Look Closely Under the Hood

Whether you are buying a car or looking to make a change to a new company, it is essential that one does their homework. You have to look under the hood because at the end of the day that is going to tell the story as to whether or not one is successful.


Here are some questions that must be asked if you are considering making a job change in the promotional products industry:


1. Can I please see either a current Dun and Bradstreet Credit report or a few years of audited financial statements? Does this make you uncomfortable to ask this? So what, it is a legitimate question! Employers think nothing of doing background checks on prospective candidates so asking some hard questions of the employer that you are considering shedding your blood, sweat and tears for is well within reason.


2. Ask to speak with three or four reps who are in the same category as you regarding sales volume, specifically some that have been hired in within the last eighteen months. Talk to them about their transition, specifically checking for any surprises that they may have not seen coming when they signed on.


3. We suggest checking with YOUR top suppliers as to what their thought are regarding the prospective distributor that you are considering. Suppliers have a vested interest in you going to a place where you can be successful and where they have a solid relationships. Many times suppliers are also the first ones to see financial troubles brewing on the horizon.


These are only three of the questions that we suggest! We also feel that a visit to the corporate offices of the company or company(s) that you are considering is a MUST.


Some companies will pay your way for a visit. At The Vernon Company we are conduct some exciting open house dates in June and July where you can combine a one day information and Learning session with a day at the race track. Many of you may not know but Newton, Iowa is home to one of the finest new race track facilities in the country. It will be home to the two races listed below...

Iowa Corn Indy 250 - Sunday June 20, 2010


Nascar Nationwide Series- Saturday July 31, 2010

For details click http://vsales.vernoncompany.com/fast-track

This will provide a great opportunity for you to combine a visit to Iowa with a day at the track along with an opportunity to meet Vernon's Management Team and see their operations in action.


Please visit the site or give us a call to find out more details about this opportunity to "Look Closely Under the Hood" of The Vernon Company. We know that you will like what you see!

1-800-743-7545 ext. 8303

Supplier Choices can Make a BIG Difference

The article below was published in one of our company newsletters and although I could have taken out our company name I decided to leave it in. Please feel free to insert your company or organization name because I feel strongly that this message is universally applicable.
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OK we all know the economy has been tough! We continue to promote to you that The Vernon Company has weathered the financial storm very well and this in fact, very true!

What is evident though is that many suppliers have not been so fortunate in this regard. There is news every day about mergers and acquisitions taking place. It is our belief that there are many, many more suppliers, some that you are not reading about, that are suffering terribly and just trying to make ends meet. Our fear here is that many of you may be using some of these suppliers on your orders!

I need to say that way too many salespeople, in an effort to save a few bucks, are going way outside of the normal supplier lists and submitting orders with people that we do not know. This is fine if things work out but it creates BIG problems when there are issues with the order and let me tell you there have been a lot of ISSUES with these orders. One sales rep told me recently that the supplier was absolutely phenomenal UNTIL we gave them the order and then it quickly turned into one of the worst experiences of this reps life in the promotional product's business. Of course when we look up the supplier we see that we have no track record with them, no orders in house and really no experience at all. This means that we have no LEVERAGE either in helping to get something corrected or an order expedited.

I am urging everyone to try and use preferred suppliers when you can. I am not saying that they are perfect or that they do not make mistakes. Believe me they do and and I will say that anyone who has been in this industry for a while will readily admit that they do but what happens when they make the mistake is where most of them earn their money. Do they back up their product? Do they jump when Vernon calls? Do we know their top management personnel so we can help you in a jam? These are the key components of what makes the best suppliers really good.

Saving a dime here and there for your customer is important. I certainly recognize that but a large part of your job should also be using and recommending products from reliable and trustworthy vendors. If you save $100 on a vendor that you have not used before, one that Vernon really does not know, and they do not deliver the product...how much have you really saved at the end of the day?

Think about it! I can think of about a dozen cases like this in the last month or so where the rep thought they were doing the right thing to save money for the buyer however when all was said and done and because they chose an unknown vendor everyone ended up losing....the customer, the salesperson and the Vernon Company. If you are lucky in these situations you might live to get another order from the buyer but this is not a given! Too many times the supplier has trusted in you that you will steer them in the right direction for products and manufacturers who you know and trust! If you don't know a supplier of a product that your customer is asking about I think you need to let them know that and offer up some alternatives where you feel confident about the product and the delivery.

Aren't your customers too valuable to be playing "Russian roulette" with their orders? I think so!

Selling exclusive Vernon and Preferred Supplier products...that is the way to go! Yes, points are involved for Vernon's incentive programs such as the trip and the national sales meeting but much more important than all of that is your relationship with your customers!