With interest already building for the Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo this summer, the sporting flavour this year will be high with athletes from all over the globe honing their skills to compete across the 33 different sports.
PG Buzz ‘tracked’ down some of the industry’s own team of ‘medal winners’, aka independent sales agents whose respective and multifarious talents see them overcoming hurdles and delivering glory for both the companies they represent and their retail customers.
Brendan Cahill, agent for Wales and Gloucestershire takes up the baton and gives a ‘run down’ of life in his fast track!
What’s in your ‘kitbag’ of companies you represent?
“My main principals are Woodmansterne, Tracks, Alex Clark, Words ‘n’ Wishes and Glick. I don’t carry all these across Wales and Gloucestershire, but wish I did!”
What Olympic event is most akin to you as an agent?
“Straight away I thought of the one and only Daley Thompson (not showing my age at all?!!) and his prowess at the decathlon. Consisting of 10 track and field events over two consecutive days, with the winner, determined by the combined performance in all.
We as agents come across all hurdles every day, from the moment we leave our house to set out for our first appointment… be it running late, because of the weather conditions, or the customer having to rearrange the appointment at short notice, or all manner of other obstacles.
Just as Daley Thompson would not just turn up to run the 400 metres and then just go and throw the discus, as an agent a lot of hard work, preparation and organisation needs to happen before I walk into the appointment.
For example, at the start of the year I need to check how much Christmas product was sold in last year, make sure I have all new Christmas samples prepared to show them, plus know what’s new for this year. Added to this I have to be ready to present the new everyday product.”
What were the hurdles of 2019?
“I always try to be very positive, but the low points for me and I would guess for all of us out on the road, is the closing of our independent shops. This obviously has a knock-on effect on our sales, but it is not just that, as we also lose the friendship with those customers we have formed a relationship with over the years.”
And on the positive side, what was the ‘high jump’?
“2019 was the best year for me personally since I became an agent six years ago. I am truly privileged to represent the best principals in the industry. At the Glick Christmas meeting in early December I found out that I had won the joint Salesperson of the Year for 2019 award. I was well chuffed – a lovely spa weekend away with my lovely wife to look forward to. And, at the Woodmansterne Christmas launch, because of all the hard work of the Woodmansterne reps and agents, Paul Woodmansterne announced that he is taking us all to New York for a long weekend. Wow, I didn’t want 2019 to end!”
What is your 2020 training plan?
“I personally think 2020 is going to be a good year. Whether you were for or against the ‘B word’, it’s finally been sorted and we can all move forward. The new products launched for 2020 by all of my principals are the best ever, which I think is so important as a major factor for being a successful agent is representing companies who continue to produce new products regularly through the year, of which I am very fortunate to have in abundance.”
