Dear Sales Rep/Account Manager,
At the request of my shrink I'm writing this tough love
Sales Rep letter to you from the practice side of the
dispensing table. After several appointments and working
with you around your rotation schedule I realize that our
lopsided relationship has to change for us to be passionate
about the optical world together.
I know there are two sides to every story and we both
struggle with entitlement issues from time to time. Each of
us wants what we want when we want it. You want more board
space and for me to use your latest preferred lab. Why
should I? So you can make even more money. Meanwhile, I am
the one dealing with all of this stuff day in and day out.
Oh yeah I almost forgot, you did give me a discount on the
frame that I wanted for myself. Woo-Hoo!
You made it obvious the other day how mad you were for
not getting into town sooner. It's not my fault you had to
change your appointment day. Do you really think that if you
had gotten to the practice before *bleep* did, you could
have rescued us from doing business with them? Give me a
break. To make matters worse, you roll your eyes and talk
under your breath while you peruse the POP and inventory. My
shrink says that when this type of behavior surfaces you and
I are only growing further apart from the ultimate goals of
what is best for the patient and the practice.
I told the shrink that sometimes I feel like my working
relationship with you is like an action game. Don't you
agree? I get a patient that is fired up and unloads on me. I
take the heat and get the patient cooled down. I rush to
relay back to you what I believe to be specific, important
concerns this patient has with your product. You got my
back, right? Before you became a Rep you said you worked in
a private practice as an Optician. So how about I wiggle my
nose and >zap< you magically appear as Super Optician
Rep and take care of these concerns instantly? Bonk. Game
Over. Try again. Instead if you could just listen and ask me
how you can help. No need to always put your two cents in
since you weren't there in the first place.
It really does get aggravating at times trying to get in
touch with you. I know you say it's not intentional and your
company is going through some changes. Maybe they should
hire you some help since you have hundreds of accounts to
service. Just try to remember that nothing puts you in the
dog house quicker than not returning phone calls or sending
us on a toll free number wild goose chase. BTW, we called
the toll free number and they said they would email you and
have you call us back. That is freaking insane.
I have been working with Dr. C. Clear and he wants me to
let you know that his money doesn't grow on trees. He must
be referring to that promotion that expires at the end of
the month that you have been calling him about. Please don't
call him on his cell phone anymore. He said you must be
desperate for a sale. The minimum order requirements and
your urgency are total turnoffs. He wants me to ask you (if
I can ever get in touch with you) where the product is for
his wife that you said you were sending two weeks ago?
Between you and me I would do everything possible to get
that here quickly. I'm running out of excuses for you. Every
time he walks a patient into the dispensary he tells them
about your product. Please don't tell me it's on backorder.
He will freak out. I changed my mind, you can call his cell
phone on this one.
Dr. C. Clear shared some crazy Rep stories with us the
other day. Last year he was working around the clock to open
a new practice and had taken some time out to meet with a
few Reps. One Rep actually came back to pick up their frame
catalog the next week. Something about he wasn't sure if Dr.
C. Clear was ever going to open an account but another
practice in town had and he needed to give the catalog to
them. One time a Rep came in and said that if Dr. C. Clear
didn't pay his bill in the next day or so the Rep would have
to pay the company back for the commission on that sale. Dr.
C. Clear boxed up all of the Rep's products and shipped them
back and closed his account with the company. Sometimes Reps
aren't the best bill collectors.
If Dr. C. Clear catches a Rep talking negative about
another Rep or company he will dial the competitor's phone
number and hand the Rep the phone before they even realize
it. Why waste time talking behind each others back? If two
Reps are in the practice at the same time he will sit down
with both of them together. Even though they represent
opposing companies he lets them debate while figuring out
what will work best for his practice. His philosophy is why
not kill two birds with one stone? Whatever that means.
He loves telling the ones about the frame Reps that lug
in gigantic sales bags with hundreds of frames and yet they
are wearing a competitor's brand. He asks them why he should
buy their product if they obviously aren't sold on it enough
to wear it themselves. And unless you sell ready made
readers don't wear them and think he won't notice and say
something.
I know my shrink says not to live in the past but I sure
wish things could get back to the way they were when we
first met. You would call and check in on us with no strings
attached. You had no problems making something right even if
it meant you had to jump through some corporate loop holes.
You didn't fault us for being one of your smaller accounts.
You treated us like we were your biggest and the best.
Well I gotta run, my phone is ringing. I hope that's you
calling me back. If not, I'm sure once you read this you
will be sending me an email. My email address is: owd.ginny@yahoo.com
. I am also sending this letter around the world and look
forward to sharing your two cents in the coming months!
Respectfully,
Licensed Dispensing Optician
