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a long whine!


devlin

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I've been frustrated lately by a potential client and my frustration is moving from slow burn to boiling pissiness.

Here's the deal. My bread business has been going very well. The responses have been more than good, and I've been pleased with my interactions with chefs and restaurant folks who are very generous with their time and their praise.

So that's all good. And then this thing happened which has left me baffled. I know I need to just drop it and move on, but I'm still baffled, and my bafflement finally turned into anger.

About three weeks ago, I phoned one of my favorite restaurants and set up an appointment with the executive chef to sample some of my sourdoughs. I didn't really expect his reaction which was frankly over the top with praise. He tried everything, asked others in the kitchen to join him, and he just couldn't say enough good stuff about the breads. He compared them to their current supplier, noting that while they are very good, "These," he said, waving his hands over the now half-gone loaves, "These are the real deal."

He said he'd been wanting to get away from their usual bread guys, but the options hadn't been there til now. He engaged me in conversation about how he might use them, how the owner might use them with his wine tastings. He was just glowing.

He said he'd call me the following Tuesday but that if I didn't hear from him, because he's busy (understandable, I get that), be sure to call him. And so I did. He wasn't there. Phoned back, he said he was in the middle of prep and asked me to call him back. I did. Again, he wasn't there. This went on for three weeks. And then my husband took over and tried as well. Nada. So. I emailed the owner who is involved in the daily operation and reiterated the meeting with the chef and asked whether I might bring some stuff in for him to sample.

Again, nothing. No response. So yesterday I email the restaurant and ask whether there are any reservations open for Valentine's dinner, and voila, an immediate email response about their dinner availability.

I can understand chefs and owners are busy. But ya know what? I'm busy too. I'm also a big girl. If you don't want the product, just say so. It's business. I'm not asking you guys to marry me.

Any suggestions about how to deal with this sort of thing? Or maybe I just do what I guess is the obvious, simply drop it and move on.

But really, how hard is it to just say, "Thanks very much, but we're not interested right now."

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What a shame, I don't know why some people are like that! One thing is for sure, if you blow them off, and they are really interested you'll eventually hear from them...if they aren't , you won't. Don't let it drive you crazy, you'll probably never know whats really going on, so forget them and continue on your merry way.

Just a simple southern lady lost out west...

"Leave Mother in the fridge in a covered jar between bakes. No need to feed her." Jackal10

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If it's any consolation, one of my first restaurant clients (for desserts) first contacted me in June; then invited me in for a tasting in September and started to use me in November, after Thanksgiving. Sometimes their timeline is not what we want it to be and its hugely frustrating for a new business. And sometimes they just don't have the courtesy to say they can't do anything at this point in time.

I wouldn't call them again. It's hard not to take it personally, but I don't think they intended to be mean about it, or as thoughtless as they have been (they wouldn't have gushed so much if they didn't truly enjoy your product). If you go there on a regular basis, you could stop by but they know where to find you and how to get in touch.

Next time you meet with a potential new client, find out what their intent is (replace their current supplier? fill in gaps from their current supplier), how they order (daily? weekly?), when they want delivery, how to handle returns (they have to call same day of delivery or within some amount of time) and at the end of the meeting, find out what their timeline is for the next step.

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I would agree with JC as to qualifying the client. Ask when you can expect the first order from them and make it understood that some time can pass but you would like an idea. Some clients take a long time to make up there minds. I have it happen all the time to me. They are sometimes surprised that I am booked into other situations. At the time we talked I was open but in the month it has been since we talked I have scheduled other things.

Also some people can’t or don’t know how to say no. They are afraid that there will be conflict involved. No is easy to handle as you know where you stand. Maybe leaves you twisting in the wind.

Living hard will take its toll...
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Thanks all. Those are all notions that crossed my mind but are good to have reiterated and supported by those of you who've been in the business longer than I have. It helped to vent. And your advice and feedback has been doubly helpful.

Thanks.

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There is yet a different approach you can take -- drop it for now but on the occasions when you come up with a new product, send a few over a few samples with your compliments; send a thank-you note for the time they DID spend with you and reiterate your interest in working with them. Do that every few months and you will only ever look good and eventually get the contract.

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1. persistance works

2. pride is good to an extent (can temper #1 above)

3. good salespeople "close the deal" *early* as to avoid such scenarios

this stuff happens all the time; i'm careful about putting too many eggs in a single basket

sometimes it's good to walk away and be patient. be confident in your product and your business. this has helped me and the lack of has certainly hurt me. as you know, business in it's pure form can be very tough, so it helps to play hard some times, even hard to get! :)

good luck

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This happens to me in my catering and cooking-class business all the time. Most recently, somebody was "definitely" going to buy 5 private one-person classes for her friend's birthday--a big payoff for a not-too-great investment of time and supplies if it came through--and then she forgot who I was. Oh well. I called and emailed a couple times and then dropped it. She knows where to find me if she needs me.

I do tell people with catering that I don't consider a date booked until I receive a deposit, but then if somebody seems pretty definite on a date and somebody else inquires about that same day, I'll give the first party the courtesy of a phone call to press on their seriousness about hiring me. If they want me they express me a check, if not they lose their date. Oh well.

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One of the issues is that because I'm still essentially a one-woman operation, with some intermittent help, I have to choose my customers. I can't just supply people at the drop of a hat. And because of the nature of the product, all naturally-leavened breads built up over at least a couple of days,... well, you get the idea.

And it's not that I feel rejected. It's that I feel led down the garden path. I'm supremely annoyed that I was specifically asked (and not just once) to please call back if I didn't hear from them right away. And then asked again. And again. And at some point it starts to feel beyond rude. They're not even a one-time customer yet and they're asking quite a lot by asking me to call over and over again.

I've never encountered a response like it. And because the response to the bread was as good as it was, not just polite, but really beyond good, and the chef was beyond effusive and talked to me for quite some time, it seemed to me the least he could do was call back.

So, after all that run-around, I wrote their name on my white board, and then crossed it out with a big X just to help me get the "no."

And frankly, one of the biggest stumbling blocks for me is that this is one of my husband's and my favorite restaurants. We love it. And it's expensive, and we've spent quite a lot of money there in the past. We're good customers and we tip better than most people, always more than what's standard, because we understand the business, and we feel it's important to support the restaurants we love because we know how hard it is. And now I'm left with a bad taste in my mouth. Not because they have apparently decided not to go with my own business, that's never been an issue with me, but because they've given me such short shrift and behaved in a way that is to my mind stunningly rude.

So, yes, I have to take another look at the white board.

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I have this wild fantasy....

You should go there again as customers. But bring your own bread to eat at the table. Just like you can bring your own bottle of wine if the restaurant doesn't have a liquor license or however that works.... send the leftover bread into the kitchen with your compliments.

That's when they'll put two and two together.... where's the icon for smiling wickedly?!

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Front of house and aback of hose are not always totally syched up. Just because you could get a valentines day res. does not mean that the people in the kitchen are any less busy. It's annoying to be dealt with slowly but hiring a bread guy, or meat guy etc. can take a long time to get in order...it's not always one persons decision.

I'm sure you're frustrated, but having your husband call, and calling under the guise that you plan to eat there on a major holiday are pretty unprofessional behaviors.

How would you treat someone who used these tactics on you? (even if you were in the wrong)

I'd be pissed too... I just wouldn't let a potential client know.

does this come in pork?

My name's Emma Feigenbaum.

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I have this wild fantasy....

You should go there again as customers.  But bring your own bread to eat at the table.  Just like you can bring your own bottle of wine if the restaurant doesn't have a liquor license or however that works....  send the leftover bread into the kitchen with your compliments.

That's when they'll put two and two together.... where's the icon for smiling wickedly?!

Not so wild. That is exactly what I proposed to my husband. And of course I'd have to put my card in the basket as well. :laugh:

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Front of house and aback of hose are not always totally syched up. Just because you could get a valentines day res. does not mean that the people in the kitchen are any less busy. It's annoying to  be dealt with slowly but hiring a bread guy, or meat guy etc. can take a long time to get in order...it's not always one persons decision.

I'm sure you're frustrated, but having your husband call, and calling under the guise that you plan to eat there on a major holiday are pretty unprofessional behaviors.

How would you treat someone who used these tactics on you? (even if you were in the wrong)

I'd be pissed too... I just wouldn't let a potential client know.

No, I'm sorry, you misunderstood. My husband is part of this business. I asked him to call after he repeatedly asked me why I wasn't getting anywhere with them.

Also, I emailed about Valentine's dinner because we were legitimately looking for a place to have dinner for Valentine's dinner, and this is one our our favorite places.

I completely understand that front and back of the house are different. But that's not the point. It's only a matter of simple courtesy that someone return a call. It's really that simple.

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As someone who hates confrontation, as a customer I would probably be annoyed if someone kept contacting me, even if I had told them to do so (I may or may not have been sincere when telling them that--sometimes you say things just to be nice, or because it's expected, not because you really mean it). In fact, something similar happened to me recently, where when I requested contact, I had thought it meant receiving information in the mail, but in fact, it meant several phone calls and e-mails a week, for more than a month. It completely turned me off, and even though I was interested in the service, I decided against it because of the person's importunacy. I did actually contact the person to let them know I did not want their service, but he had all the pushiness of a door-to-door salesperson. And I'm a wimp...it's hard for me to say no, so I just ignored any future calls (until I got really pissed off and sent off an angry e-mail).

That being said, as a business owner, you have every right to be annoyed and just plain pissed off at the chef. However, the chef is not necessarily the owner of the restaurant, and he does not necessarily have final say about ordering from you. Perhaps you should also contact the owner (if the owner is not also the chef) if you want to pursue it further.

Another option is if you do eat at the restaurant for Valentine's Day, ask to speak to the chef to thank him for the meal. Then when he comes out, casually bring up that you were sorry the restaurant decided not to order bread from you, but you hope they will keep you in mind for future business.

A little graciousness will go far in this case, I think, and if you still feel angry, Valentine's Day can be your last meal there.

Edited by prasantrin (log)
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As someone who hates confrontation, as a customer I would probably be annoyed if someone kept contacting me, even if I had told them to do so (I may or may not have been sincere when telling them that--sometimes you say things just to be nice, or because it's expected, not because you really mean it).  In fact, something similar happened to me recently, where when I requested contact, I had thought it meant receiving information in the mail, but in fact, it meant several phone calls and e-mails a week, for more than a month.  It completely turned me off, and even though I was interested in the service, I decided against it because of the person's importunacy.  I did actually contact the person to let them know I did not want their service, but he had all the pushiness of a door-to-door salesperson.  And I'm a wimp...it's hard for me to say no, so I just ignored any future calls (until I got really pissed off and sent off an angry e-mail).

That being said, as a business owner, you have every right to be annoyed and just plain pissed off at the chef.  However, the chef is not necessarily the owner of the restaurant, and he does not necessarily have final say about ordering from you.  Perhaps you should also contact the owner (if the owner is not also the chef) if you want to pursue it further.

Another option is if you do eat at the restaurant for Valentine's Day, ask to speak to the chef to thank him for the meal.  Then when he comes out, casually bring up that you were sorry the restaurant decided not to order bread from you, but you hope they will keep you in mind for future business. 

A little graciousness will go far in this case, I think, and if you still feel angry, Valentine's Day can be your last meal there.

I agree with a lot of what you say, but on the other hand, it wasn't as casual as "thanks and please give us a call." It was "I want to start using your breads, I'm here next Tuesday and will give you a call after I talk to the owner, but if you don't hear from me, because it gets crazy around here, please call ME." And he repeated it several times. And then when I did exactly that, he reiterated that he'd been swamped, hadn't even had time to talk to the owner, and, "please call me on Thursday." And then it just went on and on that way until I thought, "What the heck is the problem here?" And then I started to feel sort of jerked around.

It's one thing to say things because you don't feel comfortable saying no (although frankly I think that's very bad business practice -- saying no in situations like that is part of business, and people shouldn't feel bad saying no), it's another to lay out an entire scenario, days to call, and then never follow through.

I'm the least pushy person in the world. My husband takes me to task sometimes for that. I don'tmuch like the idea of being sales lady for my product, even though I know I have to do it. At the same, I often find myself enjoying the time I've spent with chefs, who have always been extremely respectful and polite and engaging and generous with their time, and so I don't absolutely hate it.

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I have a slightly different perspective on this, and it comes from being a buyer, but not a buyer in the food business. Anything I say, therefore, should be taken with a grain of salt.

One snag in your situation is that you are doing the selling for your own product, which you care about and feel personally about, so you are confusing the business conduct of a sale with your self esteem. Your bread equals you in this equation.

Business is funny and it takes place as the winds blow and you don't know what winds are blowing. In my experience it has been the sales person who does not take the sale personally, but conducts him or herself well in the business of it that makes a difference.

Doing business is risky and is an act of confidence. I don't think may of the actions discussed here inspire confidence.

Regardless of how your bread tastes, the business end of the deal is about so many other factors to perhaps make the taste of the bread secondary. When I read the first post about the encounter, I thought he laid it on a little thick. Many people, when they do business, overcompensate. It could be that he had no intention of using your bread (again, regardless to how the bread tastes) and just wanted to make you feel good about it.

I like to bake nice things. And then I eat them. Then I can bake some more.

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I have a slightly different perspective on this, and it comes from being a buyer, but not a buyer in the food business.  Anything I say, therefore, should be taken with a grain of salt.

One snag in your situation is that you are doing the selling for your own product, which you care about and feel personally about, so you are confusing the business conduct of a sale with your self esteem.  Your bread equals you in this equation.

Business is funny and it takes place as the winds blow and you don't know what winds are blowing.  In my experience it has been the sales person who does not take the sale personally, but conducts him or herself well in the business of it that makes a difference.

Doing business is risky and is an act of confidence.  I don't think may of the actions discussed here inspire confidence.

Regardless of how your bread tastes, the business end of the deal is about so many other factors to perhaps make the taste of the bread secondary.  When I read the first post about the encounter, I thought he laid it on a little thick.  Many people, when they do business, overcompensate.  It could be that he had no intention of using your bread (again, regardless to how the bread tastes) and just wanted to make you feel good about it.

Sigh. I really am a fully adult woman who is capable of separating my product from selling. Yes, I would like people to like my bread. On the other hand, again, I'm a fully adult woman who is capable of separating my product from my selling the product. Truly.

My point is not that he didn't want to buy it and only pretended he did. My point is, again (how many times do I have to say this?), that he gave me days and times to call him. He was very specific about it. And he did it on a number of occasions. If he'd merely said, "Give us a call" and I did it once or twice without getting anywhere, I would simply have dropped it without thinking twice. Truly. But that's not what happened.

I'm not that overly-sensitive that I get weepy and hysterical when people don't want to buy my bread.

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I think it's time to move on. You may never have an answer. Personally, I think he really meant what he said and then his boss got pissed because he, the owner and buyer, does not want to deal with a new supplier, no matter how great the product. But I'm just speculating. Maybe the guy is embarrassed; maybe he's just a rude jerk and a liar. I had a steady account for three years that dropped me with no explanation, and despite my attempts to find out what went wrong, to this day I don't know the reason. It was extremely distressing because it was an important account, we always went out of our way to provide excellent service, and the client seemed to recognize and appreciate it. Frankly, I spent too much time racking my brains out and being stressed. The point some of us are trying to make is that in business you won't always be able to figure out motivations. Sometime you just have to accept the situation and move on.

Ilene

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I think it's time to move on. You may never have an answer. Personally, I think he really meant what he said and then his boss got pissed because he, the owner and buyer, does not want to deal with a new supplier, no matter how great the product. But I'm just speculating. Maybe the guy is embarrassed; maybe he's just a rude jerk and a liar.  I had a steady account for three years that dropped me with no explanation, and despite my attempts to find out what went wrong, to this day I don't know the reason. It was extremely distressing because it was an important account, we always went out of our way to provide excellent service, and the client seemed to recognize and appreciate it.  Frankly, I spent too much time racking my brains out and being stressed.  The point some of us are trying to make is that in business you won't always be able to figure out motivations. Sometime you just have to accept the situation and move on.

Well by NOW I have moved on. It maybe only seems more as if I haven't because the responses keep coming here and I keep responding and clarifying what happened. So, yeah, whereas the day I posted this I was still fuming, by now, just a couple of days later, it actually feels as if it happened a very long time ago.

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I think it's time to move on. You may never have an answer. Personally, I think he really meant what he said and then his boss got pissed because he, the owner and buyer, does not want to deal with a new supplier, no matter how great the product. But I'm just speculating. Maybe the guy is embarrassed; maybe he's just a rude jerk and a liar.  I had a steady account for three years that dropped me with no explanation, and despite my attempts to find out what went wrong, to this day I don't know the reason. It was extremely distressing because it was an important account, we always went out of our way to provide excellent service, and the client seemed to recognize and appreciate it.  Frankly, I spent too much time racking my brains out and being stressed.  The point some of us are trying to make is that in business you won't always be able to figure out motivations. Sometime you just have to accept the situation and move on.

Well by NOW I have moved on. It maybe only seems more as if I haven't because the responses keep coming here and I keep responding and clarifying what happened. So, yeah, whereas the day I posted this I was still fuming, by now, just a couple of days later, it actually feels as if it happened a very long time ago.

Good. :smile:

Ilene

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I'm not a business owner, in the business or anything like that but I do have an opinion on this:

Be gracious, rise above it (ooh, a bread pun snuck in there). Send a small basket with a couple smaller loaves of whatever the chef raved about, address it to he and the owner of the restaurant. Thank him for his time and enthusiasm and that you appreciate the glowing compliments about your breads and if you feel like it, that you look forward to your future business relationship.

THEN LET IT GO. You were gracious, classy and extremely professional. You are holding your head high. They were putzes. As the saying goes, if it were meant to be, it would be.

and on an evil side, this let YOU get the last word in!! :cool:

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devlin,

I don't know if this is too late, but I have some advice. I have been involved with sales for a long time - I have had my own brand of baking mixes called Healthy Oven, which were in major grocery store chains across the US and in Whole Foods, for ten years, I was a food broker before that, selling 2,000 food products, and and now I run my own site, baking911.com.

My word of advice is that it takes a long time to cultivate a client. It took me two years to get Healthy Oven products into Wal Mart Superstores. One year to get my products nationwide into Whole Foods. The other accounts took years.

It takes years and years to cultivate relationships (key word) with clients. It has taken years to attract sponsors to baking911.com. I have had lots of people tell me to call them "next week" at a specified time and they aren't there - and, I finally get a hold of them months or years later - and, they eventually become a sponsor or buy my products. It's typical, and it happens all the time because sometimes I am not their top priority at the moment and when next week comes, sometimes an emergency arises in their company, and I get put on the bottom of the list - or they were emotional when they saw my product and then when they talk with the boss, he or she shoots their idea down. That's why there are salespeople and that's part of our job!

You have to be patient. Business relationships take a really long time to develop, and just because someone raves about you and your products, doesn't mean they are going to buy from you right away. There are many reasons why they don't.

The restaurant may be nervous about working with you because you are a one-person show. What if they sign a contract with you and you go out of business? Then what happens to them? They are concerned about quality and having a reliable source of bread, as well as having an excellent product. <Maybe they are nervous about you as a sole proprietorship.

You have to think about the sale in their eyes. Remember a sale goes both ways - they have to feel comfortable, too. Think about what they want - It's not just great tasting bread. They want consistent quality, a reliable source, timely deliveries, someone they can call at the last minute and increase the order x% for a big party, and a long business relationship with someone. You my not be big enough for them. Who knows? Don't take it personally.

The chef isn't going to tell you that or neither is the owner because people never do. They may want to watch you for awhile and see what happens. The chef became [passionate about your product, but your business may be too small for them. So, just keep in contact and take it as a compliment and move on. That's the way it goes!

Or, maybe their current bread provider is the owner's son? And, the chef is pissed and that's why he made such a big show with your bread - yours is delicious and fabulous and the Chef wants a great tasting bread in his restaurant, not one that is picked simply because someone is a relative! You don't know! There are a thousand maybe's that are out of your control. Maybe 10 people quit last week and bread quality is last on their list right now. You don't know....And, I find it's a waste of time to rack your brain and get mad. It's out of your control.

You have to be persistent in a friendly way for a long time. Drop by and say hi. Call on the phone every couple of months. You have a great fan, and you can use the chef as a reference in your other sales calls. Just say that he raved about your bread!

Good for you! You got some excellent feedback! I would move on, but stay in touch with the restaurant because the chef is a fan! You never know - The chef may call you for a special party down the road, or call you someday. Or, you may never do business with him at all at that location. He may refer you to a friend or open another business someday. Business works in funny ways. If all buisness accounts were so easy to get, you'd have a booming business right now! HEHEHE!

Keep smiling and be positive and continue to believe in your product. (And, don't be overly pushy - it never works.) That's what sells more bread.

Edited by Sarah Phillips (log)

Happy Baking! Sarah Phillips, President and Founder, http://www.baking911.com

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devlin,

I don't know if this is too late, but I have some advice. I have been involved with sales for a long time - I have had my own brand of baking mixes called Healthy Oven, which were in major grocery store chains across the US and in Whole Foods, for ten years, I was a food broker before that, selling 2,000 food products, and and now I run my own site, baking911.com. 

My word of advice is that it takes a long time to cultivate a client. It took me two years to get Healthy Oven products into Wal Mart Superstores. One year to get my products nationwide into Whole Foods. The other accounts took years.

It takes years and years to cultivate relationships (key word) with clients. It has taken years to attract sponsors to baking911.com. I have had lots of people tell me to call them "next week" at a specified time and they aren't there - and, I finally get a hold of them months or years later - and, they eventually become a sponsor or buy my products. It's typical, and it happens all the time because sometimes I am not their top priority at the moment and when next week comes, sometimes an emergency arises in their company, and I get put on the bottom of the list - or they were emotional when they saw my product and then when they talk with the boss, he or she shoots their idea down. That's why there are salespeople and that's part of our job! 

You have to be patient. Business relationships take a really long time to develop, and just because someone raves about you and your products, doesn't mean they are going to buy from you right away. There are many reasons why they don't.

The restaurant may be nervous about working with you because you are a one-person show. What if they sign a contract with you and you go out of business? Then what happens to them? They are concerned about quality and having a reliable source of bread, as well as having an excellent product. <Maybe they are nervous about you as a sole proprietorship.

You have to think about the sale in their eyes. Remember a sale goes both ways  - they have to feel comfortable, too. Think about what they want - It's not just great tasting bread. They want consistent quality, a reliable source, timely deliveries, someone they can call at the last minute and increase the order x% for a big party, and a long business relationship with someone. You my not be big enough for them. Who knows? Don't take it personally.

The chef isn't going to tell you that or neither is the owner because people never do. They may want to watch you for awhile and see what happens. The chef became [passionate about your product, but your business may be too small for them. So, just keep in contact and take it as a compliment and move on. That's the way it goes!

Or, maybe their current bread provider is the owner's son? And, the chef is pissed and that's why he made such a big show with your bread - yours is delicious and fabulous and the Chef wants a great tasting bread in his restaurant, not one that is picked simply because someone is a relative! You don't know! There are a thousand maybe's that are out of your control. Maybe 10 people quit last week and bread quality is last on their list right now. You don't know....And, I find it's a waste of time to rack your brain and get mad. It's out of your control.

You have to be persistent in a friendly way for a long time. Drop by and say hi. Call on the phone every couple of months. You have a great fan, and you can use the chef as a reference in your other sales calls. Just say that he raved about your bread!

Good for you! You got some excellent feedback! I would move on, but stay in touch with the restaurant because the chef is a fan! You never know - The chef may call you for a special party down the road, or call you someday. Or, you may never do business with him at all at that location. He may refer you to a friend or open another business someday. Business works in funny ways. If all buisness accounts were so easy to get, you'd have a booming business right now! HEHEHE!

Keep smiling and be positive and continue to believe in your product. (And, don't be overly pushy - it never works.) That's what sells more bread.

Thanks for your response. I guess I just have to keep saying that for me this didn't have anything to do with how I think about sales or how to do sales. I really do understand that sometimes it takes a long time to get particular customers, and I also think (and did from the beginning) that the owner probably has a really good relationship with their current supplier and probably knows them, and so would be reluctant to change because of that and so I would be lucky to get them, and that it might take a long time to get them if I ever did, that I would have to be persistent, and that because I'm new in the business, that's just another thing to factor into someone changing from a long-standing supplier. I get that, I really really really do. I've always gotten that.

My principle whine was simply the inconsiderate follow-up by the chef. And by now I'm sounding like a broken record. The behavior of the chef, the continual "Call me on Tuesday," "Call me on Thursday," Call me, blah blah blah" and the never-ending cycle of that is what hacked me off. It's really that simple.

Here's the thing. Many people in the business of buying product (owners and chefs) should figure out a better and more consistent way of handling people, and if they say they're going to do something, they should do it. The excuses offered up by some that it happens all the time because people are afraid of saying no doesn't make their behavior right. Just because a thing happens doesn't make it okay. To my mind, THAT's unprofessional. As I said, we're all adults here. Adults doing business should really understand that saying no thank you is all it takes.

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devlin,

I agree with you - it's unprofessional - ok! But, it happens at all levels of business all the time. There's nothing you can do about it.

But, you asked: "Any suggestions about how to deal with this sort of thing? Or maybe I just do what I guess is the obvious, simply drop it and move on."

Maybe you just wanted to vent? I was just answering your question, that's why I responded.

Good luck!

Edited by Sarah Phillips (log)

Happy Baking! Sarah Phillips, President and Founder, http://www.baking911.com

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