The Days of Easy Money

The days of easy money are over (except – at the moment - for bankers) and I’m truly happy about it.
It’s really hard to appreciate anything that comes easily, and this ain’t an exception. That’s why credit tightening should have the effect of inspiring us to do great deeds.
As a contrarian, I’ve always viewed myself as somewhat out of synch with the pack. This time I’ll be leading the charge as a fan of the college of hard knocks.
I’m done with my grieving. The old economy is dead. Long live the new reality!
Yeah, it’s just harder to make a buck these days. We know that. So what? Grandma used to say “Hard work never killed anyone.” Think of the generations that built this great country with meager resources. They were spurred on by only the promise of opportunity, not the guarantee of results.
I’m happy to see the elimination of some of those guarantees. Can it inspire us to achieve greatness? I shudder to think of the alternative.
As we collectively awake from a three year long debt-induced slumber, let’s take stock of what we still have and not necessarily what we’ve lost.
To paraphrase Churchill, we’ve got the worst system in the world, except for all of the others.
No, I’m done with the grief over the loss of easy money. I’ve got my sleeves rolled up, my work clothes on, and I’m gonna build something that will last. Care to join me?

What the Hell Do I Know?

What the Hell Do I Know?

After 5 plus decades on this planet, and over 75,000 hours in the foodservice equipment Industry, I find myself wondering “What the hell do I know, anyway?”

I’m not talking about factoids, like the optimal commercial kitchen width (17’), or where the best square pizza in the area can be had (formerly Gloria’s Pizza in Flushing, now Spumoni Gardens in Coney Island).  Nor do I mean the proper height for installing wall backing, the proper size of a grease trap, or how many seats can be squeezed into a given dining room.

No, I am talking wisdom here.  These days, the “why” of what we do is more important to me than the “what”.  It’s an existential question at its most basic. 

The manufacturer’s rep is an enigma to all especially to him or herself.

Who are we?  Educators, salespeople, marketers, financiers, brokers, answer-men? 

Armed with an arcane knowledge base (I can say “I don’t understand Mandarin” IN Mandarin!), I travel around “preaching the gospel” of the factories that I happen to represent at the moment.  Still, I find it difficult to articulate my business purpose. My Dad went to his grave never fully understanding what exactly it was that his only son did for a living.

As a rep, we are often maligned by our partners in the industry which we serve.  A dealer that I worked for once called reps “coupon clippers”. The factory “pukes” (AKA Sales Manglers) call us “rep-tiles”!  The popular misconception of a rep being a glad-handling golf course regular might sometimes be well-founded.  Unfortunately for me, I don’t even know how to play.

What value then do we add to the supply channel?  As an officer of MAFSI, Manufacturers’ Agents to the Foodservice Industry, I am keenly aware of the extensive list of services that we provide - we’ve got several white papers on that subject alone.  But what does it all boil down to? 

Our compensation is based on territory sales, but that’s a poor barometer of our worth. We aren’t paid to make anything, fix anything, finance, deliver, or track anything.  We’re paid to market.  But we’re not marketing agents.

What I do know, is my territory & many of the people in it.  And that’s something that even Willie Loman would be proud of.

Unlike Willie Loman, though, I have been fortunate to actually live the American Dream.  Our foodservice industry is life-sustaining and vibrant.  I know that it still gets my blood pumping, gets me up early every day, and keeps me going ‘til late. 

What the hell do I know?  I know that my life is good because of my life-long association with the foodservice equipment and supplies industry!

www.pecinkaferri.com