I was working with a new recruit in a neighboring State, and I was not very happy with the outcome of our meetings. She was employed by one of the area distributors who asked me to train her in product knowledge. She was young, blond, beautiful, and she drove a white convertible equipped with no back seat, so it was difficult to store sample cases and other literature. This new rep was working with a guaranteed base salary, all expenses paid, a new computer, a new cell phone and a list of clients to visit. No incentive to work on your own, or to work at all.
I noticed she was willing to use her female wiles to convince clients they should give her the order. I, on the other hand, prefer to educate my clients and allow them to make choices with the information at hand. She wanted no suggestions about product, reliability or warranties. She wanted the order.
It was quite difficult to spend time learning a new product; she only wanted to be in front of prospective customers, preferably male, and allow them to ask questions directed at me, instead of guiding them through product information. After a half day and seeing how she operated, I was ready to leave town and not come back.
On the way to an appointment, it began to drizzle; she immediately pulled over to the side of the road, started screaming and told me she could not drive in the rain; she was completely useless. I suggested she drive to the next off-ramp and wait the rain out as I was not willing to drive her car. She then called her clients and cancel the appointments. The day was over although it was still morning.
Our next learning meeting was to be away from her home; we were to meet early in the morning to start our day. She informs me it takes 4 hours to drive from her home to the meeting place and she would have to start the trip at 4 am; I asked her to drive the day before, stay at the hotel and be ready to start the day; but I was told she did not spend nights in hotels as they were dirty and she didn’t know who had stayed in the hotel room before. The day should start at noon and work until four pm so she could get home early. That was not going to work for me. I needed at least three days in a town in order to visit as many clients as possible and learn their objectives and needs.
My report to her supervisor was as truthful as needed to be; I was not willing to spend time with her again unless she traveled and worked full days. The response was not as I had expected. He asked me not to travel with her again as my expectations were too high and the young woman was not ready to learn complicated products geared for industrial construction.
We met once again during a national sales meeting; she was still employed and refused to acknowledge my presence. I wonder what kind of a salesperson she is today.
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