TRACKING THE RIGHT REP 

I firmly believe that sales representatives play an important role in the success of a specialty shop, conveying information about new items and helping you stay on top of the latest in merchandising.  In order to make sure that my sales reps get credit — they almost all work on commission, so this is important — I try to always send purchase orders directly to them.  But it’s not easy to keep track of who reps what line, especially since this changes with some frequency.

We use a few different systems to help keep this information up to date, including a file folder for each vendor, a business card file and a Rolodex. There are of course electronic equivalents for those of you with easy computer access during your working day, but I like to have the data available on paper as well.

The file folders for the companies we buy from have their paid invoices in the front and all current catalogues and price sheets in the back (marked with a date if the company has neglected to include that information).  If a sales rep gives me a catalogue, often they’ll put a helpful sticker on it with their name and contact information. Otherwise I will write the rep’s name on the front.

I also keep a “tickler” file folder called New Lines and Their Reps.  When I get back from a buying trip I make a list of each new line that I’ve found at that trade show, jotting down key bits of information such as who reps the line locally.  I just looked at this file yesterday to remind me of the name of a line I found in NY a year ago that I wanted to reorder from for Valentine’s Day.

Most sales reps have business cards, and we date these (contact information does change!) and file them alphabetically in a ring binder with plastic pages made to hold cards this size.  I also have a special section for business cards from my neighboring businesses on Monroe Street, which comes in handy if I need to get in touch by phone. 

In the front of the business card file I have a couple of plastic pockets for the line lists that reps often offer. Be sure to ask whether all the lines listed are carried in your area, because reps don’t always have every  line for their entire territory. It’s also important to date these so that you only keep the one that is the most current.

The Rolodex (or other organizer) card file by company is perhaps the most essential tool for keeping track of which reps have which line.  I write the company’s name and contact information in the upper left, and the current sales rep’s name in the upper right.  When the rep changes, I revise this — some of my lines have been through a dozen reps over the years, so there is a lot of history there.  In the center of the card I write a brief description of the line, and in the bottom left I write the month and year that I started buying from the company.

With more of our vendors offering online catalogues instead of printed ones, I have started using the back of the card to list any web site passwords and log-in information.  It is particularly useful to have a backup of this information in case your computer crashes.

Even with these systems in place, I’m still not always sure what rep currently has a line that I’m ordering.  That is in part because the companies and sales reps don’t always notify retailers of changes.  We’ll do our part to keep organized, and appreciate our business partners doing their part to help us in that effort.

Happy Retailing,

Carol “Orange” Schroeder