AGENT PROVOCATEUR
Road Rage
I
visited a retailer last month who asked me to “be there early” to miss the busy period of the afternoon. Being the nice person I am, I travelled the 300 miles or so, leaving at ‘silly o’clock’ to arrive in time for the planned meeting at 9am. The shop I discovered on arrival, did not even open until 9.30am and when it did finally open at 9.40 (by one of the staff); the buyer did not arrive until 10.05! Obviously ‘early’ has different meanings in different parts of the country –
maybe secret time zones governed by local lay lines? Needless to say as I was left contemplating my navel and adding up the extra cost of parking, so was not a happy bunny. I like to think that the brand I represent is invaluable to my retailers so it came as a massive surprise when the buyer said - ‘I’d forgotten you were coming’. Shock, horror! To be ‘fashionably’ late to a meeting albeit arranged to benefit the shop is one thing, but to be informed that the buyer had “forgotten” about the meeting is just outrageous. However, I am reliably informed that ‘buyers’ from both large and small shops tend to forget that the majority of people selling to them are no longer ‘employed’ but self-employed, and their time is money too – as is their travel expenses, ‘phone bills, insurance, diesel, parking……etc. We cannot just turn up because we think it would be a nice thing to do and maybe sell a few shoes to keep our bosses happy and meet targets. This is our livelihood. My mother always said “manners cost nothing, if you have good
manners you will go a long way”, and she is right, but it seems that not everyone has met my mother – more’s the pity. As a supplier travelling around the U.K. and Ireland, if I am late for whatever reason; travel, breakdown, overrun of previous meeting etc. I always ensure the next appointment is aware of my estimated time of arrival (thanks be to SATNAV). Normally they are appreciative of the call and indeed make provision for a late or even a following day appointment. Most of us travel very long distances at greater expense than ever before (thanks to Gordon Brown), so the least a buyer can do is be at their premises when they say they will, as the likelihood is they have only had to travel a maximum of 10 miles to get there. I am sure that I am not alone in thinking that being ‘on time’ is part of the
sellers and alike. Worse still are those who know they are not going to buy from you, but get you to visit ‘just in case’, as if this will be doing you a favour to make you feel grateful for the attention….wrong! I daren’t put in writing what we all think about time-wasters – and my mother will read this. Thankfully to alleviate the odd murder our ‘on-the-road-mafia’ has a ‘hit list’ of the nice and the nasty. We swap notes like cigarette cards in the playground although we tend to overlook our hit list when orders exceed 1,000 pairs! As well as the occasional cheerless greeting we also have to suffer the great
British road system. Heavy traffic, foreign lorry drivers, school run 4x4’s, potholes and ‘Sunday drivers’ on a Monday, Tuesday…. all add stress to our day before we even open our cases. A good salesman plans his journey very differently to a few years ago – hoping to save time and money. If you have to travel from one side of London/Manchester/Birmingham to the other during the rush hour, this can cost you a fortune and take twice as long as the next 50 miles. It often pays to leave as the sun rises to avoid the rush hour, then you don’t feel so guilty when you spend what you’ve saved in Starbucks and Costa Coffee (though Brenda’s Burgers more than shakes a tea-bag on the A46). As for parking….that’s a whole other column. Believe me. you get lots of minus points in
My mother always said “manners cost nothing, if you have good manners you will go a long way”, and she is right, but it seems that not everyone has met my mother – more’s the pity.
the ‘hit list’ if you are situated in a pedestrianised zone, have double yellow lines outside, or worse still fall into the congestion charge – the ultimate cardinal sin. On top of ‘all the above’, I ask you to consider that one small accident in a busy
service I like to give as I “peddle my wares” around the country. It is the right and proper way to behave, being civil and considerate in every way possible, genuinely respectful. However, it never ceases to amaze me when I arrive at a shop after spending 3 hours on the road that on occasion, I am not even offered a glass of water, let alone a cup of tea or coffee, and my colleagues often say the same. This is not something I expect, but it is nice to be offered when you have travelled such a distance to be in one particular place for a particular time. Thankfully this sort of retailer is the exception rather than the rule as most of
my customers can also be considered ‘friends’. Most of the people I visit are kind and generous, some even offer cream cakes or a doughnut, or I buy them lunch and next time around they buy me lunch. But, just a few have forgotten that we no longer send boys up chimneys, and that being a shopkeeper is no longer a reason for people to doff their cap’s or pull their forelock’s. There are still some that tend to look down their noses at you a little and can’t wait to get you in and out as quickly as possible, thinking you are a slight annoyance to them rather than looking upon you as a mine of information to tap into about business, good
12 • FOOTWEAR TODAY
• MAY 2010
area can add 3 hours to our journey and ‘rubber necker’s’ – well don’t get me started! What else can hold us up – caravanners (they are like a red rag to a bull), but worse still – motor-homes. At the risk of sounding like Jeremy Clarkson, you have to have one to love one. The “staycation” is becoming more popular and now that motor-homes have been influenced by the film Transformers, with bits that pop out of every orifice making them the size of a portacabin, they also have the cheek to tow another car with them. This may sound like sour grapes as they don’t exactly come cheap, but do the drivers have the skill, expertise and road courtesy of a juggernaut driver – no, just a basic licence and very few hours at the wheel to know what size gap they can fit into - lethal. So, please spare a thought for your “area sales manager” who has battled
through the streets of the U.K. to find you, lugged dozens of heavy cases from their cars hopefully on time and in good humour – having done a day’s work before they open their order books and lick the nib of their pen. Chances are they can advise you which are the best sellers, which are the advertised lines and which will offer you the best margin. So don’t make them wait too long for a cuppa, after all with their help you will be making the biggest profit and if you are really lucky you won’t have to drive a white box for your next holiday – unless of course it is one of those origami numbers with smart car attached!
www.footweartoday.co.uk
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