Pew sales

Pew sales people are generally commissioned.  For committee members not in the sales world that means sales people receive a payment only when they sell something. They are not reimbursed for expenses, travel and incur all costs associated with presenting the products other than literature and samples, which are provided by the company.  There are also no benefits. These expenses are out of the reps pocket regardless of whether the committee selects his pew or not. For that reason a high percentage of sales people leave the business within a short time of starting. Unless they have a spouse with a good job and benefits, a generous supply of cash on hand, a great severance package from a former employer or are willing to live small for about a year or longer, the start-up time is simply too great when there are family obligations and needs. Even if the company provides leads from Reed, Dodge or others there is still a high turnover in the sales force.  If the sales person is lucky enough to get a premium line, the start-up time will be less, but even then there is still some lag between the calls and commission generation.  I have worked with church committees for years, while they tried to decide what to do, how to fund it and called me in to discuss these thoughts along the way.

As a sales person the only time you can be sure that something is going to happen is when there is new construction underway and a deadline for project completion. Since many sales people don't make it companies don't want to spend a lot on training so the newer reps may not have a lot of training. When I started with L.L. Sams I had a three day class at the headquarters in Texas. They turned me loose, wished me well and didn't give me a lead for quite a while.  Since L.L. Sams didn't subscribe to a lead service when I was hired and didn't have a list of architects, who were doing a lot of church business, I had to find my way online and through other means. It was very scary. Sams couldn't even give me a list of installations in the Chicago area for a long time because these had all been stored manually and there was no easy way to do it. Committee members do not fret if the rep is newer. New reps may be selling a wonderful pew for your church. It will just take them a little longer to answer questions and get references to you. Another piece of good news for committees is that reps, who have been doing this awhile tend to stay because it is a great way to make a living. Reps have lots of flexibility in terms of their time and where they live geographically in the territory, so it is a great lifestyle once you start generating income. More seasoned reps have developed standard lines for objections, which can be good and bad. Obviously, they want you to buy their pew, so they want to alert you to potential issues with competitive products while pointing out the superiority of their own. The very best reps simply educate, inform and consult and try to help the committee with the complexities of the purchase and know that they often get the project, but even when they don't, these reps know that committee members will refer other churches to them.

One other piece of good news for committees is that most manufacturers make pews that look good for years, so by the time there are issues the committee members will long be forgotten and there will not be accountability. Whether the committee bought the best pew for the church is always something that can be debated, but the debate will generally not occur until long after the purchase is made. I have been told that this makes an argument for buying the least expensive pew, but I disagree. Pews are part of a church and will be there for decades. They will speak to future generations and future potential new members for decades about the church and much of the impression of any place is formed very quickly and largely based on appearance. Therefore, it is always in the committee's best interest to buy the best possible pew with the most durable construction. It is my job to educate the committee about these differences with the understanding that while my pew isn't always the best choice for them in their particular circumstance, more often than not it is.