Home Forums Discussions General Discussion Drug Reps Policy/Rant

It appears Bert is right (no surprise there) that I really shouldn't post when it's late and night and I'm tired. So, do allow me to clean this mess up and better explain my position on this topic.

When it comes to sales reps, no matter the gender and no matter what they are selling, I do not express my opinions. I express my Expectations.

I Expect. . .

1. The sales rep to be knowledgeable about what they are selling. This way the rep has a decent chance of answering any questions I may have to better help me make up my mind as to whether the product he/she is selling is right for my needs. If the rep doesn't know the answer to a particular question(s), that's fine, they can get back to me later.

2. The sales rep to be invested in the product. The sales rep has done follow-up calls/visits with clients who have purchased the product previously to see how things are going and to collect some telemetry on which clients have best benefited from the product. This way, the sales rep has a better gauge on whether the product is right for me and may help save him/herself from wasting their and my time. Sales reps who simply jump from one sale to the next pushing product down people's throats do not care about their product, the clients, or their employer; rather, they are in it to get what they can as long as they can.

3. The sales rep to graciously accept the answer NO as easily as he/she might accept the answer of YES. Obviously, there are situations/products where the only way to know if a product is right for me or not is to come over to my shop and sit down and talk with me for a long time to see if I'm interested. If, after giving the rep a fair hearing, I am not interested the rep should bid me good day and not waste any more of my, or his/her, time. Sales reps that refuse to take no for an answer do nothing but piss me off and waste even more time.

4. The sales rep to be respectful of my time. If I say I don't have time for a meeting or a phone call, the sales rep should graciously ask me for a better time or just come back later. Standing there in my office or continuing to talk to me on the phone after I've said to come back later and trying to force their way into my day is not the way to earn my business.

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Admin

6. The sales rep to NOT use the usual shady sales tactics on me. Telling me that a product costs $20,000 but, because I'm such a nice guy, he/she will discount it down to $12,000 after having spoken with me for an hour is nothing more than a tactic. The sales rep is not interested in me as a customer by using such tactics. Sales reps should come armed with FACTS about their product and should offer me their best price up-front when asked. Sales reps that refuse to talk price until after the end of a long presentation are just trying to soften a large sticker shock. If I can't afford the thing, I can't afford the thing. Simple as that. Best to find out now and leave wtih my respect rather than after wasting two hours of my time only for me to throw them out - harshly.

I could make other points, but I think everyone sees where I'm coming from. I am not some schmuck with $10,000 free cash laying around waiting for someone to talk me out of it. I'm just like you: Someone trying to get their work done. And, YES, I have had some pretty bad experiences with sales reps in the past. I have delt with people from Ferguson Enterprises, Grainger, Motion Industries, Oracle, Dell, HP, Microsoft, etc. In 1998 I literally watched in disbelief as Grainger sent a dressed-down gorgeous blonde to the manufacturing facility I was working in at the time to talk with the older maintenance department manager we had and by the time she was done, he had purchased thousands of dollars of crappy equipment at a premium price. Our jobs became harder as we had to make less-than-adequate parts and tools work as he then had to cover his butt to his boss for all the money he spent.

Does this mean I hate all sales reps? Of course not. For example, I get along great with my Dell sales reps and have for the past 8 or so years - both male and female. They took the time to invest themselves in me as their client. The give me the facts and did their best to answer my questions. The result: I have been with Dell for almost a decade now. I have returned, in all those years, only 5 pieces of equipment. We have a lot of fun talking and joking around when I have time. I am respectful of them and they are respectful of me. We have a relationship that works to everyone's benefit.

@AmazingDave

I do have a dog in this fight. As a patient, I expect that whatever medication my doctor is prescribing to me is for the betterment of my health to his/her best determination rather than whatever the big pharma sales babe managed to rope him/her into buying.

Clearly some of you have had good experiences with drug reps. More power to you. I sincerely hope your relationship with them continues to be to your mutual benefit. But for those of us who have not always had good experiences - for those of us who have been lied to and wake up one day to realize that we will never see that $5,000 again or that we have to explain to a boss why this thing we bought won't work as advertised or where all those hidden costs came from - I respectfully request from you a bit of understanding and leniency in this discussion.

JamesNT