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THE REPWORKS POSITION
Repworks is in the business of providing sales representation
and market development services pertaining to sound, CCTV,
intercom, access control and related products for use in professional
and commercial applications. Our customers are select manufacturers
serving the security and communications industry in New England.
To our customers we offer comprehensive sales and marketing
services:
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Sales results: distribution
networks and sales programs designed and managed to
the highest standards of quality, business performance,
and ethics. Distribution plans are implemented along
each manufacturer's guidelines. All programs have demonstrable
value and incorporate a competitively unique "Repworks
advantage." |
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Technical and promotional service:
dealer and end-user support of quality consistent with
that of the products and manufacturers we represent.
Examples include sell-through oriented sales calls,
technical seminars and training programs, literature
and sales lead distribution, specification and system
design assistance, product demonstrations and loaner
programs, end-user applications assistance, and targeted
marketing communications. |
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Uncompromising responsiveness:
field representation and account service through a special
combination of trained, friendly people, open communications,
and advance information systems. Prompt, consistent
transmission of market information and sales forecasts,
with objective problem solving and prevention. Our office
staff and sales force work continually with our customers
to build lasting relationships. Combined with 100% accuracy
objectives in all three areas, Repworks' representation
methods are simple, yet all encompassing. Our customers
are in the position to be represented and profitably
sold as leading choices in each of their respective
product applications and targeted market segments. Authorized
dealers enjoy fast, friendly, careful local representation
and account service. Their customers (end-users) enjoy
best quality product solutions, value-added dealer and/or
manufacturer relationships, and long-term ownership
benefits. As a result, Repworks and our principals can
enjoy sustained growth, business success, and market
leadership. |
OUR RESOURCES
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Our staffed office includes a dedicated demo/seminar
room, used to conduct product training sessions. Since
our dealers are finding it evermore difficult to properly
train their directed sales forces, we have become an
educational resource to facilitate product knowledge
acquisition. Most of our top accounts have sent their
sales and design staff members to us for one-day "calibration"
sessions. We also go on the road for technical training
of installation and maintenance personnel. |
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Since rapid response is the order of the day, we each
carry a unique beeper utilizing alphanumeric paging.
Our office can reach us instantly anywhere in the US
by transmitting computer generated messages via the
Internet. We are also automatically paged by our office
telephone system if a voicemail is left in our mailbox.
Typical response time to urgent requests for assistance
is five minutes or less. Our staff's cell phone numbers
are also made available to our customers for fast, direct
access. |
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As our firm grew, we came to realize that we had to
adopt more sophisticated sales management techniques
if we hoped to effectively represent major product lines.
Our salesforce management system now includes the use
of call organizers, requiring our outside sales staff
to list the goals for each appointment, discuss them
with the customer in advance of the visit, and turn
them in after the call. Between calls, salespeople dictate
the call results into our voicemail system, and they
are then transcribed into ACT!. This system allows us
to retrieve call results practically as they occur,
and to disseminate valuable information throughout the
voicemail system. We then prepare call frequency charts
to ensure that we are making the right number of calls
to the appropriate customers, whether they are dealers,
integrators, distributors or specifiers. |
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We also employ high tech devices to help us find our
way around. Since New England is a compact territory
geographically, we are expected to respond to visit
requests quickly. Each outside salesperson has a GPS
adapter they plug into their laptops to give them precise
driving directions between any two points in the northeast.
If we have to make a sudden change to our day's agenda,
we can quickly access the fastest route possible. The
GPS tool is also invaluable in working around traffic
jams. |
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A trend of note in the last few years is the increased
demand for project design assistance. As our industry
grows, the use of directed sales forces have necessitated
that a system be developed for quickly generating quotes.
We use Microsoft Visio to quickly produce system riser
diagrams, and a custom quotation program that allows
us to import our manufacturers' price sheets in Excel
format and produce accurate project quotes. Our typical
response to requests for systems designs is within 24
to 48 hours. Our design package includes a riser diagram in
Visio, JPG and DWG formats, together with an Excel sheet
listing all parts, quantities and costs. |
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Our Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system
contains data on our customers and is updated daily.
We categorize by customer type and locale. Information
tracked includes dates of birth, training classes attended,
national trade show attendance, industry segments, holiday
cards mailed, yearly Repworks calendar mailing, project
tracking data, and all sales calls and follow up contacts.
Current list size is 5100+ names. |
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To maximize the resources available from our factories
for field sales support, we have established a policy
of preceding regional visits with exact itineraries
containing pertinent account information. Post visit
activities include the production of a visit summary,
listing action items to be accomplished by ourselves
and factory personnel. The summary section contains
the actual field call reports for each account visited. |
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Our specifier program has been very successful in
improving our ability to support the specifying influences
in New England . . . architects, engineers, consultants,
etc. Our special three-ring specifier's binder, containing
product brochures, design aids, written product specifications
and CD ROMS with text files, PDF files, and interactive
demos, are left with each firm. We also offer to assist
with any project specifications and designs. We conduct
frequent "lunch n' learns" at specifier's offices, which
leads to enrollment in our training course. A secondary
goal of this program is to continuously update our comprehensive
database of specifiers. |
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A new tool since 1995 is Repworks on the Internet.
Repworks was one of the first representative firms in
the country to go "on-line." As our industry matures,
the utilization of pull-through sales methods continues
to gain in importance. No other vehicle may prove to
offer greater, wide spread exposure of our products
and services to the end user than the Internet. Our
Internet profile is to offer free design assistance
to sound, CCTV, intercom and access control users. We
then partner with our dealer base to pursue resultant
leads and prospects. Our Web site, www.repworks.com,
has been on-line since December 1, 1995. Our web site,
far from being a static environment, is updated monthly
with newsletters, industry birthdays, and training dates.
Additionally, each outside sales person is equipped
with high speed digital wireless laptop connectivity
to the Internet for instant access to on line design
aids and urgent emails. We also maintain a T-1 connection
to our Internet Service Provider for high-speed access
and live video serving from our office.
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See us online! Live video over the Internet from Repworks!
Our dealers now demonstrate live video feeds with pan/tilt/zoom
capability via a browser connection. Also, when attending
one of training classes, our dealers receive access
to our web based digital video recorder system, allowing
demos of both live and recorded images. |
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One unique personal touch employed by Repworks in
our Birthday Card program. Our database contains the
birth dates of most of our customers, and each receives
a personalized birthday card, signed by all, every year.
The response to this special program has been phenomenal. |
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One of the most difficult communications tools to
employ has traditionally been the newsletter. Publishing
and distributing consistent, quality, targeted newsletters
can tax most organizations. Starting six years ago,
Repworks initiated a first...our "Bits" monthly postcard
mailers go out to 1,000 sales people, users, and specifiers.
These cards contain tidbits of trivia and contain highlights
of various manufacturers' current "hot items". Samples
are available upon request, or can be accessed on line
at our web site. This new techniques is just another
way to keep us "in their faces." |
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Lead handling is taken very seriously at Repworks.
Each dealer and end user lead is contacted immediately
and qualified or disqualified on the spot. End-user
leads are contacted by telephone or email, offered assistance
and product demos, and then forwarded to the appropriate
dealer for direct contact. Each lead sent to a dealer
for follow-up is tracked and requires a response back
to Repworks. Dealers who refuse to help us track leads
are taken off our preferred lead list. All lead results
are reported back to the originating manufacturer. |
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We occasionally "Holler for help!" and use outside
resources to supplement our efforts. Training of our
staff is outsourced for skills enhancement by local
training firms. In addition, we are currently a client
of Stiernberg Consulting, Sherman Oaks, California.
This industry-renowned firm is employed to provide "sanity
checks" and to help us "fine tune" our sales and marketing
efforts. In order to maximize our firm's talent pool,
we are also a client of Rembrandt Portraits, a profiling
firm dedicated to ensuring that each employee is given
the best opportunity to grow and expand their abilities.
The result has been to maximize customer service and
pinpoint those areas where we can improve our techniques. |
MISCELLANEOUS
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| Affiliations: |
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National Systems Contractors Association (NSCA) |
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American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS) |
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BICSI |
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Manufacturers Representatives Educational Resource
Foundation (MRERF) |
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Electronic Representative Association (ERA) |
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Massachusetts Systems Contractors Association
(MSCA) |
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Massachusetts Locksmith Association |
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Connecticut Locksmith Association |
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Connecticut Alarm & Systems Integrators (CASIA) |
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| Conferences: |
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Electronic Representative Association
National Marketing and Training Seminars, 1995,
1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004 |
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| Toll-Free Telephone Number: |
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| Demo Vans |
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If "The demo makes the sale", then
we must maintain our capacity to field a large
quantity of demo equipment. Each outside sales
person has a minivam to provide maximum space
for deploying demo systems and carrying binders
and literature packs. The vans are also needed
to support the large number of regional events
we support each year, including distributor shows,
facilities management shows, business to business
events, health care, public safety and educational
shows, and large regional shows such as The Northeast
Security Expo, The Boston ASIS Show, and the Yankee
Locksmith Show. |
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| Network & Training Infrastructure: |
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100 base-T network to six workstations |
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T-1 line for both Internet access and demo equipment
hosting |
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Dedicated 37" LCD monitor and Dell XEON processor equipped server hosting training & demo software
hosting |
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Internal training network with six digital video
recorders |
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Internal and external fixed and P/T/Z cameras
accessed via both the internal and external network |
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| TERRITORY: The
Six New England States |
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| LOCATION: West-Central
Massachusetts |
WE ARE...
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1 ½ hours to Boston/Route 128/95, "America's Technology
Highway." |
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1 ½ hours to Southern Connecticut's "Gold Coast,"
home of many of the nation's corporate headquarters. |
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½ hour to Northern Connecticut/Western Massachusetts,
the insurance and educational center of New England. |
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1 ½ hours to Southern New Hampshire, one of the fastest
growing commercial areas in the county. |
More importantly, we are close to the contractors and dealers
who service the above markets.
Training as a Sales Tool...
Today, many factors contribute to the complexity of selling
to the sound and security markets. Among them are:
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A mobile dealer sales force causing higher
turnover rates than ever before. |
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Dealers needing more hand-holding because
of the rapid rate of change of technical products. |
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An increase in the need to partner with
our dealers to work with the end user in producing solutions
to their systems requirements. |
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A need by end users to be kept informed
of changes in products and techniques that effect their
businesses. |
These factors have caused us to develop a training seminar
system that is tailored to provide our customers with a continuously
evolving training program with an emphasis on both product
application and sales techniques. Tools employed include working,
network-deployed demo systems, customized literature packs,
LCD projectors, PC based content, personalized PowerPoint
presentations, handout disks, CD ROMs, etcetera. Recent refinements
include on-line Internet links to our manufacturers. This
program has produced many sales opportunities for us. In recent
years, attendance has exceeded 500 attendees annually.
Inherent in these presentations is an offer of free design
assistance and on-site trials. Besides increasing sales opportunities,
benefits include greater dealer brand loyalty and invitations
to do more seminars. We will continue to develop this venue
and add to our presentations, as training sessions have proved
to be a true partnering opportunity.
OUR PRODUCT BINDER PROGRAM IS UNIQUE....
IT WORKS!
As you look through the Repworks binder, please note several
innovations that make it a consistent communication tool:
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It's dated. Each binder's contents
page is dated as it is handed over to the customer.
Our salespeople point out new product features, additional
items, current price lists, etc. The old binder is retrieved,
ensuring that only current binders are on our dealers'
shelves. |
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Numerical, rather than topical index
tabs are employed, together with a customized contents
page. We can quickly upgrade product descriptions and
the order of presentation to facilitate shifts in manufacturers'
products and policies. Additionally, there are printed
references to manufacturers' web sites, price list dates,
hours of operation and emergency service numbers. |
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The binder only shows current literature
and price lists. Our top accounts have their binders
updated every 90 to 120 days; secondary dealers, no
longer than 180 days. |
To meet our program goals and avoid the typical pitfalls of
obsolescence, incompleteness and inaccuracy that plague most
binder programs, our office staff has developed a thorough
literature inventory and collating system to ensure that a
constant supply of fresh binders awaits our sales force. Retrieved
binders are returned to the office and stripped, decollated
and reassembled for further distribution. We currently have
over 1,100 binders in circulation.
Thank you for your interest...The Repworks Gang |
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