As we head toward the finish line of another year, our business starts to pick up. The 4th quarter is typically our busiest time of year. I was reviewing the sales numbers, and assessing the performance of my sales team. They are a great group of “multi-line” sales professionals. They are knowledgeable about product, their customers like them, and they are dedicated. However, a salesman that had resigned earlier in the year came to mind. We parted ways amicably enough; I thought his numbers could be better and he wanted more free time. We all know the story, it took quite some time to find a suitable replacement and made me think about the rest of the sales team. The average age of the sales force is unquestionably over 60+ years. Surely there will be a few more over the next few years that will want to retire, to travel or play golf, etc. It’s inevitable and this has become my dilemma: where is the next generation of multi-line sales reps?
Last week, while in Manhattan to make a presentation for a distributor to their client (a well-known financial institution), I met up with a few other salespeople. We were milling around making small talk while waiting for our turn “at bat.” I thought about my dilemma. Looking to gain some insight, I asked the small group, “Are you multi-line sales reps (commission based) or company (salaried) reps?” There was a mixed response but it spurred on the conversation that I hoped it would. The multi-line reps were older and experienced. They had more familiarity with the promotional products industry and could woo you with stories of the “good old days.” One, a former teacher, left the teaching profession because he “couldn’t picture himself in the classroom any longer or deal with the politics” so he became a multi-line rep. Another gentleman, in his late 60s for sure, was a general manager of a few auto dealerships but “wanted a change.” He became a multi-line rep as well. On the “company rep” side was a young lady who could have been my daughter. She was fresh out of college and this was her first job after graduation. She was pitching tech accessories and electronic gadgets in her presentation. Another company rep, in his 30s, worked for an apparel distributor on the west coast until they offered him the NY territory. With no significant ties out west, he jumped at the opportunity. Being young and adventurous he settled in a hip neighborhood in Brooklyn a few years back. While he didn’t have “war stories” of the industry, he regaled the group with war stories of a west coast kid moving to the big city. Being a crime victim, driving around his block for hours looking for a parking space, making room for samples in a studio apartment and waking up to the “SNAP” of a rat trap in his kitchen. One thing that both groups had in common was the ability to tell a good story.
Then one of the older gentlemen said something rather prolific. Let’s face it he said, “Everyone (suppliers and salespeople) comes into this industry by happenstance.” “I haven’t heard anyone say that I always wanted to be in promotional products!” This is true. Salespeople arrive in the promotional products business at different stages of life. Manufacturers also come by happenstance. The tech gadgets and accessories, apparel, umbrellas, fidget spinners, and magnets were not invented for this industry, yet they make their way here.
It is the entrepreneurial spirit that will continue to bring manufacturers and sales reps, both multi-line and company reps, the young and “not as young” into this industry. My quandary has been lifted.
Charlie McGuinness is National Sales Manager for Corporate Division and Wholesale Distribution at MV Sport/Weatherproof & The Game Headwear. This column is inspired by listening, observing and finding something valuable in daily business interactions and life experiences. He can be reached at charliem@wpmv.com.