buy 3 sheets of one thing and 2 of another from my usual guy and its never a problem… He next tried to sell me on his stain and finish products… I told him we use all water based products because it is easier to dispose of, gives off very few fumes, and generally is better for my employees health, and the environment… Plus it dries pretty fast and is easy to cover with sealer more quickly… Well he latched right on to the quick aspect and ignored everything else… He went on and on about his solvent based product… What solvent you ask?... Lacquer Thinner… Now lacquer thinner is a great product for certain things, and I keep a gallon around the shop… Am I going to start letting my shot fill up with the fumes from it?... I don’t think so… Apart from the carcinogenic aspect, it is highly flammable and pretty much it will melt your skin and brain… He was pushing it so hard, he decided that he would have his “stain guy” call us and set up a demo… Well, we’ll have his demo, because now and again, I need something that will dry and finish as fast as he claims this stuff does, but he’s nuts to think we’re going to convert… I finally managed to get him out of my place by telling him there was a guy two doors down from me that was looking for some specialty plywood…
And one more thing… He didn’t bring anything with him apart from a line card… Shops like swag… Next time he should show up with pencils, pads, pens, etc for my crew… Though my regular guy has been a bit slack lately, he usually keep my place stocked with pencils and pads, which are the currency on the shop floor…
I suspect they’ll still get a couple calls a year, but I hope they aren’t going to start holding their breath…