Wire Service Reps... and the spin continues...

[BOSS]

Well it's been proven once again. There are no new wire service reps, they just keep reconstituting them from one company to another teaching them to talk out of the other side of their mouths.

The latest case I am aware of is Dave Hopper, the former East Michigan Teleflora rep, who for years bashed FTD and Bloomnet with his arrogant attitude of his superiority over not only other wire service reps, but also the shop owners he tried to recruit into the Teleflora fold.

On several occasions over the years he and I have had several debates about the **real** merits of wire service affiliation and the associated pitfalls and bonuses with each one. The debates were often heated with ignorance on display, his and mine. My ignorance was based on the fact that I was arguing with a robot spewing Teleflora stance vs. what I knew to be true.

IMO, credibility totally goes out the window when a wire service rep changes companies. On Monday they are spewing one companies propaganda, touting the great things company A is doing *for* the florists, then 30 days (or less) later they have switched companies, and all of a sudden they are promoting the virtues of company B, the very company they were slamming the last time they were in the very same shop. Ethics be @@@@ed, it makes it hard to tell what they are actually lying about, since they seem to believe their own disinformation to their very core.

Dave, which load of crap do you really believe? And to both FTD and Teleflora how the hell do you expect florists to believe anything coming out of your reps mouths when they flip sides faster than a terrorist caught with a pipe bomb? That was a rhetorical question, because I know you already have a spin doctor working on this even though I have not hit the submit button yet. It's bull crap, many wire service reps have zero credibility.

Hoppers latest spew, while it may be legit is that FTD is offering an all inclusive membership, with selection guide, Mercury and all the assorted fee's for $29.95 FOR LIFE. Now this is for a single member town, but do you really think they would honor the "for life" thing if another shop signed up? I don't.

Anyway, I'm going long here so I'll end with this: FTD and Telflora, hire some people with ethics that will tell the florists the real truth about your operations, order gathering, the real expense of your containers, and all... we might just be able to work together to rebuild this industry that you have bastardized for your own profits on the backs of hard working mom and pop slob florists.

 

[Mikey the Flower Guy]

I've always "wondered" why 1) reps actually "change" companies, and 2) do they have any shame, when doing so,after contradicting ALL they are about??
Here in Canada, we have pretty good ws reps, and they really DON'T jump around alot, BUT, for those that did, and for those that MIGHT, ask yourself "is trust REALLY an issue anymore??"

 

[KABERS]

I think we take it too personnally. This is our livelihood and sooo much more. It's the reps job and nothing more.

 

[duanermb]

I think we take it too personnally. This is our livelihood and sooo much more. It's the reps job and nothing more.

It's their career. No different than working for Ford and then going across the street to work for GM. Sheesh. What options do they have to better their career in a niche industry like this but to change jobs within it?

What salesman doesn't spew propaganda? What owner would buy into it without researching it first. Oh, right...

PS. I know some slimy flower shop owners.

 

[BOSS]

No different than working for Ford and then going across the street to work for GM. Sheesh.

I disagree...where's that dang thumbs down button....

Totally different, they're selling a commodity not a service. And I have yet to deal with a car dealer that bashed their competition as blatantly as the wires do. Most adhere to the principle of "never mention your competition".

 

[hollyflr]

Hoppers latest spew, while it may be legit is that FTD is offering an all inclusive membership, with selection guide, Mercury and all the assorted fee's for $29.95 FOR LIFE. Now this is for a single member town, but do you really think they would honor the "for life" thing if another shop signed up? I don't.

I have been wire service free for almost 4 years, and my old FTD rep came in several weeks ago and offered me the same thing when I told him my shop was in a small village, not the larger city of Overland, Mo. I said no I was happy to be wire free.

 

[duanermb]

I disagree...where's that dang thumbs down button....

Totally different, they're selling a commodity not a service. And I have yet to deal with a car dealer that bashed their competition as blatantly as the wires do. Most adhere to the principle of "never mention your competition".

I can't speak for the individuals you are dealing with, but I have met with the local reps here, and they are nice guys and didn't pressure me into anything. We have had some really great discussions about the business and the competition never came up.

 

[bootcampguy]

I have to agree with Boss, where's the person personal "inner" conviction of what they sell and the products. We are just a number to them, and once a florist begins to question them......then we get called or labled. I tell the OG quite regularly to "piss off" when they call with their under value order or improper orders. I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer but I'm not a spoon either. Thomas jefferson once said, "A govenment big enough to give you all that you want is also big enough to take all that you have". I would replace government in this quote with "wire services". A rep last week told me they could give me all the i needed, I chuckled gave him a bottle of water and said thanks for stopping. Boss are you off your "sabbatical"..........

 

[Bigted]

It's their career. No different than working for Ford and then going across the street to work for GM. Sheesh. What options do they have to better their career in a niche industry like this but to change jobs within it?

What salesman doesn't spew propaganda?

I agree 100%. These people are salespeople. They are not your friend. They are not working because they want to advance the general perception of florists. They work to pay the rent. If they have to leave one wire service the natural move is to another one.

 

[shannonlovesflowers]

Well it's good to know I'm not the only one who argues,,,er a...I mean debates with reps. I even threw one out of the shop up in Durango. He was sort of shocked.
It's hard to BS me.

 

[lori042499]

You know what I do, I call them on it...I let them know that I remember how last week or last year they were so against the company they now work for...blah blah....it is not all salespeople just the stupid ones that do that...They should know better, it would be like us bad mouthing other shops we've worked for, we would never work again..It is this particular salespersons sales flaw, we all have them, some of us bad mouth our competition, some blame wireservice for their shirtcomings on service and others undersell themselves trying to get ahead and nevr realize they will never get ahead that way...there are a million ways to sell wrong and I am sure we all have a few in our arsenals that we have used...doesn't sound bad til someone lets you hear it from their point of view, then you are like, "oh God, WTF have I been saying?"

 

[nmwinn]

This is just an example of "you reap what you sow". Try and get ahead by undermining means and it will eventually catch up to you. I dont criticize anyone for trying to make a living but doing so unscrupulously will eventually come back to bite you. EVERY time.

I doubt in the wire service sales training courses there are classes on how to badmouth competitors.... Personal decisions were made to behave/sell in this manner and they will have to answer to those who question it.

Nicole

 

[BOSS]

I can't speak for the individuals you are dealing with, but I have met with the local reps here, and they are nice guys and didn't pressure me into anything. We have had some really great discussions about the business and the competition never came up.

If you're talking wire services and not automobiles, I would concur. It's been pretty obvious for years that the wire service reps in Canada have a much better set of ethics than their American counterparts.

 

[BOSS]

Boss are you off your "sabbatical"..........

It would appear so Mr. Rivers. You have not been about this place long, but the 3 weeks I took off is the longest in my 8 years here on FlowerChat... hell, it was harder than trying to quit smoking

If they have to leave one wire service the natural move is to another one.

Understandable Ted, but I would think they would move them to an inside position for a time. My comments are more about credibility and ethical behavior rather than who works for whom. Also, it was kind of a warning for anyone that may come in contact with Hopper... I've known MANY a wire service rep in my 42 years in this game, and many more people in the HQ's of all 4 wire services and Dave is perhaps the wor...... hell even Bad Bobby did not spew that much, and he spewed a LOT.

 

[theRKF]

Boss,

I'm supposing you've never hired an employee who once worked for another flower shop?

In my experience it's not unusual for a high-end designer to move a few times over his/her career, often taking some clientèle with them. Often it's about finding the right shop with the right business vision, products and environment.

You and I both know that those aspects change within the wire services over time. Good bosses & managers & owners come and go, environments, services and products change, and sometimes people change teams to endorse what they think is the best option.

Here's a question: If you're working for a WS and you no longer believe they have the best offering for florists, should you stay with your team or do ethics demand a change of teams? Surely you wouldn't suggest that someone quit their job and leave their industry of choice?

 

[Kristine]

as one who has dealt with the rep in question (and listened to my florist colleagues rant about their issues), I've never met one quite like him. His MO leaves him with a big creditability issue, no matter who he's employed with.

 

[anytimeflowers]

I have never met him, probably never will. And although I know of many people who move within an industry, I have never known one who will trash one company, and then go work for that same company. I think that is where the problem is with this gentleman.......

 

[duanermb]

I have never met him, probably never will. And although I know of many people who move within an industry, I have never known one who will trash one company, and then go work for that same company. I think that is where the problem is with this gentleman.......

That may be so, but the brush being used here is quite wide, and IMO uncalled for.

 

[BOSS]

Boss,

I'm supposing you've never hired an employee who once worked for another flower shop?

Of course I have, Midland and surrounding area is small... but, their former employer and methods are not topics for discussion. SRSLY.

Ryan, as you said we both know, but in this one individual instance I'd say this dude is the worst of the worst.

 

[theRKF]

Ryan, as you said we both know, but in this one individual instance I'd say this dude is the worst of the worst.

Ah ... but you were painting with some mighty broad strokes Yes, there are some really lousy individuals who work for wire services. We could both make a list. There are also some lousy people who are florists (as mentioned above), lousy wholesalers, SEO people, and on and on I even know a few good, honest used car people! Can't lump character with job description.