Met a PPG Rep today

[Barry]

I just had a rep from NJ/VA call me Thursday, nothing new I get these type calls all the time but he wants a job with SPI, now this guy was one of the worst badmouthers out there but he knows he is about to be fired by his company.
I was nice to him and said no thanks but you have to give the guy credit for having big ones to call me. Wish him the best!

A lot or most of our problem is how we go to market, we pay no attention to how we price the stuff and all attention to making the best we can, that just goes against everything the other non-majors like us stand for and how they produce their products and go to market.

This is why the majors don't care if their jobber store has any of these other company brands on the shelf but mention SPI and every threat in the book will be made to that jobber.

This is why we have a direct ship program for areas, where we don't have a jobber.

I would have it no other way and when the competitors start liking me I will then get worried!

 

[jeremyb]

I like the ones who mention the reason they dont use spi or badmouth it is because you dont go to NACE or any other shows of that nature to promote your product.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around that one!

 

[Barry]

I like the ones who mention the reason they don't use spi or badmouth it is because you don't go to NACE or any other shows of that nature to promote your product.

I'm still trying to wrap my head around that one!

I also love that, that was started years back by a guy who had been in the business a long time and went to his first NACE show in Vegas, actually bought him lunch but the show may have been exciting to him but I went to the very fist nace show and watched it go down hill in the last ten years and when you have more sales people operating booths vs the painters that come to the show, it is just a plain waste of time and money as it will cost you 20-30,000 dollars just to do a small set up with help time and fees, like $75 to plug in your electrical cord because you are not allowed.

These shows have gotten so bad, nace started bring in high school kids from mechanics shop and tech schools to up attendance.

Now SEMA in Vegas has almost put nace out, so this year it is Florida as a last Howrah.

He also thinks S+W is the best in the world, so that pretty well sums it up.

 

[Bob Hollinshead]

I've seen good paint reps and bad paint reps, some were good painters and some were just good salesmen, bottom line is they want to stock as many shelves with product as possible-it's their business. I think the ones that are pushing poor performing systems work their ass off to make the sale-but it's usually short lived if there's problems. I often considered it as a career possibility but most of the good reps spend a lot of time on the road away from home-and what does the job pay??? It's a cutthroat business for sure.
I'm glad SPI is here to provide quality products at realistic prices with good customer service. I do use some products from PPG, DuPont, and Akzo Nobel as well as Evercoat, 3M, and a few others because SPI doesn't offer everything I need. You can bet reps will badmouth anything that impacts their sales-same goes for other types of products.

 

[Barry]

career possibility but most of the good reps spend a lot of time on the road away from home-and what does the job pay???
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The last 10 years has been a screw job for most reps, One company has fired over 250 nation wide, to replace with lower paid people.
One company has been getting rid of theirs and replacing with college kids, so they can pay them less.
The resume I got about six months ago, the company is paying 45,000 with NO company car but give a $300 gas and car allowance and the poor sap is covering one whole big state.
Another Resume I got from a guy with the same company a few months ago was making 35,000 with the 300 car allowance and covering two small states.
One resume from a national sales manager, who was fired was $55,000 and not related to the companies listed.
Another company, their base is 35,000, company car and small quarterly bonuses, OH and if you are in the bottom two for a quarter, they put a GPS on your car, you might as well quit, if that happens.

A people wonder why they can't get good answers, when they have a problem!