Yesterday, an office supplies salesperson from Quill darkened our doorstep at Outsource Marketing.
It wasn’t pretty, and I asked my colleague to recap her experience for you.
Here it is:
He walked into an office building that says “No Soliciting” posted on the door.
I walking out of Mary Kate’s office and Renee was following me. Clearly we were on our way somewhere, but he cornered me at the desk and would not let me pass.
He did not smile and had an aggressive approach.
His body language and his eyes were strange. He kept squinting them as one does when you’re trying to figure out if someone understands what you’re talking about. I felt talked down to.
He tried to confirm 4 or 5 times that I could make buying decisions in our office. After I agreed to talk with him about it, he persisted as if he doubted that he should be talking to me. That was annoying—if I’m willing to talk to you, then don’t treat me like I’m nothing unless you can get something from me.
Still, I gave him a couple of options to leave info with me: a card, some other info (I was thinking a brochure) to look at later. I actually asked for it, and his response was “no, we don’t leave anything behind.” Then he continued his sales pitch to educate me on what they do. He wasn’t receptive to me at all—he just wanted to bulldoze through his pitch.
When I finally told him that I had a meeting and couldn’t talk to him any longer, he had the opportunity to once again leave something behind, ask for one of my business cards or at least tell me their website address. He did none of the above.
I consider his cold call a complete bust. It’s like he was trying to do his thing in steps as he was trained, and when it didn’t go his way, he gave up.
Bad sales guy.
It’s about respect
I overheard most of this exchange, and wanted to isolate the main reasons why this sales call failed. Clearly, it wasn’t strategically responsible or message responsible.
Then I realized, it was the fact that this salesperson showed a lack of respect on a number of levels:
- “No Soliciting” means “No Soliciting.” It doesn’t mean, “No Soliciting if you don’t have something good to sell, and I have something good to sell.” No means no. Period. This shows a disrespect for our wishes to have a workplace free of unwelcome interruptions.
- By physically obstructing my colleague, he disrespected her space—in her space!
- By definition, you are busy when you are at work. Unscheduled meetings—even short ones—show a disrespect for time.
- He disrespected my colleague’s ability to make a decision about office supplies. She handles big budgets for some of our best clients every day. She didn’t need this.
- His failure to simply listen showed a disrespect for what she had to say.
Apparently, Quill’s sales force is prohibited from handing out business cards or collecting them. And as you read above, the salesperson didn’t even offer their URL (though you can order everything online).
No, this sales call wasn’t about building a relationship. It was about getting an account set up on the spot.
When will Quill get our business after this sales call?
When hell freezes over.
So, can door to door salespeople market a product or service without disrespecting the people they are selling to?
Under what circumstances?
Comment below to weigh in.
Like any carefully thought out emergency fire escape plan, no company can afford to operate without a emergency salesperson reject-eject plan which helps protect you from hazardous, slick talking hucksters who’ve penetrated the company’s no soliciting borders. A comprehensive emergency salesperson reject-eject plan, puts you in control, empowering you to expel Mr. Cheap-Jack back onto the street with minimal interaction.
A good reject-eject plan always starts off with a friendly approach, which allows the uninvited guest an opportunity to save face and make a hasty retreat. But often times courteous plan “A” is ineffective against a determined sales jerk, forcing you to launch plan “B” of the reject-eject plan:
1) Take their picture, tell them you’re going to post it on salespeoplewhosuck.com, or digitally record your encounter and post it on youtube.com under the title, “Swindlers List.”
2) Keep a can of coins nearby each entrance. Shake it furiously whenever they begin to talk (if it works on dogs, it’ll work on thoughtless salespeople).
3) Whip out the SUPER SOAKER AQUASHOCK SCUMBAG SALSESPERSON STRIKE and DESTROY squirt gun, and unload the cat pee-filled container onto the front of their pants until it looks and smells like they’ve had an incontinent moment. (Ages six and up)
4) Lure the nitwits over the company trapdoor then pull the the secret lever, sending them plunging to the rocky, cavernous dungeon below, where hungry lions — and the scattered remains of last week’s vendor offender — silently wait.
5) Begin the reject-eject launch sequence: enter computer password, “youHaveAnnoyedMe4TheLastTime.”
Employees should practice the reject-eject plan, biweekly, to insure everyone understands how to effectively disarm the smarmy charmers and the grating ignoramuses. And be sure to give out recognition and awards (money is always appreciated) to those who diligently protect your borders from the evil shills of Quill.
Tracy,
That was one of the most hysterical comments I’ve ever received on this blog.
After reading the conversation they had, I think I know where this sales person comes from. I had an interview with the firm and did a job shadow for one day with them. They are a marketing group that targets B2B and relies only on Word of Mouth as their only advertising method. The reason they ignore the “No Soliciting” sign is because they claim they are not soliciting, “we are just using the WOM to let people know about our client’s business.” And yet, by the end of their “WOM” pitch they would try to sell you a promotional package. The sales person gets bonus for each promotional package they sell. HYPOCRITES!
If you ask me, yes their method ensures for maximum exposure in the public and provides accurate data to present to the clients (which is something that a lot of clients like to see and care about.) But annoying the heck out of your potential customers? I don’t think that’s a good idea, and it is not very responsible.
Someone should tell Quill (which is a very good, very service-oriented company–I’ve been a happy customer for 25 years) how this company claiming to represent them is alienating prospects. I doubt they’d keep the arrangement very long.
Tracy, I love your response! Fortunately, working from a home office on a rural farm, all I get is Jehova’s Witnesses once or twice a year, and the occasional PIRG canvasser. But just today I got another robocall from some idiot who thinks he’s going to sell me carpet cleaning by tying up my voicemail for two minutes.
BTW, in my books, Grassroots Marketing: Getting Noticed in a Noisy World and especially Principled Profit: Marketing That Puts People First, I talk a lot about the right way to engage in dialogue with prospects.
Ok, I have been reading the comments putting down door-to-door salespeople and I would like to tell my side being one of these people.
In case you haven’t noticed the economy is not that great these days and the employment opportunities are not pouring in.
Yes, we have a script that we stick to, but we are supposed to keep it conversational, and respect the prospective customers. I apologize that you unfortunately came accross a salesman that is pushy and therefore probably will not last long in the business. All Quill representatives are not like him. I have never been rude to a prospective client or been overbearing and therefore I do very well in the business.
We are actually not solicitors, we do not accept cash or checks in return for products on the spot, we are simply introducing you to Quill which is an awesome company and actually does have lower prices than most office supply companies. It is a legitimate service and is in no way a scam or anything illegal.
When you encounter door to door salepeople like myself, please remember we are human just like you and we are only trying to do our job. We have families at home just like you, we have mortgages and bills, and need to work for a living…just like you. I am not implying that you must purchase something, I am just simply saying that if they are not rude or disrespectful towards you than really there is no reason to be rude or disrespectful towards them.
PS We make Quill alot of money and bring in alot of new clients and we do not “claim” to represent them, we do represent them and they are very happy with our success.
I am not being confrontational at all, I am just simply trying to put our side of the discussion out there.
Thanks for reading.
I, also, have had 2 horrible experiences with salespeople from Quill in the past month. The first time they sent 2 salespeople and the next time they sent just one.
It is unbelievable how pushy and rude they were.
Glad to have found the blog from Outsource Marketing. Next time they
come to my door, I will be more prepared. Thanks.
Leslie
There are companies like this all over the U.S. now. It is not right to call it a scam in the fact that they are selling a legitimate product to businesses that need the office supplies and are buying them from someone else anyways. The part that is a scam in my book is they way they try to lure people in to a door to door sales job by disguising it as an opportunity to own your own marketing firm one day. If it was explained up front that it was simply door-to-door selling with little to no chance of moving into any other role then that would be ok. It is obvious that these companies are reaping the benefits of many others hard work. The rep’s go out and knock on 50-60 doors a day making maybe 500 a week, and the company owner sits back and collects 150-200k a year. That to me is the scam. beware of what you are getting into if you interview at one of these places, if you want a door to door sales job until you get sick of making no money and quit, then this is the real deal by all means please go do it, there is no shame in making an honest living, but if you truly think you are going to advance into a career or ownership position, keep looking.
just had one stop by today, when I was trying to lock up for lunch. While polite, she was extremely annoying when she wouldn’t take “no” for an answer serveral times, and insisted on stopping by again, when I politely declined. I’ve posted a new sign on my business door that states “No Solicitors / Salespeople, No Quill Representatives.”
To Susan, if the Quill reps were respectful, like you then maybe I might consider doing business, but in the past I’ve had several pushy ones, who wouldn’t leave after I politely declined their pitch and quite frankly I never want to do business with Quill.
To J,
Congrats on making $6 million last year. I don’t have time dealing with door to door salespeople, much less rude ones. If you think that we as business owners are rude, please understand this. “No thanks” means “NO!” If they don’t leave by the time I say that three times, well then…. Who’s the rude person now? What business are you in and what’s the name. I’ll be sure to not do business with you too. “Grow a pair” give me a break, you need to “Grow up.”
I enjoyed Tracy Adams reject/eject plan and her clever reply, but that’s the only amusement I get from door-to-door salespeople.
I make absolutely NO buying decisions based on someone ignoring the ‘No Soliciting” sign & barging into my office. I put the sign up so that I could conduct business without being interrupted. In 5 years at this location, I have been accosted by a Quill representative about once a month. I have yet to buy so much as a paperclip, nor will I ever.
Yes, they are people trying to make a living, but so are we. Once the words “I’m not interested” have been uttered, they need to turn around and leave without arguing. In all fairness, I don’t make my buying decisions from phone solicitors either.
Can we amend that sign to include a certain insurance company too? I believe they have an animal who represents them….
Same thing just happened to me this morning. We are a two person office and keep the door locked. And, there is a No Soliciting sign with a phone number for people to call to make an appointment. They tried to come in, rang the doorbell, banged on the door, and even checked for another entrance into the office. When it appeared as though they weren’t going to leave, I opened the door and told them to give me their card. They wouldn’t leave a card and just wanted a few minutes of my time. I would not let them in, so they asked me to step outside to talk with them, which I would not do. I told them again to call for an appointment, then I shut and locked the door. These two guys were very aggressive and scared me. I am calling Quill to complain and to tell them to never call on us again. I will call the police the next time they come. I say, “beware and be very careful.”
I just had 2nd intervew with the company that reps Quill. It sounded all great untill yesterday. I dont like the idea of cold calling. I was led to believe the clients were already establised and I was just going to maintain the relationship.
We Just had EXACTLY the same experience it was like being in the sales version on “who’s on first” I asked for catalog or card he asked me to place order… after 10 LONG minutes of polite rebuttal I asked him to leave & he asked me to place a order, I then explained that the tiny chance of my EVER purchasing from him or his company was evaporating THREE TIMES and he asked when he should come back …I said never and explained WE NEVER DO BUSINESS with UNSOLICITED sales people and he said “how about next week?” it took at least 5 more minutes to get him a his silent partner (observer trainee trainer ???) out the door.
Im a door to door salesman myself and in allot of cases it is necessary to ask further questions to ignorant employees who say “we arnt interested” before we even explain why we are there. In my experience with quill we usually need to speak with who ever buys the products and its pathetic how often we cant get passed the first person we see that has absolutely nothing to do with office supplies. While seeing those 50-60 doors in a day l could account for at least 20-30 general employees who say that they are not interested, and when asked if they handle the office supplies they say well no. Ok then dont speak for who ever does and we wouldnt have to ask so many questions. Like susan said we are not soliciting, in my opinion the businesses who opt to treat these sales people who are just trying to do their job ignorantly shouldnt benefit from the reduced pricing the quill people are just trying to offer anyway.
I just ejected a Quill salesperson. The offices on either side use them, so I’ll ask for a recommendation, but I NEVER purchase items or set up an account when someone just walks in. Leave me a business card or a brochure, give me a chance to check around and see if your prices really are that good, and I’ll be happy to do business with you. When a rep says that they’ll order a product for me in order to set up an account and I need to do it RIGHT NOW, it raises all kinds of red flags.
Hmmm, I wonder if I could buy a Super-Soaker from Quill…. (thanks, Tracy!)
Re: J – March 7, thanks for sharing your thoughts and mentioning multiple times how much money you made last year. I on the other hand do not allow solicitors to walk into my store. The one time I tried to be a nice guy, the pushy little Texan from Quill not only wouldn’t take NO for an answer, but reached over my desk, picked up my phone and tried to call his “supplier” to beat my existing price. I had to physically remove him from my store. I too run a very successful business, but 1. I don’t brag about it on someone’s blog and 2. I am smart enough not to allow a grifter into my place of work when I am trying to run a business.
A salesmen is just like you. He is trying to make a living. Dont be rude. Take 5min, see what he has and go from there. I own a food dist company. I get people all the time coming in. I even got some great coloring books for my kids this way. Once i got a Asian rug that would have cost like $500 in a store. I only paid $50!!! Sorry, but you guys are crazy if your rude to a salesmen. IT MIGHT REALLY BE A DEAL….DUH!!!
So I have been doing the business to business marketing for Quill for a few days now and see nothing wrong with what they have going for small businesses. They are honestly priced lower than all other major office supply retail stores because they have no retail stores…and we are not there to sell businesses a million things and maintain the customer relationship, we are simply there to sign people up for a no contract, no obligation, no minimum account that can be cancelled at any time. As for the “no soliciting” signs, they just piss me off more than you will ever know. Isn’t every business that has that damn sign posted on their door selling in one way or another to keep their business alive and well? Why do they feel they are so much better than the rest of the world? I understand you don’t want shady characters selling watches out of a briefcase in your place of business but just kick em out! I want to get a shirt that just says no soliciting and wear it to every office with the sign to be as rude about it to them as they are with us. I am by no means a salesperson, just a guy who graduated college looking to work his way up the ladder. This is that bottom step. Give us a break
I work at a church and have had to deal with a Quill salesperson about once a month ever since I started. Reading this was like reading about my own experiences! The Quill sales reps always are very pushy and won’t take no for an answer, even after I have repeatedly made it clear that I am not interested. They also always refuse to leave a business card or any other information when I request it. I always try hard to be nice (this is a church, after all!), but I find their aggressive approach to be rude and disrespectful to my time.
I am going to try to get in touch with Quill to request that they not send their salespeople here anymore, but I don’t know how much good that will do.
I also read in another reader’s comment that she works in an office where they keep the door locked, and the Quill salesperson looked for another entrance. At the church where I work, we also keep the door locked, and their sales reps have been known to go to the other entrance where the preschoolers come in and enter through there. If I were a parent of one of these kids and a strange salesperson were wandering around my child’s preschool, that would probably make me pretty angry.
I had a RUDE OBNOXIOUS QUILL door to door sales person come into our office today we were quite busy. We tried to get this guy to leave and give us a business card but he would not
The point here with all these comments is that
THE CUSTOMER IS ALWAYS RIGHT and I am the customer. In addition this is our office and our space where we do business not a space for QUILL to do its business. This is simalar to the telephone sales person that calls at dinner time and wont take no for an answer.
The sales call failed because
1. No business card (how can I call ??)(how do I know who they are)
(how do I know that they are for real)
2. When we tried plan A to let them leave gracefully they would not.
3. By staying they wasted our time and interfered with our business so
this means if we were ever going to be a customer
We have decided not to do business with QUILL EVER
My experience is similar to Caroline and Dale above.
I’m often the only person in my office, and Quill sends 2 or 3 men over to our office. It’s a small business. I’m doing the accounting, and like others mentioned, I’m busy all day.
The agonizing thing is that these Quill guys won’t leave, whether asked politely or more directly. I told them I wasn’t interested 4-5 times, and explained why, etc. They still persist, and since I’m outnumbered by these men, I’m uncomfortable. They’ve interrupted.
I’ve called Quill TWICE and asked for them to stop sending these people and they have agreed over the phone – yet obviously they keep coming. I will NEVER do business with Quill ever.
My experience with Quill salespeople hasn’t been unpleasant but it is becoming slightly annoying. We are also a small office, usually 2 people (women at that) in at once so we keep the door locked. The sales people that have now visited twice where nice enough, polite and when it was obvious that I would not be letting them inside where perfectly happy to stay outside and even moved back to make me feel more comfortable. However, I’ve made it clear that I will not be signing anything and they have come back. At leas the second time they said the website.
Listen Quill, when a sales person says they do not have cards or some form of ID number from the company they claim to represent it raises red flags in me and everyone else I know! How would it not? This whole Word of Mouth marketing gimmick is what I find annoying. I know cards are easy to fake but at least I can then call the company and verify who these people are.
Over the years we’ve had a number of scammers do door to door donation funds and office supply proposals, and even had some guys selling what turned out to be stolen office furniture out of the back of a rented panel truck. I do not go to work to spend my time weeding out scammers from real sales people.
When a salesperson comes to the door (or calls), everyone in our office, even if they have no purchasing authority is instructed to 1) Not allow them inside no matter what 2) Ask for a card 3) Say that -we- will get back to them and 4) If they have time or the inclination, get some details about the product / service to pass to the office manager but do not commit to anything.
Listen, salespeople, I know there are jerks out there who think that being rude is the same thing as being direct and professional and I’m sorry if you have to routinely deal with that sort of bonehead. But! If you are a door to door salesperson and consider our above protocol rude then you might want to go into another profession.
Because when all is said and done, you are taking up my time unannounced. I will not be rude to you unless I feel like you are but I will attempt to minimize this interruption nor will I be pressured into an on the spot purchase/agreement. Sorry if that hurts your feelings.
these people come into our offices as much as twice a day, sometimes, but usualy once every few weeks and it wastes our time trying to tell them in subtle ways to go away. they presist that they need to talk and if they can schedule an appointment and who should they talk to, trying to get any personal information like names and every time they insist they need to take a business card from us, even when we say no they say they need to take a business card. its so annoying…
I have worked for Quill as a B2B sales person, I had found the methods of some sales people a little hard to bear but it is a good product. I don’t do it anymore but I was proud of what I was selling, lower cost office supplies for less than Office Depot or Office Max. I know that for sure the first time I needed ink to print my class work. OD had 2 colors of the required 3 for 16.99 each look it up Brother LC51Y, but I had decided to go home and wait one more day until it arrived and got all 3 colors for $21.99 total. I would have spent $32 for only 2 colors.
But I didn’t want to continue being treated like a second class citizen by a secretary who felt she was being interrupted from her Facebook conversation to ask the purchase person if they would be interested in adding a vendor to their menu to price compare, because I have saved people tons of money, $100s at a time. I went back to check at OD after.
Someone once even handed me a printout of their OD shopping cart and we bought everything and 2 extra inks for his HP DeskJet and a box of G2 pens and was still $50 less then the OD shopping cart total.
People don’t understand how hard it is out there while sitting at their desk in the lobby of some small business just wanting to be left alone to procrastinate, how much money they could save but they refuse to even treat a person in a suit with any respect as if they were a vagrants. Most of the time I looked better then the person I was introducing myself too. This is what we are supposed to do. Then allow you an option of joining with a start-up order. This is necessary because a code is needed to get a bigger discount over the consumer rates online.
If I were in that position even before I did the salesmen job I would have just bought the Paper and been done with it and use Quill when their prices are better which is allot.
These people when they come into your office, if they seem pushy or desperate it is because they are. People treated me badly, and if I don’t sign anyone I made $0 for the day but had to spend $10 in gas on the way to your area. I never really cared about pushing a sale, I just wanted to offer the option and if not leave. And we are told to not leave anything behind but I did, If a person seemed interested I would leave a brochure and come back.
Either way when someone is well dressed and trying to offer you a deal listen, if you don’t like it politely decline and go on with your day. When you treat someone badly just because they want to talk to someone it is wrong. Imagine if it was your kid doing that job because there is no other jobs available. Would you want people treating you them like crap? I left because of it, I dressed nice, I smelled nice and I was nice, but at eye contact I was told to get lost as if I was a loser.
I had to lie to my mom about how nice people are, but are honestly not interested sometimes. I am still affected by the treatment I have received when I meet new people I have that fear of rudeness in the back of my head.
I would suggest imagining it as you doing their job and give it at least an honest listen and thought. Yes these people are trying to make a living rather than sit at home and collect your tax dollars. And believe me they really don’t make much at all. One week I made $20, but what else was I supposed to do give up and do nothing.
Please pass on a little kindness to people in hard times, and in return maybe you will get some back, rather than just brushing hardworking people off because your day at a job you don’t like isn’t going well.
The business card thing, Think about it for a second then ask yourself. If the sales people were required to have business cards with their cell phone # on it who is responsible for the bill? Would you pay the cell phone bill for 100s of employees at your office? No you wouldn’t
Glad I found this amusing and helpful site about Quill office supplies that employ scam marketing strategies. I work in a small office too, and the Quill reps came by today – same experience as the previous comments. They wanted to talk about the movie that was playing in our office, yes, we can work and play at the same time, while giving us their cookie cutter sales pitch. I asked twice for a business card, but said they don’t have one, but they took 2 of ours and wouldn’t leave us a catalog or brochure.
Both young men kept asking where we bought our office supplies and when we would likely buy our next paper supply or pack of pens, office furniture, etc. I explicitly stated that we were strictly an online business, and whereby had very little need for other external office supplies (we recycle or reuse everything we can). All the while, I kept working on my computer as if I didn’t have any time to spare.
It’s unfortunate that “traveling” salespeople, as they called themselves, have to rely on these type of sneaky and unethical tactics to earn a living.
I understand business must solicit other business for their products, but a NO is a NO. I honestly listened to what the first representative told me, and I determined that he would not offer me any substantial savings. I had no hard feelings toward THAT gentleman. It was the ones that followed ever three weeks that I had a problem with.
I am totally shocked by this. I worked at Quill a few years ago and it was great place to work. When I would tell people I worked at Quill, they would relate stories of how so and so really wanted to work
there. They truly valued their clients and the client was like god. Rightfully so.
To all of you have written in, I challenge you to call Quill and talk
to their Sr. VP and/or their VP of Operations. They would want to know.
First, I’d like to say that I have spent plenty of time as a commissioned sales rep in a B2B format. I worked for the nation’s #1 uniform company, and a lot of it was cold calling. I respect all salespeople and am willing to listen to most pitches, usually just out of curiosity (and I want to see how good you are). The biggest thing to me, however, is that a salesperson LISTEN to the client and address needs, instead of just bulldozing through points/spec or prices.
My Quill sales guys walked in and took a seat at my desk. They didn’t ask to sit down, nor did they introduce themselves fully before sitting down. They just came in, sat down, and said they’re from Quinn and they work with so and so. Nothing wrong with being aggressive and assertive, but you have to gauge your audience. To me, this was not a good start. Strike one.
Next, they didn’t even ask me for my name or who I was – so how were they to know if I was even the right person to talk to? Strike two. Second, they didn’t ask what I did – they just started with telling me how much I could save. Then one of them got up and went to my printer (behind another desk) and started reading off the model number. They went straight to price. I hate that kind of sale. Two minutes in, and it’s already strike three.
Having spent plenty of time over coming objections, I rattled some easy ones out to them, and they couldn’t overcome them. Instead, they just insisted on me agreeing to buy something. I declined, and they pitched again – never asking me why. They even used the whole “we’re special reps and are only here every few months” trick – in other words, the time close. After a few minutes, we shook hands and they left. They went next door, and a few minutes later they were outside my window, smoking and talking crap about some people they’ve met today while waiting for their ride. That left an awesome impression.
Now, Quill might be a great company, it might not be. Their prices may be awesome, but it’s very hard for me to deal with a company that has such poorly mannered and trained sales staff. I understand some people’s concerns over “helping out” a guy during tough economic times, but to me, in these times, you have to up your game or you will die. I will pay a little more to know that I don’t have to deal with poorly mannered people.
I have been in sales many years and have always believed that products sell themselves and agents or reps only do demonstrations. Something is wrong if you have to push a product or a service. Like T_lee mentions, the rep tat visited him stroke out, no hits, no bunt; every swing was a failure.
As sales people you identify a need and provide a solution, having your client’s best interest in mind, because eventually, if the product or service is, you will be taken care of.
Been pushy is a sign of desperation; not been able to get the prospect to make a decision immediately may signify that the prospect never will, or may do a research to compare and decide. The idea is to place the individual on the spot, and since humans are in essence kind and given, there is a chance for the prospect to agree to a purchase. In my opinion, having you make a quick and on the spot decision is the key. Good for those that did not fall for it. I almost did today. If a product or a service provider really cares about you, he/she will give you the time you need or want to digest the information.
The salespeople aren’t from Quill…Quill is the account. I honestly can’t remember the company’s name – I know they are based in California – but I do know it was founded by some putz that started out buying cheap pots and pans, marking them up, and selling them out of the trunk of his car. I wish I was kidding.
Anyway, I used to work for this company. I was hired to be one of these pathetic salespeople. In ’02, I graduated college and needed something to put on my resume. The economy was much like it is today, and so was the job market. The online ad I found on Careerbuilder or Monster basically stated it was a sales position looking for “energetic” professionals to “manage Fortune 500 accounts”. The pay was advertised as 30-50K…for a new grad, that’s great, right? I applied and got an interview. The office building was in a non-descript (cheap) office park near the interstate. The interviewees sat in the lobby and waited for their turn to go into the lone office. The lobby had chairs for the candidates, a receptionist behind a desk and that’s it.
Anyway, I was like 22 at the time. I walk in and lo and behold the girl that interviews me can’t be more than a year or two older than me. Red flag number one. I ask about the 30-50K thing, and I’m told I make of 25% of *new* accounts I open (an important distinction – more on this later), but I don’t get a base, I don’t get gas reimbursed – nothing. Red flags 2 and 3. But, I plan on living with my sister for free at least for a while, and I get the offer. I start right after graduation.
The salespeople are to show up around 7:30 or so. Then, you are told to pair up and role play – role playing is huuuuge there – one person is the ‘client’, and the other is the salesperson. The ‘client’ is to give objections – “No soliciting!” – and the salesperson is to repeat what they have been taught (“Actually sir/ma’am, I’m not selling you anything right now, I’m trying to help you save money on your office supply orders”, etc. etc.) In the beginning, you go along with one of the “senior” salespeople to get a sense of a typical day (for no pay, I might add), before you are allowed to get your own territory and start on your own (about a week later).
The territory I got was about a 35-40 minute drive to the nearest border. Having grown up in rural NoVa, where you had to drive that far to go to the mall or the movies, the distance didn’t really bother me at first. Paying for my own gas really bothered me, of course, but I wrote everything off. I closed a couple accounts, but the pay was abysmal. I remembered getting paychecks for like $350.00 every other week – I probably burned it all paying for gas.
Now, getting back to the pay structure – you got paid $25% for opening NEW accounts. A new account is classified as either a) a brand new account to Quill, or b) an account that had been inactive for 6 months. There were times I’d go through my spiel and actually close the deal. The office supply manager would tell me what they needed – mostly printer paper and HP cartridges, and whatever I could get them to buy after upselling like crazy, of course – and after filling out the order form, I’d dial Quill’s 800 number from their office. I’d speak to a rep and give them the name of the company and address, and they’d pull it up. “It looks like they already have an account,” the rep would say. My stomach would drop – “when was the last sale?” If the date was within the 6 month window, I received…drumroll…$5 for my efforts. Five. F$^%ing. Dollars. Of course, I always made sure to ask the buyer if they’d use us before, but what do they care? They never knew. I once closed a sale that was literally 2 weeks away from being classified as new.
The experience going in business after business after business and giving a smile and the pitch really hardened me. I was excessively polite to most – just my nature – but I also remember pushing back a bit and taking an adversarial approach to folks like yourselves who simply didn’t want to be bothered. I was never too obnoxious, mind you, but it did bother me that I would feel the urge to be combative with folks that were just trying to be left alone. That’s what this company teaches you.
I left after probably 2 months and waited tables until I found a REAL job a few months later. I have a great career now. So why am I here? Today I took my young son to an appointment in an office park and was waiting in the lobby. In walked two well-dressed young “professionals”, one male and one female, the male playing the dominant ‘trainer’ role, and the young girl holding the bag. “Hi, we’re with Quill Office Supplies – who is in charge of ordering your office supplies?” The guy was a complete douche – he gave the whole “I have nothing to sell you” line after being asked nicely to leave, and even opened up his sportscoat as stupid joke, as if to say “see?” I was amused…at first…then I started to feel angry. This damn company was still at it, taking kids out of school, paying them jacks$&*, and turning them loose on the business community. How is this still an acceptable business model? More importantly, how is this horrible PR (for an otherwise seemingly respectable business such as Quill) make this shenanigans worth it? It raised to the surface a lot of anger that I haven’t felt in years.
My last memory of this terrible company was trying to track down my W2 for those 2 months so I could file my taxes. The people in corporate (again, somewhere in CA) couldn’t have been more rude or unhelpful.
Has anyone else worked at this place (or God forbid, is anyone still there?) If so, could you post the name of the company?
OK, I will end this rant now. Thanks for publishing this post about this scumbag company.
Colt – Thank you so much for taking the time to share your first hand experience. You’ve provided an insider’s view the gives the customer just a little better appreciation for what’s going through the mind of the salesperson when they are trying to close a sale. Thanks for your candor.
I’m going in to “fill out paperwork” in the morning so that I can burn my bridges with this company. If I were to follow throught with my 10 day “commitment,” I think I’d shoot myself.
All I have to say is that I feel extremely manipulated and I honestly wish I could go back to the 300 and some-odd businesses that I’ve walked into over the past week and apologize for ignoring their “NO SOLICITING” signs, interrupting their work day, and feeding them a pitch just as rehearsed and manipulative as the one this company fed me to get me on board in the first place.
Oh and you better believe I’m going to spend the rest of my day tomorrow catching up on the quality time with family, sleep and nutrition I’ve been deprived of for the past week!
Ahhh I love the internet when you can type in a question and here you all are; having the same aweful Quill NONRep experience that I just encountered. In this day and age why would any person let a stranger who carries a Quill Catalog come in and inspect their printer models for price quoting of supplies? When he could not leave any type of brochure or business card I feared that the intent was to come back and steal office equipment that he’s valued/inventoried. The only salesman thing about him was his insistance which just got him a “please do not return” response from me.
Anyhow thats to you all for being here and calming down my worry of being robbed tonight!
CJ – Agreed, Quill’s tactics should make just about any business person nervous. A complete stranger comes into your office asking questions, won’t provide a business card and wants you to place an order on the spot? Scary.
Same here…this time they sent in 4 people and ignored our “no solicitation” sign. I feel bad that they have to do this kind of work to make a living but at the same time, this is pretty pathetic way to do it. I’m writing quill to complain today.
Funny, I just experienced the same thing. I thought i would check out the website to see if they were cheaper but found this.
I just had a similar experience today with a Quill rep. She came to my office twice in 2 days- after I had already told her that I was not interested the first time. I dont care how cheap their prices are, I will not buy from this company just based on their rude salesperson.
Ah, I am very thankful that I stumbled across this…Especially Colt’s post. I had the day long unpaid “interview” today with a company that represents quill. These companies are a third party outsources logistics provider for Quill and are not directly associated with them….I was promised the opportunities of quick promotion and lots of money. Which I’m sure are possible…if you’re willing to sell your soul. I am a recent college graduate with two degrees and a respectable resume….and to think I was almost so desperate to fall into this trap.
I had the unpleasant experience of running into three of these henchmen. I found them walking around my building, they had entered through the loading dock, and asked them what they were doing here. They were reluctant to say, and I thought they were casing the place looking for something to steal. Those suits don’t fool me. Upon further investigation, they wouldn’t give me an ID and were completely rude. I contemplated calling the police until they handed me a pamphlet about toner and copy paper. I told them to go away, still thinking something was up. It wasn’t until after reading this post that I thought my building was safe again. Thanks for clarifying that they were just scummy salesman and not skilled thieves.
so another first hand experence……
a little backgroud, i just graduated college and needed to make some money to start living on my own and what not, i saw this add, and decided to apply and i got the first interview….they said i would be a “senior account executive” thats a big fat lie.
after i went with a “senior account executive” she made about $200 that day, from bounes, and new accounts which we got 28%. i thought yes this is what im talking about i can do this…so i decided to stay with them.
after a week of training with the same girl she didnt make any more money, and first i thought well everyone has bad weeks, boy was i wrong. i get that not everyday you will make money for this was kinad crazy. but she let on that it was okay and that everything would be good.
After learing my stupid pitch that made me seem like a monster to people in the companies and seemed to be little them. i went out on my own. the second day my commission was $200 and i was like awsome and really didnt see anything wrong with it and then the next day it was $20 roughly. and the next 3 weeks zero money
i decided to quit, beacuse one i felt annoying to people, and i couldnt belive i let myself fall for this. it was be little me, yah some people were rude to me, and im nice by nature if they told me to get out i would, no pushing me out. the company i worked for got mad and said i had to take 5 no’s. this was very hard for me, im to nice. but i felt it was wrong.
needless to say i quit. i stayed for a month. and i should have recived my pay for the first week of training (which they said i would get after the 3 week mark) and i got my first one (they split it up in two parts) and im still waiting for the next 100. its been over 3 weeks and nothing. i called they wont call me back….i feel like i wont get the 100.
NEVER ever ever buy stuff from the quill reps, and report them, the companies that run this people out there are shady…..and are not doing the customers right or the reps….they person who heads it makes 52% of waht everyone makes, there getting rich and keep money from the people who need it.
I worked for a marketing company like this years ago. I was barely 18, just out of private school, and very nieve. We were not selling office supplies, but other products to individuals. But we were trained in the same way. Harass the crap out of the person until they break down and buy something so you will go away. Can’t tell you how many times the marketing manager said that he made hundreds a day.
After a week of unpaid training we were dropped off in a not so good part of down town. I was paired with another young lady, left on the side of the road, and told to sell to people on the street. We were so scared, but being young we did not speak up fast enough and our ride was gone. We decided to walk to a payphone and call someone to pick us up (this was before everyone had a cell phone).
But before we could find one I was pulled into an alley by two men, infront of others, in broad daylight. There were hands all over me. I was left with no illusions about what they intended to do. I had to fight to get away.
When we finally got a ride back to the “office” the sales manager stopped me and actually asked me to give him a ride home. He told me that he was making hundreds a day and he doesn’t have a car? I said things that would make a trucker blush.
A Few years later I went to an interview for a marketing position. The minute I walked through the door I knew. Small office, cheap chairs and a receptionist, not to mention music blasting in the reception area. I decided to stay because I was going to give that marking manager a piece of my mind.
He took two of us in for an interview (the other person was a young lady just like I had been). He stared on his spiel about how we were going to make money selling some BS product. I glared. After he was done he actually told me that he was sensing some hesitation from me. Uh, no a**hole, its hostility.
I grilled him on safety plans for his female employees. Well, needless to say he had never been asked that question. He acted like I had just dumped a bucket of water in his face, sputtering idiot.
I made sure that I grumbled that it was a scam loud enough for all to hear before I left. I am happy to say that the young lady followed me out.
Today, two girls came into my office and spoke to me about Quill. They were polite and when I declined they left. I hope that things have changed and there is consideration for these sales subcontractor’s safety. Becfause the fact is, you do not know who you will run into. You do not know if you are safe with the person they team you up with. You do not know if a man is waiting for you between a couple of buildings.
I did the Quill thing for about a month… Fresh out of college, looking for a job, need money just like everyone else. I was never rude to anyone, and honestly, when I seen a No Soliciting sign, I didn’t go in that business. We were told to ignore them & that we weren’t solicitors & all of that BS, but I still wouldn’t go in those doors.
When someone said they were busy, or I could tell they had a lot to do (of course they were busy, they were at work just like I was). Even though we weren’t supposed to for whatever reasons, I always left a mini-catalog, or an advertisement or “hot-lead card” as they were called.
I stayed long enough to get my 1st check, and somehow I doubt I’ll receive the other 2 that are owed to me, buy maybe I’m wrong & the woman in charge of of the shared offices of the 2 companies in Farmington Hills will actually send the checks… again I doubt it…
I understand completely about being annoyed about the people coming into the businesses unannounced, and I always tried to make an appointment. Remember, not all of the Quill people are rude, most are just young adults, fresh out of college, trying to find a decent job, but they have yet to realize they’re being screwed over by the “Marketing Companies” that are basically promising them the world. Most of the salespeople aren’t really rude, they’re just trying to make a living, and unfortunately they got suckered into the only interviews they can find at this time…
That is why all of you see so many different salespeople pushing Quill. It’s because the person who was there before them quit, and there is no communication left behind on who is not interested, who uses Quill already, who can’t use quill because of Corporate contracts, and so on.
Here’s a little tip to all of the business owners or office managers and so fourth: Simply tell the Quill Rep that you have a contract with Staples, and when they ask which type, say Staples Link.
In saying this, they are NOT ALLOWED to sell to you, Staples owns roughly 50% of Quill, and the Quill salespeople are under a no-compete clause, so if you say you have a Staples Link Contract, they have to quit the pitch, and walk away. This way you don’t have to listen to it, and you save the person the frustration & embarrassment of going back to their office & haven’t made a sale. Remember, without them making a sale, they make no money. Then the f’n “owner” of the marketing company collects more commission off the poor young person selling quill then the person actually going business to business! It’s brutal, but people need some type of job right now, and the employee turnover rate in these places is unbelievable!
So, to keep it easy, instead of saying NO or GET OUT, simply say you have a Staples Link Contract – it’s the ONLY objection you can throw out that they won’t try to get around!
These companies Quill outsources to are VERY GOOD at what they do and have a long list of fortune 500,100, and 50 companies chomping at the bit to work with them. If you are still reading this then you are some of the few that navigated to this page not out of frustration. Either way go ahead and be rude to these people the only reason why I say that is it toughens them up in their training. These people aren’t worried about you and your “no’s” the reason why is because they will absolutely make more money than you someday. I am actually one of the people who did make it through the training and I GUARANTEE my $250,000/year business i run puts me in the top 1% of the U.S. Sorry frustrated gatekeeper if I got your feathers ruffled when you said “no” and i couldnt care less. I am here because I went to the business next door and signed them up time and time again(all while forgetting about you as you rant on some blog…pathetic. challenge yourself and do something with your life). Your “no’s” are pathetic. And so are your $50k/year jobs. Your frustration and rude antics to get rid of me, just motivated me…so think about it – You’re helping me out no matter what you do. No matter if you tell me “yes” or “no”:) Maybe you should get a job like that too…..remember the definition of insanity is “doing the same thing and expecting a different result”. So please, do us all a favor, dont complain about your life and monetary situation if you are sitting there reading this while on the clock. You now have no value as an employee…:)
Bob – I sat on your little screed for a few days trying to decide if I should approve it or not.
I decided to approve it to provide your “counterpoint,” but also because your unbelievable post completely validates every negative comment about door-to-door salespeople that came before it.
Congratulations, you just fanned the flames.
We too get sales calls from Quill – every 4-6 months. They walk in, right past our 2 No Soliciting signs. The same woman with a second person – presumably training them to be annoying Quill representatives.
Each time I’ve pointed out our signs and she either says she didn’t see them or she says “I didn’t mean to disrespect your No Soliciting sign” and in the same breath continues her pitch (disrespecting our sign) and makes smart comments to every response I give her.
It takes a lot to get them out of the office – they don’t take no for an answer. They have an answer for everything we say. We try to be nice but get them out.
Today I was on the phone with a client and they put me through the same BS they always do. When I vented to my client she said she’d had the SAME experience withe QUILL as well.
NOTE to QUILL if you are reading this – clearly your tactics work or you would have changed them but you will NEVER get any business out of our company.
We will be changing our no soliciting sign to No Soliciting (yes, that means Quill too).
MAYBE then they will get the idea? I won’t put any money on it.
I’m sure I’ll be logging back on in 4 months to complain about how they went past our sign that was made just for Quill.
Bob,
I’m glad you are happy pushing your wares on people, having an answer for ever line, It’s obvious that your kind “couldn’t care less” about what we think. For you it is the bottom line – make money. Pissing people off along the way is almost a bonus for you – “it motivates me…”.
I realize this response will make you smile. So smile away. Wallow in your 250k “job”
We’ll smile knowing we are actually producing something of value for our happy clients and their customers. Again, we know this will make you smile. Funny, it makes us smile too.
All of the above … then stole my camera!
Seems the reps calling on the “victims” are out sourced. I tracked down the rep company here in Virginia and reported the theft. While the “CEO” agreed that her employee was probably responsible, she refused to replace the camera when she learned that it was not an Instamatic but a CANON.
I have been in business to business sales for over 40 years. I “grew up” with a respect for my friendly competitor Quill. That respect has vanished.
The Quill folks have not yet shared the name of the thief with the D.C. Police. The bum ripped of my camera on April 15th of this year … YUP!
TAX DAY! Anyone want to join me in clamping down on these morons?
My guess is that “Bob” above is a shill!!
I have no problem with identifying myself. Want to contact me? shapup@aol.com
GOOGLE 703 marketing scams
I have no problem feeding the homeless, but just tell me you’re homeless and not that you’re selling office supplies. I live in Detroit, but these guys beat anyone drinking a 40 in front of the liquor store for shameless begging.
These guys owe me for the 15 minutes I spent listening to their stupid spiel, and I should have called the police when he started poking around my printers to figure out what ink I needed.
No soliciting means no soliciting, and I have informed Quill that they will NEVER have my business thanks to these beggars.
And, BOB EASY, you may well make $250,000 a year, but you’re a crummy human being if you care more about making your money than being rude to people. I’d rather make my $50k a year — or less — by building real relationships with people than to do it by breaking rules and making people mad.
Hey Bob Easy. I was not rude to salespeople until a Quill rep walked into my door. I listened to their presentation then I politely declined. When they said, “Don’t you want to save money?” – I replied I do, but not with your company. When they said “I’ll be back tomorrow.” I said, “please don’t come back, please leave now.” When they wouldn’t leave, I picked up the phone and said, “do I have to call the police do get you to leave?” So who’s rude now?! I have a million dollar business, and I don’t have time to waste on pushy salespeople. I don’t have to piss people off to make money like you.
In addition to my no soliciting sign, I have a sign that says “NO QUILL REPRESENTATIVES” and my customers ask “What is a Quill Representative?” Then I tell them about my experience with Quill and the company they outsource to. Makes my day as the “gatekeeper” who makes more money than you.
how dare they call themselves salesmen? to make these straight, being a real salesman is ” earned “…. just because you are hired and trained you thought you are already one? NO NO NO. a real salesman is a real salesman.” THE COSTUMER/CLIENT IS OUR BOSS ”
AT ALL TIMES!!!!!! SO, TO ALL PSEUDO-SALESPEOPLE—–SHAME ON YOU…
just dealt with this today at work – over a month ago a team of 2 girls came in and took over our front counter while we were trying to help customers in the gift shop – we finally got them out and today, in walk two young guys – after being told several times we do not permit solicitors in the store and we want them to leave – one actually followed me into the back stockroom area when I told them to leave again and walked away….he looked to see what paper we used…seriously? I almost lost it at that point – but I turned and told him firmly to leave and repeated that he had been asked that several times – he finally left – I would never buy from this company for my own personal use or for any company I worked for – they are rude and disruptive to business – plain and simple.
Another salesperson returned today and again refused to leave when I said I wasn’t interested.
I called Quill. They said if they have the employee # they can reprimand the employee.
I went out to the parking lot to get a license number. When she left, she walked across the street to where she had parked her bike.
I thought of another solution:
Apparently the salespeople receive a $50 commission on every new account. Why not make a small purchase (such as a $2.50 binder) and open a new account?
Then, don’t make any additional purchases for 6 months. Your account will close and you can repeat the process.
Quill will spend at least $100 a year on $5 of business (they offer free shipping to business accounts).
If enough people did that, perhaps they would change their procedures.
I am one of these “awful salesman” for Quill. I have never refused to leave an office, never cornered a customer, or made anyone feel uncomfortable. I have a job just like anyone else and it is to try to help small to medium sized companies realize that they don’t have to pay retail prices. Alot of people are not cut out for door to door sales and are trained to be persistant, but if you actually look at the sales flyer which we are supposed to leave for you instead of a business card (because we are hired to generate new clients for Quill not be each company’s personal account manager) the prices are much lower than Staples or W.B. Mason. I have helped out tons of businesses by saving them money by switching to Quill. So I apologize for those awful salesmen, but not all of us are like that. Thanks,
Bill
Hi, Bill,
Actually, no Quill salesperson I’ve dealt with has ever left a sales flyer or anything for me to look at. And I did ask.
After they wouldn’t leave anything, I asked them to leave. They didn’t do that either.
You may well be a nice guy and a good salesperson, but if so, you are swimming upstream in that corporate culture.
http://www.twitter.com/fakequillcom
Five minutes ago I tossed a W.B. Mason Sales Rep out of our office. Again. Over the course of 6 years in the same office building, my partner and I have thrown these guys out over 15 times.
They disregard the large plaque at the building entrance that states “No Solicitation” as well as completely ignore the red sign on our door that clearly states “No Solicitations, Meetings by Appointment Only”. They seem to think that using the line “I was visiting our customer next door” as an excuse to disregard the building (and our) anti-solicitation request, and to walk into our office uninvited. We’re a boutique studio without a receptionist. They’ve walked in on meetings, on phone conversations, and on photo shoots. It’s extremely irritating. Additionally, with the ever-present danger of random shootings and crimes, I don’t take kindly to strange men entering my office suite uninvited.
I understand that sales people have to make a living and I don’t necessarily blame the sales people directly. At the end of the day, my annoyance is with W.B. Mason for not training their sales staff better. I won’t do business with a company that breeds a culture of reps that blatantly disregard clear directives. I think it’s a direct reflection on W.B.Mason’s values and brand integrity. Some of the reps leave without question Others will stand there and actually argue with me in MY office not realizing I’m one of the owners.
To address your question directly “can door to door salespeople market a product or service without disrespecting the people they are selling to?” Yes, I believe it’s possible. But only if they’re not breaking “No Solicitation” rules, if they’ve identified the appropriate person to make their offer to, if they’re not disruptive, if they show up with their manners intact, and if they have Branded Materials to leave behind.
I’ve actually had sales reps (usually 3rd party resellers of Verizon and Comcast services) try to sell me something on the fly, with no supporting materials to leave behind. Do I look like a fool? Why don’t I just give you my house keys, car keys and credit cards while I’m at it?
No Soliciting signs are bad news for everyone including the knuckle head who puts one up! If every building in America hung out a no soliciting sign and demanded that no one marketing or selling anything ever enter, the economy would screech to a dead stop. Face to Face marketing is the oldest and must effective means of developing new business period. Not knowing that is fine, but trying to stop it is equal to saying “You shouldn’t be asking for our business!” Now I am not saying that any disrespect should ever be perpetrated or tolerated. What I’m saying is there’s a better way to handle walk ins. The best gate keeper I ever met looked up when I entered the office and asked do you have an appointment? My gut said no, but my training over rid that reaction and I asked to set one. She then asked what are you selling? My gut said office supplies. My training kicked in again and I responded with, the entire range of products used by you and all of your coworkers for no less the 20% off what your company pays now – who would you recommend I meet with in your office? She asked for my name and after I responded she said can you come back and see me Monday at 8:30am? I set the appointment. I met with her that next Monday and earned the business. More importantly we both won.
My point is; If you think your doing yourself or your company any good by demanding no soliciting, you’re wrong. EVERY COMPANY HAS SOME FORM OF SALES AND MARKETING- EVERY COMPANY! Every time you make a concerted effort to deny this you hurt your company and others.
Just ask: Do you have an appointment? If the sales person is worth the time they will seek to set an appointment.
In the United States, door-to-door sales are illegal in communities that have passed a Green River Ordinance. Also, during school fundraisers, the schools often recommend the students don’t go door-to-door because of pedophiles.
Just had 3 Quill “Promotional Sales Reps” pay me a visit yesterday morning. 1 guy, 2 girls….complete disregard for our office, the privacy and work of the company president, and my time. Opened our copier, went through my supply shelves, and just basically pissed me off. I actually opened an account and bought $588 worth of toner and paper…just to get rid of him, plus he kept promised Net 30 terms, no risk with 30 day return, blah blah…but that didn’t seem to be enough, as the dude just kept bashing our Canon copier and tried to push a Brother copier on me. He mentioned that we were would have the Net 30 about 10 times, but then came back and said we might have to pay with a CC for anything over the $500 on the first order. He called it in, and pronounced that “he got it all done…net 30 on the whole thing”. Ten minutes after he left, I get a phone call “in regard to my office supply order”…..I’m told that for the 1st 90 days I’ll need to prepay my account. Nope…not giving anyone the business credit card. I told the rep on the phone to cancel and hung up. What a crock.
Wow, that’s a new one. Feels a little “bait and switchy,” doesn’t it?
WOW just had a party in my office… 1 rep.. 2 rep … 4 reps… This is an office people!!! Talked me into buying something because of this great deal they have. NOT! Said there would be 20% off ink and toner cartridges. NOT! Got the invoice conformation via e-mail and there were no discounts. Could have purchased the cartridges next door for the same price… DO NOT BUY OFF THESE SALES PEOPLE!!! ITS A JOKE!!! Support your local sales people even if its a buck or two more! I bet you will be able to contact and see them instead of no contact for the “sales person” of Quill!
what a pain in the ass. if anyone is considering using this company, consider yourself warned. get ready for the ongoing harassment. after not seeing any reps for a few months, i thought i was off the visit list. then 2 new girls showed up. i hate how they all come into the office the same way with the ridiculous chitchat. i always cut them off and ask them to leave but they continue to keep talking as if they don’t see me getting angry or hear me getting louder. they asked for my phone number to see what discounts i can get. uh, i am yelling at you to leave my office and i cannot stomach the ongoing harassment so no, i will not give you my number and i will never use you again. they acted surprised as if noone has ever felt harassed by their reps. i told them they must not have googled themselves lately cuz there’s a crapload of angry folks out there. so ridiculous.
Had two Quill reps come by my office yesterday. They wouldn’t take no for an answer. Extremely pushy. No matter what I said they wouldn’t leave. I decided the only way to get rid of them would be to place an order. They wanted to use my computer to place the order! I told them there was no way that was going to happen. They placed the order via their cell phone. Two hours later I checked my email for the purchasing info. Decided that the prices of the few items I ordered were not any cheaper than what I can purchase them for at the office supply store down the street. Called to cancel the order and was told it was already shipped. Told me I could refuse the order when it’s delivered. Thankfully I’ve not prepaid for this order. Never will I do business with this company.
“Quill Corporation is Staples most profitable division, accounting for nearly 25% of the company’s net income. Between 1998 and 2009 Quill grew from $500 million in revenues to over $1.3 billion. The company is still one of Staples’ fastest growing divisions and is led by Michael Patriarca, President of Quill Corporation.”
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Staples_Inc.
Staples acquired Quill in 1998. Also in 1998, Staples signed a contract to outsource QUILL’s marketing to firms that specialize in direct sales. Those “annoying” sales people are driving serious revenue for QUILL (acquiring thousands of new accounts daily) and is one of the principle reasons as to why Staples is gobbling up so much of the market in this industry.
Like any big corporation (look up Microsoft, Dell, Best Buy, Subway, etc.) you’re going to find a very loud minority of people complaining about its products, services, or sales tactics.
You even have people coming on here to complain that they were terrible at their job selling Quill – looking to blame someone for their failures…
The bottom line is that these techniques have worked since the beginning of time. Quill is a multi-billion dollar company as a result. And it’s not going away.
These complaints are as fruitless as whining about foreign policy, gas prices, or whether or not the US should have invaded Iraq.
Finally, here are some tips for all of you:
1. Lock your front door if you do not want sales people walking into your business. If you cannot, then accept that people will walk in a few times a week to promote or sell something.
2. No Soliciting Signs are as useful as an umbrella in a hurricane. Don’t waste your money – they don’t deter anything. As a matter of fact, they are so prolific, people do not even pay attention to them. If anything, they serve as proof that they are insignificant as sales people love to take pictures of them after they just signed you up.
3. You might want to consider hiring or training people to do B2B sales for your company if you have products or services that are marketable and a necessity. But even if you aren’t a service-based corporation, B2B sales people can sell luxuries very effectively too.
4. Just so you know, the time it took you to write this complaint, more than likely an additional 100 new accounts were acquired for QUILL by those “annoying sales people”…
🙂
Daniel – So what you are saying is, “might makes right,” then? SPAM works too. Doesn’t mean it’s a responsible way to market a product or service.
Patrick,
I think this needs to be put into perspective.
If your business is currently paying $400 a month for 4 phone lines, unlimited long-distance, and a 6 mbps DSL from AT&T and a Comcast Sales Rep rolls into your office (unsolicited) and demonstrates the same services plus a 12 mbps cable modem for $180/month with no installation fee – unless you absolutely hate Comcast for whatever reason – it’s a wise decision to switch. You can thank the Sales Rep for helping you save over $2,600 a year and more than likely, you’re going to get WAY better customer service. Easy business decision.
What about this scenario: A Direct Energy sales rep knocks on your door at your personal residence and demonstrates an immediate savings of 40% a month on your bloated energy bill. What do you do? Run the guy off for knocking on your door or seriously take that kind of savings into consideration?
Another: A little girl walks into your business to sell you girl scout cookies. You purchase a box and enjoy some delicious cookies for the rest of the day.
All three scenarios were performed using the OLDEST form of marketing, face-to-face. The one you just suggested is an “irresponsible” way to market a product.
Your perception of it being “irresponsible” is because you either didn’t care to save a few bucks on office supplies or you just didn’t like the Rep and/or his or her pitch/mannerisms.
All three scenarios might be very favorable for you and if you were pitched by a REP concerning those products and services, your attitude might be completely different about direct marketing.
Marketing Campaigns are designed to generate leads. They do so by cold-calling in person or on the phone or through email, blasting your TV with advertisements, posting billboards on your streets, inundating your mailbox with informational pieces, etc. How many of these were solicited?
“Well I went to Best Buy to purchase a TV all on my own!” Sure you did, after you saw an unsolicited advertisement on TV.
What does that mean? That means that you Market your products and services to people via the means mentioned above. That means that if you run a business you TOO are guilty of unsolicited advertising. Is that wrong or irresponsible? Of course NOT, it’s Marketing and that is how you generate your SALES. Whether someone likes it or not, is a matter of perception not whether it’s “right or wrong”…
Daniel – Perspective is important. Thank you.
It’s not about people soliciting high value services and products (who doesn’t like Girl Scout cookies?). If you read the many comments to this post, you’ll see the thing that irks people is Quill’s approach. If Quill’s sales reps consistently provided professional, courteous service this post never would have been written, nor would the comments be so passionate.
It wasn’t about the “No Soliciting” sign as much as it was about the approach once they were in the door. Essentially sticking your foot in the door and not knowing that ‘no” means “no” aren’t just irresponsible marketing – they are irresponsible and offensive social behavior.
You are absolutely right when you said “whether someone likes it or not, is a matter of perception not whether it’s “right or wrong”…” The entire point of this blog is to discuss the line where commerce and conscience either come together — or collide. That’s what makes Quill such an interesting topic.
Some, like you, will tolerate questionable, insensitive sales tactics in the name of commerce. If it works, do it.
Others know that when it comes to office supplies there are plenty of other options available and will hold their vendors to a higher standard.
We had one of these salespeople visit us last week. Actually one salesperson and one (very nice, very embarrassed and naive) trainee. The lead salesperson was so obnoxious and pushy I have never, never seen worse sales tactics. I also asked for a business card or a website and she replied..I will come back next week. I told her I would contact her if we wanted to order and she said she could not leave a number or a website. It was an awful experience! I will NEVER order from these people. I don’t care how inexpensive they claim to be. What a horrible way to conduct business!
Quill has been using these tactics for years. They get paid well for that first order, that is there whole intention “get the first order”. Once your on their list you will find they use multiple pricing schemes to bump your pricing over the next few months. We have 3 company’s in one office and have seen flyers come in for each of our company’s at the same time. The same exact flyer with different pricing. One company had recent purchases and their prices where higher than the other two who hadn’t ever bought. Viking is another company that plays this game with pricing as do most mail order office supply company’s. You might find this site helpful. reduceofficeexpenses.com
OH BOY!! They scare me and I’m a very patient nice lady but I’m not feeling this situation at all. I asked several time for contact info, email, phone and they refuse saying that they don’t communicate that way because they dedicate all their time to face to face customer contact. I’ll gladly pay 10% more to avoid these people. I’m sad to report they are coming back at the end of the week. help me…
I hate Quill with a passion. I don’t care how old the marketing tactic is…people used to cut the gums of babies with a knife to relieve pressure from teething and the babies died…
I may be accepting a job as a sales rep for Quill. I am not the type of person to be overbearing or disrespectful by any means, but these comments sure make me second guess taking the job. I definitely do not want to be stereotyped as that type of sales man.
We’re not talking “annoying salespeople.” We’re talking salespeople who won’t leave when you ask to, salespeople who poke around your printer and behind your desk, salespeople who take valuable time when you clearly don’t have it. Seriously high pressure.
I know I’m going to get flamed, but a really pretty Quill sales lady came to my office today. If I wasn’t working I would have had a pretty hard time keeping my eyes level if you know what I mean.
I think this is 100% ridiculous. Unfortunately this salesman was hired by Quill and did not represent the company well. I agree he was rude, and pushy. I am a business owner and I have had Quill sales rep in my office about once every 6 months for the past 10 years. Every single time it has been a different rep and every single time they were courteous and respectful. Sometimes they come at inconvenient times and when I give them a better time for them to come back and meet me in person they are more than happy to accommodate my schedule. Blame the individual not all Quill reps and DEFIANTLY not all door to door salesmen.
Grow Up
Why did you choose to share this with the world?
When I need to buy office supplies, once every two years, I go online and look for the lowest price. There has always been someone cheaper than Quill. Even when the pushy sales people waste my company’s time with coupon codes, free shipping, and the joy of being interrogated about my printer model. I used to wonder how it was profitable to continue to operate like it’s 1965 until I realized Quill sales jobs were scamming poor, outsourced kids in a crappy economy.
I will never buy from Quill or Staples now, cheapest price or not.
When does NO SOLICITING mean NO SOLICITING!!??
A tag-team of three Quill sales people just left my office. Had much the same experience. They waltzed in, ignoring the eye-level “no soliciting” sign on the door, and one stepped up and said “Hi, I’m Austin and these are my N Sync backup dancers.” Ugh! The fact that I am BUSY WORKING on deadline and didn’t laugh at his opening line probably got his presentation off to a rocky start. Nevertheless, Austin and his backups insisted they could save me really big money. After repeatedly responding with no, I really don’t need your service or have time to listen to it right now, the head trainer rolled his eyes, muttered some comment under his breath and left our office. I realize these kids are just starting out and trying to do their job, but after this disastrous approach, I seriously doubt I’ll ever recommend or do business with Quill.
Well why did you tell them to come back if you did not want them to come back?
This is completely wrong fwiw.
In Denver, Colorado the company that employs these kids is Skyline Marketing. At least that is the name of one of them. I had my “second interview” with Skyline Marketing today and after a day of door to door sells FOR FREE I was told that I wasn’t qualified for the position. I think in reality, I asked too many questions and they knew hiring me would be an uphill battle.
To start the day the put me and two other young guys, fresh out of college, dressed to the T in a small office in the penthouse of marketing building. The walls were painted loud “fun” colors, the receptionist was young and cute and blared loud music. If Skyline was to be an actual marketing company, they weren’t markeing themselves in a very good way. Upon looking around a little bit I realized the all the offices except for one were pretty much empty and their would be no seating to actually go over a “marketing deal”.
After that they sent me out with a guy named Clint, who apparently is this annoying salesman you speak of. They whole day and in the first interview these “mangers” pretend to relate with you by listening to what you say and then making up a similar story. That is also what they teach these sales people to do to you in your office.
I encourage you as business owners not to buy from Quill because they let their products be marketed through companies that wrongly employ individuals and practice horrible marketing schemes.
If you are here because you are thinking about taking a job with a marketing firm like skyline marketing DONT DO IT. It seems glorious but its all a trick. They make up all these positions so you think you will advance quickly. They don’t give you business cards because they don’t expect you to last long! A full time job with no benefits? SCAM
I had a Quill come by last week and I told him we were happy elsewhere with our products but I spoke with him a few minutes on pricing, which he INSISTED there was NO WAY we could get as much life out of our refurbished toner that we were getting. So apparently he was insinuating I was lying. Great going Quill. Then he pops in today saying I told him last time he came in to come back today so we could place our first order. I told him he was higher on everything and he said that they were lower and I basically went over EVERYTHING with him again.
And they were higher.
Like I told him they were.
*sigh*
They have tough jobs, but don’t make MINE harder by bugging me constantly. At this point, even if they were lower, I wouldn’t buy from them.
Very nice of you to share that info! 🙂
I don’t think I’ve had a Quill rep invade my personal space, but they are overly aggressive and that’s why I’ll NEVER order anything from that company. I feel bad for the reps that come into my office because they’re just trying to do their job. At the same time it annoys the heck out of me that despite asking them to remove us from their lists (mailing/stopping by/etc) they continue to send catalogs and continue to stop in. On the off chance a rep makes it to my office they start looking around trying to find something to sell me. And then start with the snippy sarcastic not so under their breath comments. I don’t care if buying from Quill could save money, I flat out refuse to buy anything from any company that’s this pushy and obnoxious.
I hate the walk-ins. We had a Quill rep come in my office JUST yesterday! We too have a no soliciting sign posted, and I was very firm and told him we never do business with walk-ins, and he would have to call & make an appointment. I myself was just coming back to the office from an appointment, and I had a bunch of things lines up for the afternoon. He tried to get me to commit to an appointment right then & there, again I told him he would need to call. He was slightly pushy, not overly so. But one thing I did notice was that when I reiterated he would HAVE to call to set up a time, he looked like he was put off. Well I hate to tell him, but, that’s what you will get when you walk into an office with a plainly displayed “No Soliciting” sign.
You do realize that by placing that sign on your door you are singling out a multi-billion $ company that can retaliate, right?
I had someone from Quill darken our door today and do almost the exact same thing. And I am all about giving someone a chance as I have to make sales in my business too but this guy would not leave a business card and had no catalogue. Apparently if I wanted to start getting the catalogue and get in the system, I had to make an order right then and there. I laughed and said, “well that is not going to work, time for you to leave.”
Wow, all these posts about Quill is disturbing. I had a pair of Quill salespeople drop in on me yesterday after ignoring my No Solicitors sign on my front door. I have had this happen a couple times over the last couple of years with the Quill “salespeople” but let me tell you this is the last time I will let them in. Jeff and his protege, I forget her name, came in and started in with their standard pitch, but before even starting, the protege needed to use the bathroom. After several unsuccessful attempts at trying to make a sale, Jeff and “her” left. The state of the bathroom was not pretty afterward. Veeery messy and piggy girl. Way to make a first impression I guess. Quill….two thumbs down.
Regarding what Karen wrote below, I have an insider’s perspective on this issue, having worked as a door-to-door salesman for Quill myself. Although I do agree that not all door-to-door salesmen are rude and pushy, you also have to remember that corporate culture starts at the top and the attitude of management and the executives is reflected in all of the employees. When I worked for Quill, the management was quick to be nice when you were providing them services as salesmen, but as soon as I voiced my opinion about some of their questionable sales practices the got nasty. In fact, during the meeting when I brought up my concerns with the branch manager and my immediate superior they got so rude and insulting that I quit on the spot.
Quill needs to understand that effective selling is based on relationships – not on just making an effective “pitch”. If this salesperson had actually listened to the author and respected their time and space, he would have been much more effective with this sales call. This is really a good lesson for anyone in sales, as I still am although not of the door-to-door kind. If you want to know what not to do, this is it. Be a good listener, respect your prospect and focus on building relationships.
I just turned down this job after going on the second interview and deciding I’d rather pursue other opportunities (after reading this blog fyi). They broke down the commissions for me which is as follows…
28% commissions on new account purchases ONLY
20 dollars if you have them do it online.
100 dollar bonus for 8 new applicants in 1 week, 250 dollars for 10
It doesn’t sound too bad until you get to the fine print, which basically states that in order to receive ANY commissions whatsoever, the buyer has to
A) never used or bought from quill before or
B) hasn’t had any account activity in 1 or more years.
This means that if you sell somebody 500 worth or paper and ink, but they bought a box of paper clips 11 months ago, you don’t get crap! (I think its 5 dollars or so but still)
This is why these fresh college grads are so desperate to make you buy something while they’re there, because if you don’t, they don’t make any money. They also have to pay for their own gas without being reimbursed. I actually saw myself losing money if I took this job. They also “promise” promotion within the first year, but yet when I asked my “shadower” when he expects to be promoted he said “hopefully within the next 6 months”. He has already been working there for 2 years and has to relocate to NYC from Chicago for there to be any chance of that happening. I asked what it takes to be promoted and he said “you’ll have to wait until after training and they will explain all that to you”. While I was out with him I said to myself…F THIS. But instead of declining the offer I accepted to put a little sh*t thru there fans. I “started” today but was a no show. F them they’re scamming kids like me to basically start their careers here and reap all the benefits of paying for your own gas and making 200 bucks a week. If you get a job offer that seems too good to be true, it most likely is. If your applying to sales jobs online I recommend only taking interviews from legit businesses like AT&T or Enterprise. As for the non-A hole quill reps, give them a break they’re unfortunately too naive to see thru these company’s. Shine some light for them and tell them to quit and run like hell.
REPOST BUT MUST BE SEEN
I just turned down this job after going on the second interview and
deciding I’d rather pursue other opportunities (after reading this blog
fyi). They broke down the commissions for me which is as follows…
28% commissions on new account purchases ONLY
20 dollars if you have them do it online.
100 dollar bonus for 8 new applicants in 1 week, 250 dollars for 10
It
doesn’t sound too bad until you get to the fine print, which basically
states that in order to receive ANY commissions whatsoever, the buyer
has to
A) never used or bought from quill before or
B) hasn’t had any account activity in 1 or more years.
This
means that if you sell somebody 500 worth or paper and ink, but they
bought a box of paper clips 11 months ago, you don’t get crap! (I think
its 5 dollars or so but still)
This is why these fresh college
grads are so desperate to make you buy something while they’re there,
because if you don’t, they don’t make any money. They also have to pay
for their own gas without being reimbursed. I actually saw myself losing
money if I took this job. They also “promise” promotion within the
first year, but yet when I asked my “shadower” when he expects to be
promoted he said “hopefully within the next 6 months”. He has already
been working there for 2 years and has to relocate to NYC from Chicago
for there to be any chance of that happening. I asked what it takes to
be promoted and he said “you’ll have to wait until after training and
they will explain all that to you”. While I was out with him I said to
myself…F THIS. But instead of declining the offer I accepted to put a
little sh*t thru there fans. I “started” today but was a no show. F them
they’re scamming kids like me to basically start their careers here and
reap all the benefits of paying for your own gas and making 200 bucks a
week. If you get a job offer that seems too good to be true, it most
likely is. If your applying to sales jobs online I recommend only taking
interviews from legit businesses like AT&T or Enterprise. As for
the non-A hole quill reps, give them a break they’re unfortunately too
naive to see thru these company’s. Shine some light for them and tell
them to quit and run like hell.
All you little receptionists that are on here bitching crack me up. Its irresponsible and ignorant to state “i dont care about saving money, i wont buy because he was pushy whatever…”
you dont care BECAUSE ITS NOT YOUR MONEY..you just dont want to be bothered.
Quill can save you money on office supplies, the savings may seem marginal but you know over the year they add up. You all get annoyed with these salesmen, well they’re annoyed at the constant ignorance at these businesses. They know they can help you save and are trying to help you out. so give them a break. and care about saving your workplace money, you’d care if we were talking about your personal checking account.
If my receptionist or account manager pushed a salesman out the door before I had a chance to see what was up with what he had to offer I’d fire her ass.
nice Glint, I like your style.
A “no solicitation” sign is not a rule. and it shouldn’t deter anyone.
yeah sure Tim.
Quill outsources sales to fly by night pyramid scheme marketing firms, insulating themselves from responsibility for the actions of staff, mainly to allow them to offer no benefits and no pay to the “contract employees”. They wouldn’t let him take or leave a card, because Quill views this as the first step to building a relationship with a customer, and as such their hired guns are not allowed to build a client base as they would be able to take that group of contacts with them if (read when) they left, they are not allowed to follow up with clients, and are only compensated if the customers they follow up with re-order 3 times in the next 6 months, this coupled with not being allowed to call them back on pain of termination virtually assures they won’t have to pay the commission they promise, another immediate termination infraction is tell the customer that Quill is owned by Staples, the conglomerate wants to expand Quills market share, but not at the expense of their Staples customers who pay more for the same exact products. He was working off the hard sell script, and clinging to it so desperately because it is drilled into his brain at uncompensated 1-3 hour “atmosphere” training indoctrination and brainwashing sessions before and after every day of work, I came across a deceptive job posting for one of the direct marketing pyramid scheme subcontractor/liability shield companies in Braintree MA, and responded, I went to an interview, and went along with a “Sales Rep/Manager” He had a kid to feed so I don’t blame him for staying, but his job is as much about recruiting, and retaining a “Sales Team” of reps, and taking a cut off the top of all their sales, as selling pens and paper, google sydcor cydcor pyramid scheme and Quill, your can read about this for days, and hilarity will ensue, I assure you.
Get real. If I let one of these pushy reps who refuse to take no for an answer through to my boss, she might fire “my ass.” Those who refuse to take no for an answer or bully their way in are an every day annoyance, either by phone or the front door. Our administrative assistant is trained to let them know we are not looking and politely turn them away, but there are those who won’t take no for an answer.
Thankk you sooo soo much for sharing, I just got done with the whole job shadowing bull**** and I had so many doubts but the money does look good. You just saved my future!
Have you all tried http://www.SimplySolutionsInc.com. They don’t have sales reps to come and visit you, and their customer service is awesome. You can call in and actually speak with the same person more than once, as each of the inside reps have their own extensions. Fabulous service.
Duh, yes it is a rule and we escort salespeople out quite often. The sign is not there for a joke, its the way we want our office ran.
almost this same exact thing happened to me today at my place of employment! these people need to be stopped and evidently it isn’t just ONE sales person.
I specifically started my conversation with “We take no type of solicitation in this office.” that should mean you turn around and leave. And there were two representatives and tell me why they ease dropped in our hallway and then RE-ENTERED to give us more information! Everyone in the office couldn’t believe what they were witnessing! These people should be fired!
I’m assuming you’re a “Quill Guy”. I had the privilege of going on a 2nd interview. The worst day of my life. In the HOT BLAZING SUN walking door to door to push paper. It was even more annoying at the fact that guy I was “shadowing” just could not and would not take no for an answer. These companies seem reputable because they advertise on different University career websites. Please any one that might be looking at and add for an “account executive” ignore!!!!!! Your burn gas, time, and you only make 28% of what you sell.
Quill has rude and pushy salespeople because the company itself sells by a pyramid scheme that lures in fresh college grads by telling lies about the amt of money they will make. And when they find out they can’t get a sale to save their life ie NO INCOME they do anything they can to pay their bills! TELLING MY DAUGHTER TODAY TO RUN FROM THIS COMPANY SHE INTERVIEWED WITH YEATERDAY!!!!
Just now convincing my daughter to not take a job with them (she interviewed with them yesterday) I told her to run like hell!!!
I just cant believe that my frustrating experience with these two Quill girls this morning, has been repeated hundreds of times throughout our land. When I thought I was being victim of a small adversity, in reality I was part of a whole nationwide trend 🙂
Truth be told, I usually give door-to-door salesmen the opportunity to give their speech and we do keep their info and often get back to them to check them out. (That’s how we switched to FedEx and other major brands). However, these two ladies didn’t want to leave contact info. “We dont leave info” she said; I replied: “then we cant do business”.
Does anyone know where to get a sign that says “Quill Sales Reps – Stay the Hell out of My Office” I really get irritated when they show up. They come in pairs with the pro with the trainee. If female they behave and dress sexually. All they want is the name of one product and then they low ball the price to get your business. Whatever you do, don’t give them your business card. They will take it and attempt to call in an order on the spot. You will find out that they only way to get rid of them is to keep saying no or tell them you are going to call the cops. I will never ever by anything from Quill.
Excellent, Daniel. Refreshing to read an intelligent post on these matters. 🙂
Yeah, Karen! 😀
Today is 07/20/2012. I just had the same experience as many of the people that posted on this site. I noticed that these posts have been running for several years now. Funny because nothing has changed at all over the years with Quill. Had two chuckleheads come in my office today and they were rude and unprofessional. Yes Quill may be a “billion” dollar company but like the Roman Empire nothing lasts forever……..
Loser!
Just had an encounter with a Quill Rep and he was the most rude and obnoxious person I have ever spoke with. I think the reason Karen does not have a problem is because you already have an account with them. The problem seems to be when they are trying to set up new accounts. I also asked him for a card and was told we have no card. He said you only get good deals from me not the catalog or online. He would not leave our business. He also had someone shadowing him, who looked quite embarrassed as I am sure we are not the only ones he hassled. I will never deal with Quill because of their total unprofessionalism.
Your a stupid dumb bitch. Quill is awesome. Yeah the sign says no soliciting that’s not gonna stop from making a living. You were probably just a gate keeper Anya and not the real decision maker. Have fun working 9-5 everyday for the rest of your life
I have to agree with the other posters, I do not like the Quill Sales people that I have met. I spent quite a bit of time talking with them, and am no better off for it. I have absolutely no idea what products they sell or anything about their comapny really. They talked in circles and had no information for me. I asked them to come back when they were better prepared. They told me that I might benefit from walking up and down my street asking all the other business about them….lol…as if that is going to happen. Kevin, I agree with sales calls being helpful, however if the salespeople are the face of your company? lol How can you blame the customers for not being receptive to a bad sales pitch! ha! U are 2 funny! 🙂
Unfortunately you work for a company where you seem to be the exception!! If you were the standard we all wouldn’t have so much negative to say. When I’ve met with the Quill Sales people, they did not have a catelog. Instead of telling me about what they had in products they asked me so they could tell me their pricing. Unfortuantely, when I told them specific things I was looking for they did not have that pricing. They tried to make phone calls to obtain that info and said they were unable to call back or e-mail it. I feel sorry for you, if Quill is actually a reputable company, because you now have to over come this “negative sales pitch” as most customers are likely to now be on -high alert! lol Good luck to you! 🙂
We recently encountered a Quill salesperson, and he struck us as possibly being a user of methamphetamine.
Mmillward3 I’m so sorry to hear about your bad quill experience. I am a quill rep and take great pride in my job and my current and future clients. I am sorry that you had an unpleasant experience. I have a responsibility of training entry level sales people and I do my best to weed out the individuals that find themselves more important than providing our clients with a great service.
By the way, that’s a douchebag assumption that anyone who comes into contact with a salesperson is a “little receptionist”. I know I’m a year late on this, but come on, dude. You must be a real charmer. In a small business the person who is in charge of purchasing might also be a manager or officer of the company (ME). Why would anyone deal with a company who had a creepy or horrendous salesperson? It is NOT “irresponsible” to not hear someone out if they are rude or acting like they’re on drugs. It’s all about how you represent the company and some of these reps for Quill sound like a nightmare. I actually had a very nice young girl come by and talked to me about their pricing…there was a little sales pressure but not much. I could tell she was just doing her job. The pricing actually is good, but I’m wondering what the catch is…
Kingswreslter1989 – I loved your comments. If everyone had the same attitude as you, Quill wouldn’t be facing so much negative feedback here on this post. Keep up the good fight!
Bill – Not all salesmen are awful. We know that. Would love to know what you are up to now — two years later.
Perspective is important. Thank you.
http://www.msnadz.com
Its funny . quill has a thing for most of the people on this site. 10.10.80 10%rude 10%nice 80%corporate. I’m guessing that most of the people on this site are part of the rude category. Quill is deff doing everything right…. they are a fortune 500 hundred company. so for all the people that are pissed.. they don’t care… they are making a lot of money wile your probably struggling to make ends meet.
I assume u work them blowhard lol
I had the same thing happen! it’s like he almost pissed on toilet intentionally
I agreeeeeeeeeeeeeee.sorryyyyyyyyyy lol
COMPLAINT:
QUILL: OUTSIDE SALES REP
NAME: CHRIS N*****
CELL NUMBER: 623-670-****
I’ve repeatedly told him that my company DOES NOT USE QUILL SERVICES AND PRODUCTS.
I’VE ASKED MULTIPLE TIMES TO STOP CALLING AND VISITING MY OFFICE. MY OFFICE CLEARLY HAS A NO SOLICITING SIGN YET HE CLEARLY IGNORED IT AND ADMITTED SEEING IT.
Anyways, I was away from the office when he came so he left his name and cell with my receptionist. I called him back and asked him why he would come into our office when I’ve said we don’t use Quill and he had no answer. I then asked for his supervisor’s name which he then took a while and gave me the basic Quill toll-free number and said he has no direct supervisor. I then asked for his last name which he said he cannot give (even though he has no respect for my privacy) and then I asked for an employee number so I can file a complaint at which time he hung up. I called back and of course no answer. Before calling, I searched his cell number for his name which came up with Christopher Nguyen. His demeanor is horrendous and rude when he’s not in “salesman mode”.