Scott Adams
Reps Matter More Than Ever
Sometimes, timing is everything. About three weeks ago, I received a long, well written e-mail from an individual I will leave unnamed, expressing to me his feelings about Repertoire. He believed we have moved away from our core focus because of the stories we covered, such as current events, IDNs, vendor credentialing, GPOs, and other topics. We do cover those trends because they impact your lives as salespeople in healthcare. We try and do this with each market in mind, including acute care, alternate site, post-acute, and ASC.
However, he made the comment that we don’t care about the average rep anymore. That couldn’t be further from the truth.
Repertoire was founded on the principle that reps matter, which is the focus of this month’s cover story. I not only took this e-mail serious, I took it personal. The two founders of Repertoire (as well as myself) grew up in this industry and had success on the backs of the distribution rep. I’m eternally grateful for the work that you preform day in and day out. Our team spends hours working on topics that we hope inspire you and help you do your job better while improving your career.
In the last two months, I’ve done over 50 interviews on tradeshow floors with manufacturers, and the reoccurring theme by all of them was, you matter! When I asked the question: “What is the one thing you need from dealer reps in 2019 to be successful?” manufacturers responded that they need time in the field with reps calling on their accounts. For me, it was nice to hear manufacturers still want to do ride days and work with you. It’s why we do the magazine, to help bring manufacturers closer to distributors.
I believe reps matter today more than ever in our industry’s history. Please take the time to read Face-to-Face Selling. This article could not have come at a better time. Even after 25 years, Repertoire magazine still has one goal in every issue, your continued success.
Thank you for supporting the magazine and the new podcast “Road Warriors and Their Untold Stories”
Happy Fourth of July!
Scott Adams