Every two weeks, FCNews seeks out flooring retailers across the country to offer their advice on hot topics of the day. This week, we asked: What do you look for in a vendor sales rep?
Here are their responses:
“For reps to be successful they need to understand my business and how our process works. They need to know the warehouse personnel as well as the office staff and sales associates. If they don’t understand my business, how can they help me be successful? They need to understand the problems I have so they can help with the solutions. Their product must have a story; if it doesn’t have a story there is nothing that sets it apart from every other product on my showroom floor.”
—Eric Mondragon, RC Willey, Salt Lake City
“I look for attention to detail, someone who is responsive, who finds a way to say ‘yes’ and is knowledgeable.”
—Joel Schreier, Home Carpet One Chicago
“The two attributes I consider most important are availability and technical knowledge of products. Reps need to answer their phone and arm our sales associates with product knowledge. However, the unequalled sales rep has experience on the retail side of sales. I have advised district managers that to train reps for success, they should work in a retail showroom as part of their training.”
—Paula Anselone, Anselone Flooring, Mansfield, Mass.
“A good salesperson needs to care about people,
be dependable and willing to follow up. We will teach them the rest.”—Mike Foulk, Foulk’s Flooring America, Meadville, Pa.
“Someone who communicates regularly on drops, newbies, company changes. Someone who reliably visits us at least quarterly, who will respond to calls/texts/emails within the same day.”
—Bob Duke, Floor Magic, Damariscotta, Maine
