Dealing with Vendors

I have many vendors and vendor wanna bees that come into my store every day.  Some of my vendors are respectful, and understand that customers need to be served and their needs are second.  Unfortunately, most of the vendors and the wanna bees believe that their needs come first.

I have noticed that some sales people who come into my store want me to buy their product or service "right now."  They don't care that I am short staffed and have several customers requiring immediate service.  It doesn't matter if the that sales person is a current vendor or a hopeful, I still get the abrupt, "take care of me right now" attitude. 

Phone book sales people (in my area) are the worst.  They want to engage in a 45 minute conversation.  I even had three from the same company step over my threshold in three days.  I could have at least 10 customers standing in front of me, and they don't seem to care.  Phone book sales people need to hear "no" at least 101 times before they understand the word "no" and leave. 

I think there a statistic that says for every 100 no's there is one yes?

I'm a relationship person.  I have relationships with all of my customers, and I constantly take the time to nurture them.  I'm not willing to "put my customers off" because a greedy sales person wants to suck the time and money out of me.

Do I have the word "Meal Ticket" branded on my chest?

Other sales people, on the other hand, take the time to build a repoire with me.  They NEVER interrupt my interactions with my clients.  I've even had a couple of hopeful vendors socialize with my waiting customers while I provide service to other customers.  These sales people realize that I am a relationship person, and take the time to build a relationship with me. 

Guess what happened?  I bought their product/service.  Also, we have developed friendships. 

I fired a vendor recently.  Whenever there was a minor problem with equipment that he serviced, we let him know right away.  He seemed that he was interested in fixing the problem.  This last time I let him know that the equipment he serviced wasn't working, he got back to me five days after I left my message with a lame excuse about not getting the message.  On top of the lame excuse he had the audacity to tell me that he was insulted that the equipment that he serviced wasn't working properly and that I am the only person who has complained about his work (in a rude voice).  I stopped him and reminded him that I was a customer who has paid him for his service and he couldn't talk to me in that manner.  He told me that I was no longer a customer.  At that point I just hung up.   I don't have the energy to deal with cement blocks.

I live in a moderate sized city, but my industry is pretty small and we all know the local vendors.  Even my friends who own different businesses know the vendors that I deal with.  I met a gal who was an ex-girlfriend of a rude sales person that at least two of my business owning friends know.

On of my friends who owns a very successful business also sells Mary Kay.  She gets these vultures to buy her products.  If she has a very annoying sales person, she calls her husband to deal with them. 

I have made a decision that I won't deal with sales people who are looking for a quick sale.  I'm not rude.  These are people who are trying to feed their families and put a roof over their head.  I tell them that I have spent my allocated dollars for the year and it was a pleasure meeting them.