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In the not too distant past, at a trade event I overheard two reps talking about another rep who had made some serious errors and behaved very badly. Until that performance they had great respect for the rep’s ability as a salesperson. As a matter of fact, one of the guys commented that he had thought about approaching the rep in question to work for his agency.

Now, no way!

This article is much less about a lost opportunity for an attractive, smart, in some ways, young person in the rep business than it is about what leaders in the rep business have to think about when their team is involved in a trade show or industry event. This applies very specifically to manufacturers’ events like sales meetings, training sessions, or a rep council meeting.

Loose Lips Lesson #1

Once upon a time…a very high-paid consultant was talking in a hotel room in Seattle. Unbeknownst to him the room next door was occupied by a group of young employees who worked for his client. He also did not know that the walls were very thin and that the employees were wound up from a day of exciting meetings that he had led. They were also very curious about him and his relationship with their boss and other managers.

The consultant did not realize that his voice was loud. He was letting his hair down and sounding off about a couple of the people with the company who were his clients. They were people he worked with very closely and knew well.

The people next door had a great time listening until they were horrified by a couple things the consultant said. They made a beeline for their boss the next morning to report the conversation they had overheard.

Everything hit the fan and the consultant got called on the carpet. He had to shuffle very fast, apologize to the entire company group and really watch his Ps and Qs from then on with this client’s people. Many of the individuals who overheard the conversation were mad at him and stayed angry for the duration of his relationship with their company.

Lesson learned: Don’t talk about anyone any time when there is even a one percent chance anyone can hear you period! When clients or customers or manufacturer’s people or other reps are around — keep your mouth shut. It avoids a lot of trouble. I know that we’re not going to be congregating in groups in the immediate future, but there are some things to keep in mind as we move forward.

Beware of elevators.

Riding the elevator conversing with an associate or customer or manufacturer’s person can provide a very similar disaster. You never know who is on your elevator. Just don’t talk business on elevators.

Bar talk can be fatal.

The balcony lounge bar at the Las Vegas Hilton is a very popular hangout for those attending trade shows at the Las Vegas Convention Center. It is also a place where more than one rep has gotten him or herself in trouble in more ways than one.

Drinking even without driving is very dangerous in business — alcohol lowers inhibitions and provides the stimulus for letting loose talk sink a person’s ship.

Conversations heard in the Hilton bar have given several manufacturers information to create a competitive advantage. Little did they know that the person sitting two seats over could hear their conversation and knew exactly who and what they were talking about. The next morning the person was off to see their boss, the vice president of marketing, for the company. They were able to take what was overheard right to the marketplace with a plan to blunt their competitor’s advantage.

Slow days are very dangerous.

You are in the manufacturer’s booth. It is very slow. There are a bunch of factory people all sitting around talking. As a rep for the company, you are very welcome to be part of the group. You consider several of the manufacturing men and women your “friends.” People are talking, complaining about the boss, speculating on issues related to the company, etc.

This is a land mine ready to explode. You must not be part of the discussion. No matter how positive your comments might seem to you. No matter how brilliant your ideas. No matter what the topic is — stay out of it. You can talk sports, weather, not politics or religion. You should not talk any company business.

There is always someone, some petty person who wants to cause trouble. He or she will report on what you said and make you look and sound really bad.

You are not paranoid — you just know they are out to get you!

It is as simple as that. As a rep everyone is against you in some way or another. Many people just want to cause trouble.

How Do You Handle These Hostile Situations?

To avoid the little or big firestorms that can result from you or one of your associates saying something that is misinterpreted or blown out of proportion — everyone in your agency has to understand how loose lips sink ships!

Keeping quiet is the only answer. It may seem good to be part of the gang. This is the gang that couldn’t shoot straight and the target may well be you. Too many people resent the rep for too many different reasons. Too many people want to cause the rep trouble.

Beware and good selling.

MANA welcomes your comments on this article. Write to us at [email protected].