BY BILL ADAMS
When the word vendor is used herein, it is synonymous with dealer and salesperson. Both are intended to be gender-neutral as are the words his, him, and he. Additionally, there is no inference or accusation that all fire apparatus salespeople are always belligerent.
There have been some vendors in the marketplace who have been described as rude and abrasive, although none I know profess being so. Depending on the circumstances, even mild-mannered and reputable dealers may become hotheaded and downright ill-mannered when triggered. Some can become belligerent and even vindictive. What sets them off?
I believe there are two basic reasons. The primary one is when a vendor believes or knows he has been lied to, deceived, or ignored by an apparatus purchasing committee (APC) or its designee. That is a harsh statement—one not easily proven but nonetheless one that should be discussed.
VENDOR INTERACTION
Any discussion concerning selling fire apparatus should acknowledge that most of the time there is a preferred dealer. Often, a preferred dealer is the only vendor an apparatus purchasing committee (APC) will interact with. I make no judgment on whether or not that is ethical or morally correct. That dealer will have a reasonable expectation of securing the order and probably has met with the APC numerous times to design the intended apparatus and develop purchasing specifications. It is reasonable to expect such a close relationship will result in a mutual understanding where each “knows” exactly what the other wants or means regardless of what is verbalized or in a specification’s verbiage.
Depending on how, and even if, the APC interacts with a nonpreferred dealer can trigger a response from the dealer. Some purchasing committees will unfairly lead a dealer on. As an example, an APC may require multiple meetings, request detailed engineering blueprints and specifications, and perhaps ask for an all-expenses-paid prebid factory inspection trip while promising to write an open and competitive specification.
However, if the APC has no intention of purchasing the vendor’s rig and was just working him over “for technical information, a free lunch, and a plane trip,” then the vendor may be justified in being aggravated. How an ill-treated dealer may react is unknown. Some may walk away, albeit disgusted and possibly out several thousand dollars in expenses with no possibility of making a sale. Others may become belligerent and justifiably so. Yet, others may become vindictive and attempt to belittle the APC and the fire department and even publicly humiliate both. That’s not right.
If an APC fairly and equally evaluates multiple manufacturers and does not like a vendor’s product—so be it. That vendor lost, the other vendor won, and the ballgame is over. Most reputable dealers will not cry foul and will move on because they might be the preferred dealer the next time and will expect a similar response from their peers.
AMBIGUOUS SPECIFICATIONS
The second reason, although a questionable one, for why a dealer may become belligerent is experiencing frustration with deciphering ambiguous purchasing specifications and being exasperated attempting to find a clear explanation of them. The preferred dealer should not have any concerns with purchasing specifications that are proprietary to his product or even written by him. Nonpreferred dealers may have a problem, especially if they have not had the opportunity to meet with the APC.
Some dealers will attempt to honestly decipher an ambiguous purchasing specificat