Working For a Saddle Company

[alter_saddle]

Hi ya’ll, posting under an alter because this would result in me leaving a current position.

Currently I have a job outside of the horsey world (boo-hiss) it is somewhat lucrative. I’m not making minimum wage, but I could certainly be making more.

I was recently (aka this morning) offered a position in the US with one of the french saddle companies. I’m trying to get a gauge on what these companies are like to work for.

We often have threads on here bashing the customer service, complaints about how the saddle ordered wasn’t the saddle received, etc.

I’m very reluctant to say which company it is with as well as what the position is, because it would be easily identifiable. However, I thought this was the best place because someone might have real world experience.

I would love to actually work in the horse world, and I am well aware it’s not the easiest field or the easiest people to deal with. I’ll stop rambling now, TIA!!!

[monalisa]

There seems to be a lot of turnover in these jobs. I would try to find out why.

[SnicklefritzG]

I would look first and foremost at what territory you are supposed to cover. How much driving are you expected to do and how are you reimbursed for it?

In my area, there are some reps who are wonderful and some who are not.

There are some reps who are terribly overworked. There is one in my area (I won’t say which company), who has a regular full-time job and then does the saddle fitting on the side. I don’t know how that person does it. They have to do a LOT of driving since the territory is so large geographically.

I know some other reps who are covering more than one state and as such have very long commutes.

A lot of the complaints the reps get have nothing to do with anything the rep does.

A very well known independent saddle fitter in my area has said that you could take the same measurements, give them to two different people and they would make a different saddle. The point is that while there may be a template, each person’s work is slightly different so the saddle will not come out exactly the same way.

I’ve returned two custom saddles because neither fit my horse. I chose to get my money back rather than to have the saddle fixed. I would find out what happens to you when a customer makes a return. Do you lose your commission? I would imagine so. Are you “dinged” in any way?

I would ask a lot of questions before you think about taking the position.

[Jaideux]

I have a friend that works for CWD. We’re not super close anymore, but we keep up on fb. She seems quite content and has balances her upper level ammy riding with doing sales, etc, in such a way that makes me think she is quite content.

[gottagrey]

I used to work at a tack store & we had an in-house saddler fitter, she was offered a job by one of the saddle companies… it’s been about 8 years and she’s still with them.

I agree though - find out exactly what the salary is, territory, benefits in terms of vacation, health, holidays etc…

[flowerpot]

I have a lot of good friends who are reps in the saddle world. It is not the life for someone who is not willing to work hard and hustle! I think that it can be a great job if you like to travel a lot and meet new people. Ultimately, you have to be very outgoing and knowledgable! I would talk to as many other people as you can who have this type of job. You also have to remember that you will be expected to sell a certain amount each month and that will be easier in some locations than others. Good luck!!!

[findeight]

Have to get more details, for yourself, don’t need to share specifics on here. And are you talking sales rep? Fitter? Both?

That’s a specialized market with not that big a consumer/ potential buyer base- most folks have more horses then saddles and the smaller pool who can afford them new expect the upper end brands to last many years.

Reps I have known either handle other merchandise from other manufacturers or have another job and rep on the side. Be careful there is enough income potential to justify leaving your current job. Preferably not just commission.

[vxf111]

Are you into sales? Because it’s a sales job. Constantly making contacts, pushing product, hustling, hustling, hustling. Commission based. You eat what you kill. You have to be looking to sell product to just about every Tom Dick and Harry you meet-- and bust your butt to make the sale. Nothing wrong with that. But it’s not for everyone.

[alto]

[QUOTE=vxf111;7694683]
Are you into sales? Because it’s a sales job. Constantly making contacts, pushing product, hustling, hustling, hustling. Commission based. You eat what you kill. You have to be looking to sell product to just about every Tom Dick and Harry you meet-- and bust your butt to make the sale. Nothing wrong with that. But it’s not for everyone.[/QUOTE]

:lol:
This is so not a description of my fav local saddle rep - she has the most laid back, relaxed approach, sets up the saddles, discusses how each saddle fits horse & rider, will say if your current saddle is just fine, won’t say much if your current saddle is awful (unless you bring it up) … she is way too busy :lol:

But it is definitely about working with people - perhaps even more than it is about horses - and you really should like driving!
(unless you’re going to be in head office)

[vxf111]

[QUOTE=alto;7694728]
:lol:
This is so not a description of my fav local saddle rep - she has the most laid back, relaxed approach, sets up the saddles, discusses how each saddle fits horse & rider, will say if your current saddle is just fine, won’t say much if your current saddle is awful (unless you bring it up) … she is way too busy :lol:

But it is definitely about working with people - perhaps even more than it is about horses - and you really should like driving!
(unless you’re going to be in head office)[/QUOTE]

That is the exception, not the rule. I worked in sales for 6 years. Thankfully only partially commission. Of course you want to give customers good service and not rush… but if you want to earn a regular living wage in sales, you always have to be trying to make the sale and thinking about the next one. I’d be curious if you rep supplements her sales earnings in other ways (either with another part time job or by charging for other services like fitting and adjustments). If your income is entirely commission based, you have to sell. As much and as often as you can.

[gypsymare]

[QUOTE=vxf111;7694683]
Are you into sales? Because it’s a sales job. Constantly making contacts, pushing product, hustling, hustling, hustling. Commission based. You eat what you kill. You have to be looking to sell product to just about every Tom Dick and Harry you meet-- and bust your butt to make the sale. Nothing wrong with that. But it’s not for everyone.[/QUOTE]
I work in sales and was terrified that your description was what I would have to embody when I took my first outside position. Thankfully, I shadowed a super laid back good ol’ boy for a few days and realized that’s not who I have to be to be successful. Success in sales is not about being pushy. It’s about finding out what your client needs first then providing it with excellent support and people skills. Pushy sales people make folks uncomfortable and don’t get called back.

[vxf111]

[QUOTE=gypsymare;7694955]
I work in sales and was terrified that your description was what I would have to embody when I took my first outside position. Thankfully, I shadowed a super laid back good ol’ boy for a few days and realized that’s not who I have to be to be successful. Success in sales is not about being pushy. It’s about finding out what your client needs first then providing it with excellent support and people skills. Pushy sales people make folks uncomfortable and don’t get called back.[/QUOTE]

I didn’t say PUSHY… just CONSTANTLY working at it. You can’t sit back and let people come to you unless you have a very exclusive and highly sought after product. You have to always be working and looking to make a sale. It’s not a job for someone who isn’t self motivated, a people person, hard working, and willing to pound the pavement. You don’t have to be a stereotype used car salesman-- but you do have to be out there constantly working. At least, if you want to earn a good living from the commissions alone.

[pony4me]

Many, many , many years ago, I worked for a saddle company and was not happy. They always had financial problems like cash flow and inventory valuation. If you like the company, and think they have a good product, properly marketed, and properly priced, give it a try. Also consider whether the company has the necessary budget for advertising and marketing, and try to figure out if their sales reps are doing a good job keeping orders rolling in and keeping customers happy.

[lrp1106]

Milouette55 used to work for CWD and I’m not sure if she still works for Voltaire. Amandine is her name I believe (and I know I’m not breaking any unspoken COTH rules here because everyone referred to her by this!). I haven’t seen her post in forever, so I don’t know if she still checks COTH but she would be a good person to ask.

ETA: just checked if she still logs in using the member list, and it looks like she last logged in June 26, so maybe send her a PM!

[BAC]

[QUOTE=lrp1106;7695291]
Milouette55 used to work for CWD and I’m not sure if she still works for Voltaire. Amandine is her name I believe (and I know I’m not breaking any unspoken COTH rules here because everyone referred to her by this!). I haven’t seen her post in forever, so I don’t know if she still checks COTH but she would be a good person to ask.

ETA: just checked if she still logs in using the member list, and it looks like she last logged in June 26, so maybe send her a PM![/QUOTE]

Amandine was a new mother before she moved to Voltaire, so perhaps motherhood is taking up much of her time. She was always very helpful I thought.

[LTLFLDF]

Everyone saddle company is a little different as is everyone’s style of selling. It involves a lot of travel and I find that even on my days “off” I am still working, even if it is just a quick call or running ideas through my mind of what I need to get done. So if you have a significant other they need to be involved in the decision.

You need to be organized and good at time management. (I am not always great at this) You also need to be able to say NO.

Which saddle company you work for will dictate how the compensation plan is set up. I will say make sure it is a saddle you love or at least really like. Because when you have bad days or weeks (and you will) you need to really believe in the product you are selling.

Do your due diligence. Start here what are people saying. The look at the turn over of reps. Like someone else mentioned. Look at the territory they are offering you - is it large enough to keep business flowing but not to large that it is hard to develop relationships. Relationship are what sell in the end. There are too many options for people not to feel like they matter.

Feel free to send me a PM and I will be happy to answer specific question with in reason.

I will say that the company I work for isn’t nearly as “corporate” as most of the others but I can tell you about my experience and maybe direct you to a few other current and past reps who may have some insight.

[findeight]

OP, when you ask these people who have invited you to PM and chat? As you absolutely must? Be sure you are clear on compensation, especially if you have not worked as a sales rep before.

It could be salary + commission or a higher % commission only. Because you have a time lag between closing a sale and getting the commission, they sometimes offer a draw against commission-that means they advance you money but take it out of future commissions…and this traps a good many eager noobs.

And then there is their return policy, if it comes back, your commission can go poof. If they already paid it to you, they can take it out of future sales or your salary.

Determine how many saddles you have to sell every month based on whatever system they will use to pay you to establish some kind of projected income. Only then can you decide if you want to bail on your current job. It all comes down to can you live off the projected income.

Both self and sis have worked in sales. The jobs are easy to get and freely offered without much of a competitive hiring process- they know you’ll be flattered and dream of making money. The easier the sales job is to get, the more suspicious you should be, the best ones are much more competitive in hiring.

[alter_saddle]

Thank you all for your input! This has been pretty informative, it has confirmed that my questions about certain parts are valid. Sorry, I didn’t respond all weekend. I forgot the password for this alter.

I will be reaching out to those who offered PM information, I truly do appreciate it!

The things that make me feel a little more confident are that I do believe strongly in the product, it was not an easy job to come by and it certainly helped that one of their sponsored riders was my initial recommendation for the job. I am also confident in this area as it is one of the “horseiest” areas in the country.

However, I am neurotic and do like to go into everything seeing all sides. The company has allowed me a fair amount of time to mull over the offer which I appreciate.

[monalisa]

I would also want to work at a company that regularly sets up shop at the bigger shows in your region. IMHO that is huge - having a rep at a tent with tons of saddles at a show where you can try them out. I see CWD out all the time.

[findeight]

[QUOTE=monalisa;7697332]
I would also want to work at a company that regularly sets up shop at the bigger shows in your region. IMHO that is huge - having a rep at a tent with tons of saddles at a show where you can try them out. I see CWD out all the time.[/QUOTE]

Unless you are NOT the rep in the tent and it’s in your territory staffed by a traveling sales rep allowed to work in your territory. Or not in your territory but close enough to draw your potential clients to that location. Or even a mega circuit some distance away that’s preferred by potential clients who will be there instead of using your services at home because the tent has more inventory, including used, then you have on hand.

Some companies compete with their own reps or have too many reps period.