It’s impossible to avoid the impact of technology when taking a look at how reps are trained today vs. in the past. There’s no denying the Internet, webinars, CDs and other remote learning tools have changed how reps keep up to speed with their professions. The fact remains, however, that nothing replaces learning the value of personal relationships when it comes to getting the job done better.
The team at Interface Corporation (left to right) Rick Michael, Al Rosenbaum, Michele Zentner, Cathy Hester, Mark Downs, Amanda Behnke, Dave Knapp, Kaitlin Kusturiss, Bob Williams, (not pictured) Rudy Nessel
That’s the view of Dave Knapp, president of Interface Incorporated, Fairfax, Virginia. Founded more than 40 years ago, Interface is a multi-person rep firm whose goal is to satisfy the federal government’s demand for quality products and services. The agency matches the government’s requirements with principals that can meet those needs. Among the capabilities it represents are: pumps/valves, water heating/treating, tools, environmental, recycling and MRO services, air filtration, appliances, trailers, specialty trucks, electrical/telecommunication cable products and more.
Knapp adds that “Our company has continued to adapt to the changing needs of both the government customer and now the ancillary market (prime contractors). Although the Internet and electronic contracting by federal agencies have made this process easier for many who more than 20 years ago wouldn’t even consider doing business with the federal government, several time-proven elements (e.g., relationship building and experience) have served us well in this market.”
Training Remains Static
According to Knapp, “The training of our people really hasn’t changed much over the years — we still need to be knowledgeable reps — but since we deal primarily with the federal government, our job is to uncover and nurture the opportunity and as necessary, bring in the corporate technical experts. We’ve dealt with the same principals for some time and the only real changes with them we’ve had to deal with over time are as a result of mergers and acquisitions.
“When it comes to training, I’d say things are a bit easier today than in the past. Formerly, when a principal rolled out a new product or service, we’d have to make time to travel, check into a hotel and be brought up to speed during a training session. That still happens, but there’s now the option to find product information on the Internet or remotely get training by attending a webinar.
“Another type of ‘training’ that we must constantly update relates to the federal acquisition process. To effectively support our clients, we must be knowledgeable of the latest procurement methods the government is using. This requires that we attend contracting seminars and acquisition policy reviews. What makes this all the more challenging is that each government agency sometimes has its own preference in how they buy their goods and services. Keeping abreast of this is an ongoing process.”
Technology isn’t all there is to the job, however. Part of the reason for that can be attributed to Knapp admitting to being a “little old fashioned.” He explains that one important by-product of technology and an opening up of the buying process on the Internet is the fact that “The guy in Kansas City, Los Angeles or Denver now has an equal opportunity to sell to the remote government customer as anyone else. In order for us to stay ahead of the competition, it’s important for us to have developed relationships and established credibility with that customer, its chain of command and in many cases its major command (HQ), where procurement funding typically flows down from.
“I’m sure I’m like a lot of other people in that I still like to have someone in front of me showing me a new product and answering my questions. I believe it’s still true that people prefer to buy from those they know and trust.”
Getting Face-to-Face with
the Customer
Knapp provides an example of how that personal touch works so well when he thinks back to an experience he had with one of his government customers. “The Defense Logistics Agency has a number of procurement centers located across the country. I deal principally with the one in Richmond, Virginia. Not long ago, I contacted them and reminded them that they had been buying products from one of my principals for years and we had been supporting their parts and support requirements for a like period of time. Keeping in mind that now they can buy from anywhere in the country, I asked them ‘Wouldn’t it behoove you to actually understand what you’re buying from me?’”
Knapp made the trip and put himself in front of 8–10 buying and technical decision-makers. “I explained everything they needed to know about the products they buy, where these products are used and told them exactly what they got when they ordered this or that national stock number (NSN). Overwhelmingly, their response to my presentation was ‘I never knew that’; but then one of their buyers asked: ‘Can you sell these items to us at the lowest price?’”
It’s here that the value of a personal relationship (vs. one based on an Internet or other type of electronic presence) with the customer exhibited itself. According to Knapp, “My response to their question was: ‘Since you’ve already told me how valuable my presence was, what’s the likelihood of your getting this same type of support from the guy in Topeka or elsewhere who might be able to sell you this item at a lower price, but who won’t be able to visit you first-hand for this type of briefing? If all you’re going to do is buy at the lowest price, then I probably won’t be here to help you next time….’”
The Rep as Trainer
Knapp continues that this scenario does a good job of illustrating the rep’s role when it comes to educating/training the customer on the value of the rep. He emphasizes that while the importance of developing and maintaining relationships hasn’t changed and remains of paramount importance, there has been a change for his agency when it comes to dealing with the government customer that Interface serves.
“The way our customers conduct business has changed and it’s changed with the growth of technology. What used to be a hugely paper-intensive process has now migrated to one that is almost paperless. I say that with a little tongue in cheek, however, as the government (as you would imagine) still requires quite a bit of backup documentation. Having said that, most of our dealings with them are electronic.”
“As with any growth in technology,” he continues, “The entire bidding process with the government has become more efficient, quicker and in most cases an improvement for everyone involved. For the rep, the result is the need for us to be more on top of things and more nimble than we’ve ever been before. With current electronic and open-ended contracts, the window of opportunity has been considerably shortened. Governmental customers can buy within a period of 24–36 hours. That plays into our strength — but at the same time it’s a bit of a double-edged sword — we’ve got to constantly be in touch with customers and their needs.”
If it plays into Interface’s strength, there is another side to this equation. In the past, there used to be one daily source printed on yellow paper, The Commerce Business Daily (The CBD), which listed on a daily basis all the solicitations and requirements from all federal agency customers. “While this was a real challenge to read, any vendor usually had the opportunity to research and respond in plenty of time. Now, the speed with which bids and transactions appear can result in something coming up that you’re not aware of and thereby cause you to miss the opportunity — no one is aware of all the government opportunities every day.”
Traveling the ‘Net
To avoid those situations, Knapp explains, “Everyone has to travel the Internet and visit the appropriate websites. We have support people do just that — or one can subscribe to services that will assist in this. But there’s more to it than just trolling the Internet and entering predictable keywords. If you’re searching for a specific type of product or service that’s out for bid, the person conducting the search has to be knowledgeable enough to know what they’re looking for. You can’t just put Mary on John in front of the computer looking for keywords and expect their search to be successful — are you looking for a hammer or an impact tool, environmental services or waste disposal? Once again, here’s where the relationship side of the business comes in. If you’ve worked with the customer and helped them develop their statement of work (SOW), there’s a good chance you’re going to know and be looking for the synopsis of this need before it’s formally advertised so when it does come out on a short response fuse, you’re ready.”
While the Internet and technology have caused the rep to change how he operates, Knapp maintains that the customer has hardly escaped this need to change. “If you look at this from the customer’s perspective, he’s going to respond just as we do — it can be good or bad. On the one hand, they don’t necessarily have to depend solely on those suppliers they’ve worked with in the past and have supported them. So, while the list of their prospective suppliers has expanded, now they’re faced with the prospect of dealing with those who have come out of nowhere who want to supply them with a widget. While that out-of-nowhere supplier may get the contract in accordance with all the federal rules and regulations, the customer doesn’t necessarily know if that supplier can properly support them.”
Top Quality Principals
If the relationship between Interface and its governmental customers has changed in the aforementioned manner, some things that haven’t changed are the way the agency works with its customers and the quality of the principals that it represents. “One of the major assets we bring to the table is the ability to help our principals find their way through the labyrinth of the federal buying process. We’ve always understood who our customers are and what they need. That’s what we bring to our principals.”
At the same time, Knapp reflects on the principals that Interface represents when he says: “There’s a reason why some vendors do so much business with the government. A large part of that is that they’re the premier suppliers in their industries. They provide quality products and five-star services. Those are the principals that we try to represent. So while there may have been considerable changes in the rep-government business model, one thing that has remained the same is the customer’s need to buy the best products they can from people they know and trust.”
In general terms, on the subject of meeting the challenge that change presents to a rep (and any business for that matter) Knapp concludes: “Not counting your basic company business philosophy, if you’re not receptive and willing to embrace implementation and operational changes, chances are you and your company will wind up sitting on the outside looking in.”
