Sales Rep.

[frankie.lombardo 0]

Hey guys,

Just blew out my knee and my doctor said that I shouldn't play hockey ever again.

So I don't want to be completely out of hockey so I want to become a sales rep.

Just wanted to know some of the things that I need (other than a company) to do and some of the things I would have to learn?

[chef_ducky 0]

Hey there.

Sorry to hear about your knee. That must suck. My dad has been a sales rep for the last 10 years with a Radio station that does over 10,000,000 is business. He is now a General Sales Manager however. Anyway, for some different areas of sales, you can take 2 or 3 year college programs. It all depends on what feild you are going into.

[Cavs019 710]

Find connections and network.

[hehatemefrisbee 0]

these days they only seem to want ex pro's or someone related to them.

[prenny207 1]

Very tough business to get into!!! Connections, experience, and the ability to survive on low pay are a must. In the hayday, it was much easier to make a good living... nowadays, its a very tough racket to make a good living as just a Hockey Rep!

my very informed advise... find something else to get into for a line of work!

[VakarLajos 5]

Best of luck my friend. As prenny said, it's a tough business to get into. Especially now. Hockey is a expensive sport and a lot of guys are getting out. But, economies run in cycles so in a few years there might be more expendable income for people.

Maybe try and get in with a smaller, up and coming company and try and help them build. Eventually you might be able to land a larger account.

[chikinpotpie 137]

Hope that you love to drive and be in a car.

Depending on what your territory would be, sometimes you will have 3 or 4 states to cover

[hockeysc23 0]

just more food for thought: I blew out my knee senior year of hockey in college. After almost a year off of lifting and low/moderate exercise. I am playing in an adult league again.

You just need to be careful not not too careful. The only way you will strengthen you knee again is by gaining muscle in the supporting muscle groups Quads, Hamstrings and Calves. Don't avoid working out your legs cuz you hurt your knee. Wait until after you are cleared to lift and slowly work it back up.

[chippa13 1844]

these days they only seem to want ex pro's or someone related to them.

I've heard NikeBauer won't even look at you if you have less than D1 experience.

[forbs02 20]

these days they only seem to want ex pro's or someone related to them.

I've heard NikeBauer won't even look at you if you have less than D1 experience.

That's not true.

[JR Boucicaut 3803]

these days they only seem to want ex pro's or someone related to them.

I've heard NikeBauer won't even look at you if you have less than D1 experience.

That's not true.

Agreed, not true.

Agree with prenny - run for the hills. Unless you have one of the three big lines, need to diversify yourself and look outside of hockey.

[frankie.lombardo 0]

these days they only seem to want ex pro's or someone related to them.

Well I gave one of those.

Me and Di Matteo98 are cousins with Jason Spezza and Kevin Bieska. Even though we've only seen them a few times since they started junior I'll ask them if they can help me our

[JR Boucicaut 3803]

Hehatemefrisbee was being sarcastic.

[frankie.lombardo 0]

I see I thought he was for real

[mbhockeyplaya88 0]

just more food for thought: I blew out my knee senior year of hockey in college. After almost a year off of lifting and low/moderate exercise. I am playing in an adult league again.

You just need to be careful not not too careful. The only way you will strengthen you knee again is by gaining muscle in the supporting muscle groups Quads, Hamstrings and Calves. Don't avoid working out your legs cuz you hurt your knee. Wait until after you are cleared to lift and slowly work it back up.

I blew mine out too and was told i could no longer play. I spent 4 years in the gym building the muscle back up and im playing again. I wore a knee brace all the time (working out, walking to class, laying around) and slowly over the years wore it less and less up until the point i could squat again. It is possible to regain the strength i was able to get back up to squattin 375 again but it takes alot of time and more patience.

[DarkStar50 679]

Since you love hockey, go look for a job in a pro shop. Then you will learn the business of hockey from all sides. You will learn how tough the reps have it, you will learn how the business of salesmanship and customer relations works, and you will learn if this is really the industry for you for the long haul.

[fatwabbit 93]

Network, honesty, and getting back to the custosmers quickly to resolve problems.

[epstud74 24]

I didn't just read this from you... At least give me the credit on it. ;)

...need to diversify yourself and look outside of hockey.

Gimme a Defiant bag :)

[epstud74 24]

You'll be able to buy one soon enough. :D

Gimme a Defiant bag :)

When? My current Fury bag is great, but starting to smell pretty bad...

[epstud74 24]

Very soon!

Just an FYI, Tarpaulin bags are anti-bacterial and mildew resistant, which helps kill off smell.

When? My current Fury bag is great, but starting to smell pretty bad...

I've thought about taking my Fury bag to the laundromat and stuffing it in one of those large washers.

[Goonsquad 209]

Very soon!

Just an FYI, Tarpaulin bags are anti-bacterial and mildew resistant, which helps kill off smell.

When? My current Fury bag is great, but starting to smell pretty bad...

I've thought about taking my Fury bag to the laundromat and stuffing it in one of those large washers.

Febreeze?

[DarkStar50 679]

Now you see what reps have to put up with! :lol: It's a great job!!

[epstud74 24]

For what; to make the smell go away for a day or two?

I've thought about taking my Fury bag to the laundromat and stuffing it in one of those large washers.

well..I'm not allowed to bring the darn thing into the house even.. My GF used to date wrestlers back in HS and she says hockey players and gear smell much worse..That is saying a lot...Even my 1 year old son scrunches his nose when he gets a whiff of my gear...He holds his nose and laughs..heh

[joshy207 15]

What you need to learn:

-How to take "NO" for an answer. Repeatedly.

-That you can be fired multiple times in the same quarter.

-How to tell your customer that he can't get anything shipped to him because he still owes the company X-amount of money, and the bill is way past due.

-How to tell your customer that the product he ordered in January that was supposed to ship in May will be in stock in August and will ship in September.

-How to nicely remind your sales manager that it's impossible to take orders for new products when the company still hasn't shipped the last round of orders. And not get fired for saying it.

-How to tell the manufacturer that your sales are down because unemployment, gas prices, and food prices are up, and participation is down. Again, without getting canned.

-How to pay your sample bill when said bill is larger than your commissions for the year.

-Always keep an updated copy of the closeout list with you. At least there's a good chance THAT stuff is in stock!

:o

Now, who wants to be a rep? :P

Been there, done that... all in all, it can work out to be a great gig. You meet some cool people, get to work on your own schedule (within reason), and you can make some very good money. But it's an expensive job to have, even more expensive to get started, and it can be as frustrating as it can be rewarding. A lot of factors need to line up for you to be successful. Some you can control, some you can't.

[iron Ghost 0]

Defiant and Joshy are dead on. I worked a pro shop for 6 years and used to think that being a rep would be an awesome next step. All of the reps will tell you otherwise. It has it's perks but definitely has it's downs as well. And getting into it is darn near impossible, it's like trying to be an NHL coach. How can you get in when they keep hiring the guys who just got canned by another company??? It seems to be a lot of "right place right time, know the right person" deals. All of the scernarios listed above are daily life for a rep. Rarely are you considered to be doing even 50% of things right by your customer or your boss. If you work for the "not hot company", you can forget about it until your company makes a good product again. I would get my feet wet as a sales rep for a different industry and keep knocking on the hockey door just in case someone answers if I were you. Also, try to get a job at the corporate offices, that would probably be a decent route to being a rep or other possible opportunities within the industry. Good luck man and I pray that your knee will recover and that you can skate again!