Event Rant

[czerbe]

So before I jump off here let me say I'm not going to "out" the Cigar company name.

But last night I went to my local B&M for a Cigar event from Said company. I have been to plenty of events there and they have all been great. This Said Cigar Company has had at least 2 events there in the past that I know of (only able to attend one of them) So I was really excited to go last night. I get there and the place is 70% full they had a full bar, the Rep was there and it was a happening place. So I go into the Humi and pick out some sticks from the Company. I'm walking by the Rep. say hi and he more or less is sitting there watching T.V. on the sofa. I figure ok no big deal maybe he didn't hear me. I pick up my sticks go to pay and the owner of the Shop comes out and asks if the Rep. came and said hi, talked to me, or told me about his company? I said no he didn't but thats ok. I could tell from there the owner of the shop wasn't happy. He told me that this Rep. sat there all night so far didn't go out and say hi to customers, or talk to people about his brand, didn't help pick out sticks, and didn't bring any promotional stuff that he was supposed to bring to give out to the customers. I let it go and just lit up my smoke and started talking to a guy I knew. About an hour goes by and this Rep. Moved from the Sofa to a chair and started talking to customers (so I figured things were looking up) Turns out he was telling people how he is leaving the company in a few weeks. but that doesn't seem like a good look for this Cigar Company. The owner of the B&M said he was going to call the company today and let them know whats going on.

Don't get me wrong I don't go to events for Free Swag or to hold hands with the Rep. but it seems to me that this guy should have been working his company talking about products, helping customers with cigar choices, and Moving about the room.

Maybe I'm wrong but I just had to vent. This will not keep me from going to any more Events and I love the B&M so its not a black eye on him but just got me a little fired up last night and I had to unload some place!! Sorry again Thanks for reading!

[DarrelMorris]

You are absolutely right. A company Rep is exactly that, a Rep. At events, it's his job to represent the company and interact POSITIVELY with consumers. That's the whole purpose of doing events. It doesn't matter if he's leaving the company in few weeks. As long as he hasn't left yet he needs to do his job.
It's incredibly frustrating to be unemployed for years and yet guys like this have jobs.

[dave]

Lots of bad-to-mediocre reps out there. Probably why there always seems to be openings for them. I imagine that except for a certain small slice of personalities, this is a very tough job to stay hungry in for very long.

[kelmac07]

Sounds totally unprofessional to me Corey.

[MUNKY]

I wouldn't have bought ****, and would of said something... That's just me though, I have a couple brands on my list and Mac knows one of em I wouldn't support to save their souls. That kind of stuff is just wrong.

[stearns]

If this happened at the shop I used to work at, that rep's boss would have received a phone call while the damn thing was still going on. Your concerns are completely legitimate, I'm frustrated and I wasn't even there

[DarrelMorris]

Originally Posted by dave

Lots of bad-to-mediocre reps out there. Probably why there always seems to be openings for them. I imagine that except for a certain small slice of personalities, this is a very tough job to stay hungry in for very long.

This is true. Being a cigar rep is a tough job that demands a lot of time. The people who do best are the ones with lots of personality that understand that connecting with the consumer leads to more sales to the B&M. It's definitely not for everyone. Clearly, it wasn't for this guy.