Playing Personal Reputation

Thoroughly enjoyed speaking to a rep at one of my customers today called Sam.  I always chuckle along during our chats on the phone.  Especially when like just now he’s in gale-swept freezing Leeds and I’m in 30°C Cape Town 🙂 He certainly sounded like he’s on a role.  Coming joint top last year, he’s off to Australia on their Ambassador Club reward trip and he’s taking a 24-year old Danish lass he met recently.  Considerably his junior I might add.

He had an issue with cheaper kit being offered to some of his customers.  It was cheaper for a reason of course; it was inferior.  He uses the ‘personal reputation’ story and seems to work quite well. He always states that if an empolyee makes a bad decision with regards to new equipment, they are always remembered for the bad decision they made, never for saving a few pounds.

Are you as a buyer, happy to take the risk of something new and all the associated pitfalls pointed out, or simply ask the boss for an extra few quid, but know and be safe in the knowledge that for the next few years, it’ll cause you no grief?