Best-In-Class Rep Advisory Councils

Best-In-Class Rep Advisory Council members report following:

Earlier this year Tom O’Connor of Farmington Consulting Group facilitated our initial rep advisory council meeting. Day one, he brought together six rep principals most whom had never met and certainly had not worked on a team task together. Day two , the output of that session was presented to our Senior Management complete with specific recommendations and observations related to our current strategic direction. Tom’s leadership and expert facilitation together with quality input from the rep principals provided for invaluable feedback that we are using on a daily basis to complement our strategic initiatives. Tom’s first-hand industry knowledge as well as his credibility in the rep community has proven to be an invaluable asset and we look forward to working with FCG in the future. Bob Snair, Director of Distribution Sales, Alcan Cable

Wheatland Tube management recognized that our rep council meetings were becoming repetitive and predictable. We brought in FCG to facilitate our Spring Meeting, looking for a new, constructive direction to drive the discussions. Tom O’Connor provided the leadership that offered Wheatland Tube and it’s rep council participants an effective and productive meeting format that will guide us going forward. David R. Burnette, Vice President Sales, Electrical Division Wheatland Tube Company

Currently I sit on four manufacturer rep councils and Tom O’Connor facilitates three of them. Tom does an outstanding job in all aspects of his responsibilities from the beginning to end. He always sends out a pre-meeting questionnaire so we can all come prepared prior to day of meeting. He then guides all of us along throughout the council process keeping everyone from the manufacturer to the council on track. Tom is extremely professional and everyone knows they can speak freely as Tom is very well trusted and respected in our industry. I would encourage any representative, distributor or manufacturer to utilize Tom’s expertise in facilitating their next meeting. Don Kaminski, Allied Group Sales

Having attended many agency council meetings in the past, the recent one facilitated by Tom O’Connor takes top honors as far as content and staying on message is concerned. He was clear with the members and with Wheatland management what the objectives were and what was expected after we left the meeting. You will be well served to contract with Tom O’Connor for meetings like this in the future. Willis J. Milner IV, United Electrical Sales

Tom O’Connor brought a refreshing perspective of how a rep council should be run. His pre-meeting preparation ensured that all participants were informed of the meeting objectives and were ready to tackle the tough issues that mutually affect us. We wasted little time in addressing and resolving obstacles pertinent to both the rep and the manufacturer. Craig Colerick, R.C. Colerick

Tom O’Connor performed the role of rep council facilitator admirably. He solicited input on topics prior to the meeting to develop a blueprint for the discussion. During the meeting, Tom kept all participants focused on the task at hand which enabled us to develop comprehensive and concise subjects for presentation to the manufacturer. Once we met with management, Tom professionally moderated the meeting, expertly developing the story behind each topic and encouraging honest, open dialogue. The rep council meeting resulted in several action items that management noted and later implemented. Since our meeting, we have had two conference calls with the entire group to update us on all of the initiatives, and Tom has stayed engaged with inquiries to track our progress. Overall, it was probably the best experience I have had serving on a rep council. Larry Low, Synergy Electrical Sales