We just don't have the winners making up the marketing team that we once had. This team takes losses much too easily and there doesn't seem to be a sales leader that sets a strategy for each proposal and presentation. We were once feared in the industry since our team was darn good at what they did and we now seem to have a JV approach and the result is more losses than wins. We even have the salesman for the east living in Wisconsin and working the territory part time. No wonder we are getting our butt constantly kicked.
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And what do you think Follett paid to get TCU, Rice, and Louisville! Under 20%, no chance!
You guys never see the whole picture. You want bonuses right??? We are not going to bid to win unprofitable stores. B&N is paying these schools ridiculous commissions (over 20%). They will never make money on these campuses. And we just took over 3 B&N stores (Rice, Louisville, TCU).
old team worked hard and were always on call
At one point, every marketing VP had previously worked in a campus bookstore. You've got to know the business before you can sell the business. There was a time when every Home Office employee was assigned a campus store to work the rushes.
First off, BN still have executives running the show who started out in the business sweeping floors. They have found the right mix of both retail and bookstore experience and cuutre. We can not survive on a standard big box culture alone!
Here is some crazy talk....way back when I was a SM, my Marketing VP would occasionally stop by the store because he had lunch with the contact, had a few laughs and then, just checked on the store. That's called maintaining a relationship. Those days are gone as the only thing important to the upper echelon (aka bumbling idiots) is another flag on a map. Because of this failure to follow up, you are pulling more flags out of the map than you stick in.
Even our directt to customer sales are lowerdue to not having the books in our inventory . All we seem to have are junk books that dont sell .
Here's a question for Y'all. How can any sales organization justify employing an individual who looses more business then they bring in?
Hey "Y'all"! All you need do to verify some of the stats previously posted is simply compare a store list from June 2008 and one from May 2016. Take the Eastern Region as an example. Go state by state and do the math. More contracts have been lost than added. The Nebraska stores do not count. Need more? Speak to any Group VP, i.e. Dave Klein or any of the regional who have been on board since 2008. Ask Scott Deaton about Mike's refusal to relocate. Call the school contacts and see what they say about their relationships with FHEG. How about doing your homework before making baseless comments?
Follett offers no value at this point. NONE.
Price? Forget it.
Reputation? Who's Follett?
Innovative ideas? Are you kidding?
Unless you want the ghost of Cafescribe littering the hallways of academia, why invite Follett to some raise your prices?
Y'all have no idea what Y'all are talking about!
FHEG leads the industry in layoffs and firings. Can't marketing work with that?
If I were a FHEG employee at any level in the Eastern Region, I would be very worried. Ask yourself is my contract secure? What has Marketing done to maintain the relationship(s) needed to protect my job? When was the last time your Marketing VP been on campus? In your store? Having lunch or dinner with your contact? Playing golf at the school's annual fund raiser? No relationship equals no contract! B&N is having an easy time gaining market share. Once FHEG operated all 6 campus stores in DC. Now only 3. FHEG used to control Baltimore, not anymore. FHEG has lost 9 schools in New Jersey. Schools like Baruch College in NYC and Lemoyne in Syracuse are now gone. Every state in the Eastern Region has losses. The list goes on and on. If FHEG wants to reduce payroll and benefit costs simply just let some contracts go to the competition. Oh well!
Last poster you are confusing BN with BT who we bought . I think Follett is 4th or place in college book sales .
Let's see-they are bigger, more profitable, better infrastructure...who acquired who? Why the hell would FSS president report to someone from a company we bought? Transparency is such BS. Wouldn't be surprised if Woodridge and Mchenry locations see drastic changes
It takes passion and total belief in your produce to sell a college on turning their bookstore over to strangers. Both appear in short supply these days at Follett. We have accepted a lower bar for out target and now are living with the results. Come on team--- lets get back to winning.
They didn't enforce it because there are not ethics.
FHEG hasn't had a marketing presence in the industry since the departure of Dowdy, Flanagan and Sullivan. If anyone doubts that statement just look at the numbers. The East alone has lost nearly 50 old profitable accounts. During the tenures of Jim Bauman and Tom Christopher marketing was critical to the success of the organization. Were they perfect! Absolutely not but in comparison to what is in place now they were great! They provided direction, motivation and class. Marketing is now headed up by a family member who runs the department as if it was a used car dealership. Here's a question that still remains unanswered. "Why didn't FHEG upper management enforce the signed employment agreement that made relocation a requirement of employment for the current Marketing VP covering the East?" What's that old saying! Figures don't lie but liars do figure.