Reps

[Tarw Coch]

Is anyone seeing any reps at the moment?
I thought they were all grounded.
Just found a catalogue and reps card left in the dairy, must have been at dinner time, the dogs were barking.

 

[TomD]

?‍

 

[nick...]

They must all be at home doing sod all.asked one for a quote a month ago Wednesday and not heard a word
Nick...

 

[HolzKopf]

It depends who they've seen before you......???

??

Edit: I tried to get the smilies to social distance properly but posting closed them up again

 

[egbert]

Strict policy here,,,we NEVER buy from companies who send unsolicited reps onto the premises, and make sure the companies know this.
So I wouldn't notice any change just now.

 

[Steevo]

They must all be at home doing sod all.asked one for a quote a month ago Wednesday and not heard a word
Nick...

I've found similar when emailing to ask for some parts prices.....I can't imagine they are rushed off their feet.

 

[thesilentone]

Strict policy here,,,we NEVER buy from companies who send unsolicited reps onto the premises, and make sure the companies know this.
So I wouldn't notice any change just now.

Why is that ?

Do you NEVER look for business unsolicited ?

Do you have a sign that says Representatives by Appointment Only

Agriculture has had a sales people calling unsolicited for years, clearly keeping a wide berth at your door.

Start worrying when they stop calling, you know what that means ??

I'd hate to be a young enthusiastic sales person and call at you're place by mistake.

 

[An Gof]

Strict policy here,,,we NEVER buy from companies who send unsolicited reps onto the premises, and make sure the companies know this.
So I wouldn't notice any change just now.

Reminds me of a sign on a farm gate at Tregantle in Cornwall. The sign read "No Hawkers or unsolicited Reps" The farmer has now passed on but was always a character

 

[An Gof]

Why is that ?

Do you NEVER look for business unsolicited ?

Do you have a sign that says Representatives by Appointment Only

Agriculture has had a sales people calling unsolicited for years, clearly keeping a wide berth at your door.

Start worrying when they stop calling, you know what that means ??

I'd hate to be a young enthusiastic sales person and call at you're place by mistake.

I think @egbert is the sort of chap who would give a youngster the benefit of the doubt the first time

 

[egbert]

Why is that ?

Do you NEVER look for business unsolicited ?

Do you have a sign that says Representatives by Appointment Only

Agriculture has had a sales people calling unsolicited for years, clearly keeping a wide berth at your door.

Start worrying when they stop calling, you know what that means ??

I'd hate to be a young enthusiastic sales person and call at you're place by mistake.

I don't think I can recall ever walking uninvited onto someones yard and expecting them to down tools so I can try and flog em summat. I would regard it as pretty vulgar behaviour.
Do you?
I might call and try and buy something thats taken my eye when passing - a nice stick of fallen oak or the like- and I've walked into strangers yards overseas looking for work...but that's different kettles of onions.

I'm not sure why I'd start worrying when they stopped calling?

Despite rumours to the contrary, I am not- by nature- unkind, or generally rude.
So I find it much easier to make clear that I don't want to spend my time talking to reps ( who generally know jack sh*t about how my living is earned.... i found many of them extremely condescending when I was a young man, and hate the way most 'present').
I put a price on my time, and chatting amiably is something i'll do at times of my choice, to peeps of my choice.

The message has clearly got out, as they've scarcely troubled me for many years.
(One did lately mind, touting orange tractors. We were in YFC together, and he thought it'd be reason enough to stop me from my working day. He got intercepted by Mrs Egbert, who gently disabused him of his erroneous notions)
(Shame really, I've been thinking of trying an orange one...but thats out now!)

 

[ollie989898]

Cold called loads of people, would never expect them to drop everything and make a cup of tea and certainly would not expect to even try to sell anything to them. First visit is a brief introduction of who you are, what you do etc. If not a good time you soon tootle off.

Only once had someone be unpleasant to me on first acquaintance, had way more: 'thank you for calling, come any time' etc etc. It is however a pretty sh1t job to begin with and many reps I fear are very vulnerable at the best of times.

 

[betweenthelines]

I think unsolicited calls, either in person by reps or over the phone are totally disrespectful to farmers.

No one would walk into a businessman's office unannounced and expect him to stop what he was doing just to listen to a sales pitch.

Why should it be any different if the businessman is a farmer.

As for phone calls, I would love to have the call screening that most businesses have these days:

Press 1 if you wish to make a payment
Press 2 if you are returning a call
Press 3 if you want to speak to someone-you are 67 in the queue, your call really matters to us, you are now 68 in the queue, your call.....
Press End call if you are selling something

 

[Wishful Thinker]

Cold called loads of people, would never expect them to drop everything and make a cup of tea and certainly would not expect to even try to sell anything to them. First visit is a brief introduction of who you are, what you do etc. If not a good time you soon tootle off.

Only once had someone be unpleasant to me on first acquaintance, had way more: 'thank you for calling, come any time' etc etc. It is however a pretty sh1t job to begin with and many reps I fear are very vulnerable at the best of times.

It’s a hateful job to start, until you find the lay of the land. Pressure of sales is an awful feeling when things aren’t going well. Politeness doesn’t cost anything

 

[Wishful Thinker]

I think unsolicited calls, either in person by reps or over the phone are totally disrespectful to farmers.

No one would walk into a businessman's office unannounced and expect him to stop what he was doing just to listen to a sales pitch.

Why should it be any different if the businessman is a farmer.

As for phone calls, I would love to have the call screening that most businesses have these days:

Press 1 if you wish to make a payment
Press 2 if you are returning a call
Press 3 if you want to speak to someone-you are 67 in the queue, your call really matters to us, you are now 68 in the queue, your call.....
Press End call if you are selling something

Yes they do, farming no different. Only in a business the secretary or likes is at front of office to vet any visitors.

 

[Happy]

It’s a hateful job to start, until you find the lay of the land. Pressure of sales is an awful feeling when things aren’t going well. Politeness doesn’t cost anything

Branch manager of local machinery dealer reckons 2 years is how long it takes for a new rep to get known, build up a rapport and then the trust from enough customers to get properly settled into the job.

 

[Drillman]

I enquired about a machine today on a main dealers website. Assuming that as reps aren’t doing visits the website is there main shop window

was told “sorry sir it was sold a while ago”

so why the feck is it still on your website then?

 

[Robert K]

I enquired about a machine today on a main dealers website. Assuming that as reps aren’t doing visits the website is there main shop window

was told “sorry sir it was sold a while ago”

so why the feck is it still on your website then?

Or POA [emoji849]

 

[Johnnyboxer]

Cold called loads of people, would never expect them to drop everything and make a cup of tea and certainly would not expect to even try to sell anything to them. First visit is a brief introduction of who you are, what you do etc. If not a good time you soon tootle off.

Only once had someone be unpleasant to me on first acquaintance, had way more: 'thank you for calling, come any time' etc etc. It is however a pretty sh1t job to begin with and many reps I fear are very vulnerable at the best of times.

All true
More good receptions than bad when I was a feed rep years ago, after college
Plenty of funny stories - along the lines of ....’it shouldn’t happen to a Rep’

 

[TomD]

I think unsolicited calls, either in person by reps or over the phone are totally disrespectful to farmers.

No one would walk into a businessman's office unannounced and expect him to stop what he was doing just to listen to a sales pitch.

Why should it be any different if the businessman is a farmer.

As for phone calls, I would love to have the call screening that most businesses have these days:

Press 1 if you wish to make a payment
Press 2 if you are returning a call
Press 3 if you want to speak to someone-you are 67 in the queue, your call really matters to us, you are now 68 in the queue, your call.....
Press End call if you are selling something

What's disrespectful about it ?

 

[Tarw Coch]

I can fully understand reps cold calling in normal circumstances but I was a bit surprised that a rep I’ve never met from a firm I’ve never dealt with is going around farms at the moment.
Yesterday I fetched some feed from a merchant down the road, had to phone my order in beforehand and wasn’t allowed out of my vehicle whilst there, they loaded me and I left.
In this current situation I wouldn’t dream of just turning up unannounced on a friends farm let alone someone I’d never met.