Surviving as a Salesman

From VANEEpedia

Gary and Jacky Feltz own Master Sales Inc., a foodservice brokerage out of Sussex, WI. In this Industry Interview Gary answers some questions about what him and Jacky are doing to manage in this rumble-tumble economy.

Jacky and Gary have been married for 37 “fantastic years” and have owned Master Sales since 1984. The Feltzes have two children, Jessica and Jason and four grandchildren. The Feltzes sail and scuba when they’re not at the office, although Gary said “it doesn’t really seem like work when you enjoy it.”

How to deal with this economy? Let the other guys worry about why they can’t sell in this economic environment. Places that serve quality meals, offer affordable prices and aren’t afraid to do some aggressive promotions are pulling in the customers. Look around on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. There are numerous establishments that still command a waiting list to get in. Find those operations and go sell to them.

Vanee challenge? One of the bigger challenges in selling Vanee products is getting customers to sample the products hot. Too often, customers have the wrong mind set about how much quality can be put into a canned product. The only way to overcome that is to literally stick a fork or spoon of hot food into their mouth. From there, it’s all downhill.

Future of the industry? By the end of 2009, the industry is going to weed out those establishments who were only in it for the quick dollar profit. Only those places committed to the long haul will be here a year from now. The only blue print for success is to have an open mind, don’t cut corners on quality, and partner up with proven vendors like Vanee Foods.

Favorite part of your job? Coming into work each morning to do what I can to get something sold. Sales are the engine that drives the bus.

Humiliating moment? I was at a local distributor food show and I was resting my hand on a food chaffer that was full of hot food and located right at the entrance of the show. With less than ten minutes before the opening of the show, the chaffer legs gave way and all the product oozed onto the table and floor. That then became a “Chinese Fire Drill” to get everything cleaned up.

Proud moment? One of the most successful Vanee stories I was involved in was when we did the soup conversions with a major distributor and literally won 20 out of 20 cuttings against the competition. We then placed our 5 soups into each of the four houses and booted the other guy right out the door.

Master Sales

CONTACT: 262 820-1000, foodbrk@execpc.com

ADDRESS: N63 W24301 Main Street, Sussex, WI 53089

YEARS WITH VANEE: Since August 1996