Gr8........

Typically when you hear a shop saying that their "Rep" isn't calling them back, they are indeed a paid employee of either that manufacturer, or a "Marketing Rep Group" that is somewhat of a sales contractor representing several manufacturers. Typically these rep groups only cover non-competitive products, i.e. they only sell one bow/arrow/sight/release line and may also sell apparel, optics, etc as well. And yes, it is a common problem with these reps not calling back, etc. It's a tough job, on the road 5-6 days a week away from home 3-4 nights a week, coving a geographic radius of 2-300 miles. Typically these reps develop good relationships with a core list of shops in their territory that help them to meet their quota numbers, and they follow the old 80/20 rule. The other 80 percent of shops that make up 20% of their numbers don't get visited as often or called back as quickly. It's a tough challenge to face, but with the slim margins in the archery industry, it's tough for a manufacturer to build a better sales team structure. Some organizations have decided to build themselves a huge marketing budget and instead have an inside sales force with no physical feet on the street, and I really think that is where most manufacturers are headed eventually. With gas prices, and slim margins........the current support from true field reps is all they will get unless it's transformed to an inside sales model to be a bit more efficient.

Factory shooters typically are supporting the manufacturer as their eyes/ears in the field to see that shops are adhering to MAP pricing, to identify what shops push what products first, and to help regionally at trade shows or other events where it doesn't make sense for manufacturer direct employees to travel for a show/competition/etc where the manufacturer may want to setup a booth. They are also assisting in marketing to make sure that the locals in their area (or on the internet) know what is new and can answer consumer level questions about product, etc.