Independent rep could even sell a skyhook if he had to
Peter Terry started his sales career selling Olivetti typewriters out of the Flatiron Building in Manhattan. It was tough work and, in the summer, pretty hot. “That was a true salesman,” says his wife, Elaine. Peter Terry – who subsequently became an independent medical manufacturer rep – died in April.
Born in Rockville Centre, N.Y., in 1945, Terry was a high school football athlete, and entertained ideas about becoming a professional football player, says Elaine Terry. His father, Lloyd, worked night shifts for the railroad, and his mother, Roberta, worked in a deli on Long Island. Together, they raised three boys – Lloyd, Richard and Peter.
Terry began his medical sales career rep’ping for Deseret Medical, a manufacturer of OR supplies, IV catheters and cardiovascular products. At around the time that Deseret was acquired by Becton Dickinson in 1986, Terry decided to start his own rep firm, Peter Terry Associates Inc., in the Northeast.
One of Terry’s longstanding accounts was Johnstown, Pa.-based UMF Medical, a manufacturer of exam room products and equipment, for whom he rep’ped more than 40 years. Other manufacturers he represented throughout his career included SteriTec Products, Englewood, Colo., and The Harloff Company, Colorado Springs, Colo.
Listened to customers’ problems
“Peter was willing to listen and understand the customer’s problem, then he collaboratively went to work to solve it,” says UMF Medical President and CEO Eileen Melvin. “He went above and beyond for his customers. If they needed something special, he made sure they got it or had a strong alternative solution.”
“Peter developed a relationship with his colleagues and many companies throughout the USA, until the time of his death,” says Elaine Terry. “Many called him friend, and Peter would strike up a conversation with anyone interested in his lines. He had the gift to talk, and he knew his product inside and out.
“He always had a keen eye out for the competitor,” she continues. “This was a way to sell his product, and he was always making a ‘deal.’ Many reps and business owners would call Peter just for consultation, and [for his advice on] how to improve sales for their company.”
A season-ticket holder for the New England Patriots, Terry liked cars, especially the Cadillac Escalade, says Elaine. And he used his windshield time well. “He loved the phone,” she says. He was an early adopter of the car phone, when they were big boxes stashed between the bucket seats. He spoke with his brothers on the phone just about every day, she adds.
Diagnosed with inclusion body myositis, a muscle disease, about six years ago, Terry fought to stay out of a wheelchair, says Elaine. He managed with a cane for awhile, then crutches, a walker, and finally, the wheelchair. “He had a lot of pride,” she says. A strong physical presence up to that point, he didn’t like being confined to a wheelchair. For the last several years, as he was no longer able to drive, Elaine would often drive him to his accounts.
A better skyhook
“Peter was an exceptional independent sales rep,” says Normand Chevrette, president, Claflin Medical Equipment, Warwick, R.I. “He understood that there was a non-spoken contract that the rep supports the company who brings him in on a deal. I can tell you that on more than one occasion, when the manufacturer didn’t do the right thing, Peter took money out of his pocket to make it right for either the customer or the salesperson…[W]ith Peter, the buck always stopped at his desk, and he always made good on any promise.”
Terry had a way about him that made everyone in the room relax, says Chevrette. “You and the customer always came away knowing that they were buying the product with Peter as the man responsible for making sure it was all going to go great. And if, on the rare occasion something didn’t go perfect, Peter would go out of his way to make sure that that customer was satisfied. What more could a distributor ever ask of a manufacturer representative?”
Terry was a one-of-a-kind, a “real salesperson,” even to the point of being a “lovable exaggerator,” continues Chevrette.
“I remember one time in my office, we had Peter, Mike Abbott, our VP of sales, and myself talking about a competitor’s product,” he recalls. “Mike out of the blue says to Peter, ‘Does your product have a skyhook like your competitors?’ ‘Skyhook’ was something Mike had made up. Without a second of hesitation, Peter says, ‘Sure we have a skyhook, and it’s a much better than the one they have!!!’ And he was serious. He was representing his manufacturer, and in his eyes it didn’t matter what the competitor had, because his was better. As soon as we let him in on the joke, we laughed with him that day until our sides almost split.”
Great friend with an open heart
“Peter was truly a leader among peers,” says Melvin. “He commanded attention in a room – and he won deals. He always had the most successful territory, which speaks volumes about his relationships with his customers. If you knew Peter, you knew his sales success – and you knew his family success. He was a great friend with an open heart – a terrific person!”
Says Elaine Terry, “He was a people person. He talked to [his customers] as a person, as a friend first. He always considered their needs; if there was something they didn’t like or want, he’d look for something else.
“There were very few people he didn’t like. He made a lot of friends over the years. Many were business colleagues, but he called them friends.”
Terry’s previous wife, Debra, died at age 42. He married Elaine in June 2002. He leaves four children: Gabrielle Terry, Jeanine Wakeman-Ward, Corinne Terry and stepdaughter Adriana Tarantino; as well as a grandson, Bryce Wakeman.
Leave a Reply