My new local product rep website!

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Introducing…my new local product rep website!

http://www.localproductreps.com/

It should be self explanatory on the home page, but I started the website because of the “revolving door” of reps that come and go. Unless you work with a rep frequently it is hard to locate local rep contact information.

Please take a look at my site and let me know what you think. I welcome comments, concerns and compliments.

Please also pass this along to product reps. The more populated the site, the more useful it will become!

Thank you and Happy Holidays!

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David,
Is there a charge to be listed?

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There is NO charge become a member and search for reps.

Once the site grows considerably, I will sell banner advertising. The advertising will be of building products, etc. and I will try not to make it annoying.

For a few dollars I will sell “premium upgrades” where by a rep can ad his picture and profile. Right now these upgrades are free and those with pictures/profiles will be gradfathered in.

But just basic contact information will always be free.

Any ideas are welcome!

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This is a very interesting idea, and I think it could be relatively useful. I do see one person who states that they rep in every state. I would find this very doubtful unless they are the factory rep located at HQ. I don’t believe this is what you intend.

I belive that we will see a good deal of “churn” in the next few months. The manufacturing segment of the construction industry continues to consolidate (Temple Inland has been acquired by Georgia Pacific and Akzo Nobel is selling its North American paint business to PPG). As the economy improves (and I believe it will), out of work reps are going to find positions and reps with jobs will find other jobs.

Good reps are hard to find; I hope your website succeeds in making tracking the “good guys” a bit easier.

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Last week I took my 2 FULL Rolodex card files and e-mailed every rep. I introduced my website and inviting the reps to sign up. About 1/3 of the e-mails I sent bounced back as invalid. Now I have a garbage can full of old business cards!

This is why I started my site!

So please help spread the word.

Thank you!

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As professional specifiers using my site, do you have comments regarding making my site more useful?

Of course I am working on populating the site with reps.

Is the layout okay? Do the search functions work as expected? Do I need to “pretty it up”?

Thank you!

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There has been some confusion as to whether my site only covers the Pacific Northwest. Well it does…and more! I started the site with the local NW contacts but it has blossomed into the entire US and Canada.

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What has happened to the really great posting answers that used to appear in 4Specs Discussion Groups. Is everyone twittering now and not using this site? David has come up with what I think is a really great service to the specifying community and no one has really responded. I sent the link to several specifiers in the Chicago market and they think it is a “great” idea. CSI Chicago used to publish a printed copy of a manufacturer’s directory which saved us when we needed to talk to a rep. CSI Chicago is looking forward to having this website expanded and we will put a link to it on our own website.

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Hi David. Thanks again for creating this website. I’m hoping that others have also been writing to you with ideas even if they’re not posting them here.

Would you mind if I contacted the folks in the DC area who have that regional website I told you about? I don’t know how they would feel about you accessing their information. I would hope they’d be okay with it (Maybe if you included a link to their website?)

I still like the idea of being able to search by zip code as well as by state. Some reps split states for various product lines. Of course there are many with mulitple product lines and a hodgepodge of territories.

Can you ‘market’ this idea using CSI Leader or other CSI mass mailing devices and get the word out to Chapter leadership around the country? I can’t believe that this isn’t spreading like wildfire.

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I agree with Dean and Ken!

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Ken,

Thanks! I am not sure what regional website you are referring to. Please tell me more.

You CAN search by zip code on my site! You just have to know the exact zip code number.

I know that rep’s territories don’t necessarily follow state lines. For example many reps in Washington include Portland, because Portland is right across the border from Washington yet these same reps don’t include the rest of Oregon in their territory. There are many similar instances so I could not figure out a good way to indicate that on my website. So I defaulted to individual states.

I am looking at any opportunity to market my website.

Thanks for the ideas!

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Check out http://www.libraryresources.net/ Rep Search is on the Search Tab.

You may want to contact Adrian Boyle (click on the About Us tab) to see about posting links back and forth between your websites. Adrian is one of those truly great people to deal with. I’m hoping he and Lynne are receptive.

Please send them my regards.

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David, I noticed an ad for your new service in the Tidewater chapter’s newsletter. Can you send me that copy?

ljavoroski@flad.com

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I have relaunched my local product rep website, www.localproductreps.com !

My webmaster redesigned the database and search engine architecture. Now the site has more capacity (more reps can sign up) and faster searches. Also the filters (territories, divisions, etc.) work more effectively.

I had a graphic designer improve the look of the site and make it more intuitive.

Check it out and let me know what you think.

Thank you.

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It seems to me that the Territory area on the left should be alphabetical.

Would like if there could be a link to download a contact card to save in Outlook.

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A couple other thoughts you can mull on and probably already have.

How will your website not become the next rolodex filled with contacts who will be out of date?

And, we need to be able to search the site by type of product AND territory simultaneously. Unless I’m missing something, you can either see all the reps in your territory, or search for reps of a certain product category, but not both. As your website becomes more extensively populated with reps, this will be increasingly necessary.

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Chris,

Thank you for your suggestions. Allow me (with input from my webmaster Mark Terry) to address your comments one at a time.

  1. It seems to me that the Territory area on the left should be alphabetical.

Good point! I have take your suggestion and alphabetized Territory along with alphabetizing the Certifications/Organizations.

By the way, the numbers in parenthesis represent the total number reps that fall within that specific search item. I am not sure the count really provides relevant information so I may remove it. What do you think?

  1. Would like if there could be a link to download a contact card to save in Outlook.

Allowing users to download a vCard presents a few potential issues.

A. It opens up the potential for spamming/security problems for the reps who have signed up on the site. Private information is big business. It could be quite profitable for someone to comb through the site, gather email addresses and sell that information to phishing companies. We have taken a number of steps to ensure that sensitive user information is as protected as much as possible. Having a “download” button for a vCard could compromise that security.

B. vCards are static bits of information. My site is dynamic where reps can constantly update their profiles to reflect new contact information, brands or companies, etc.

C. The aim of LocalProductReps.com is to put the power in the hands of the Specifiers by increasing the number of contacts. If we were to allow users to download vCards, then they may not revisit the site and thus miss out on all the new and exciting features that we are continually introducing.

D. Once you receive a reply email from a rep, after contacting them on LocalProductReps.com, you’ll have the reps email address.

  1. How will your website not become the next rolodex filled with contacts who will be out of date?

My website allows users to provide feedback to both the reps themselves, as well as me (the site administrator). It is easy for users to report out of date information, thereby alerting the reps to update their profiles and correct the issues.

Before my site came into existence, there was no good way to alert other specifiers of out of date information or changes. Is a rep going to call everyone that has their business card? Do they even know who has their business card? What about people who have the reps information from a directory?

Now with a simple email to me, I can take action to correct the out of date information, alert the rep, or simply close the profile if the rep has switched careers and is no longer representing products. Anyone visiting my site now has the most current information at their disposal.

  1. And, we need to be able to search the site by type of product AND territory simultaneously. Unless I’m missing something, you can either see all the reps in your territory, or search for reps of a certain product category, but not both. As your website becomes more extensively populated with reps, this will be increasingly necessary.

You CAN search by multiple filters!

For example: Select AK in Territory box. Allow the results come up. Then select 03 Concrete in the CSI MasterFormat box. Allow the results to come up. Then select ACI in the Certifications & Organizations box. Allow the results to come up. You now have a list of all the reps whose territory includes Alaska; who represent products in Division 03 Concrete; and who are members of American Concrete Institute.

Thanks again for your comments and please feel free to ask more questions or voice your concerns. With your input I can make the site better and better!

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David & Mark,

Thanks for alphebetizing those, that helps!

I sorta like the (#) rep counts.

Well, OK about the VCards, you can’t do everything! Makes sense you want people to keep visiting your site, too!

Another suggestion (or question): When we go to the site, is it best to start like it does at the “What design professionals are saying about this site”, or maybe better to go straight to the rep contacts and leave this general information to some sort of “About” page?

When you land at the Search Reps page it is also a bit weird that is says your search turned up ### reps, when you haven’t even done a search yet.

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Chris,

Thanks again for your comments and suggestions.

The what design pros say quotes are there to lend credibility to my site by proving that specifiers and architects are using my website. Does anyone here want to be quoted?

I will be announcing important news / features on the front page of my website. So those quotes will eventually move elsewhere.

I am finding that lots reps wont sign up to the site until lots of design professionals use the site.and lots of design professionals wont use the site until lots of product reps sign up to the site. The proverbial Catch 22.

Members of this forum can help by showing reps this site and asking them to sign up. I currently have professionals across the country helping me out, but I always appreciate more help. Thank you.

The Your search found ### representatives matching your criteria before you search anything indicates the total number of reps signed up to the site. As one does a filtered search the number of reps in the results decreases. I am not sure the number of results feature really tells anything important to the user, so I may remove it.

Thanks again and keep those suggestions coming!

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Thanks David and great job so far!!! I really like the comprehensive approach you are taking to address this need.

I tend to look the counts in the search results but no biggie without them.