Equipment Reps, this One’s for You

I had an interesting appointment with a copier equipment salesperson the other day...

But not really.

It SHOULD have been interesting. I am an avid buyer of what this rep has to sell, and he has all the latest information on equipment that I would like to hear about.

Why wasn’t it interesting? Why, in fact, was it a frustrating, mind-numbing and blood-pressure-raising experience?

First, he showed up late. We had a 2 p.m. appointment, at his request to fit conveniently into his schedule. We’ve also had the appointment booked two weeks in advance, again at his request.

He arrived 35 minutes late, without even calling to alert me. Really? As if every person in the business world doesn’t have a smartphone surgically attached to his hand and, thus, five different ways to warn me he is going to be late

We sit down and, you guessed it, out come the glossy brochures. Now, I like admiring nice printing as much as the next printing company owner, but I prefer to do that in the bathroom like everyone else, not during prime working hours.

Naturally, the equipment is not exactly what I requested information on. In fact, it is practically not even in the same industry. I needed my Bose noise canceling headphones to drown out all the bells and whistles this guy was trotting out for me.

Each time I tried to break in to this rep’s presentation (and trust me, he had a full head of steam going by this point) to remind him about the equipment I was actually interested in, I got a vacant look back, like “Who are you again?”

And the coup de grace? Today’s the 29th, so I have until tomorrow only to decide if I want this machine, with all its special, one-time-only, one-of-a-kind, no-one-else-ever-gets-this-kind-of-deal pricing. After that, the price goes up 50 percent.