what is the next kirby model

[IL-Kirby-Fan]

Distributors

I don't think Distributors are angry, most make decent livings. I think they're just bored and ready for a new model to market.

 

[trebor]

Brad...

Have you ever sold Kirbys, or been a Kirby distributor? Back a few years, I sold G4s, a lot of them.  I did training for my distributor.  SOME distributors make a good living, and some of those deserve to.  Some do not.  Ethics, for many distributors, not all, but many, take a backseat to profit. I have seen it. I was on track to be a Kirby distributor three different times. Ultimately, I could not stomach the lack of ethics in the Kirby structure.  They talk a good game, but nowhere, at anytime did I ever hear a distributor say things like "Illegal drugs have no place in my organization." or "A demo is not a date. Keep your clothes on and keep your personal life out of your professional life."   From what I witnessed, those things need to be said, and said regularly.


 


Trust me, even distributors who are successful feel cheated out of revenue from bags, belts, rebuilds, and accessories sold via the internet in their territory. And there is not a regular factory sponsored program for selling Kirby cleaning products and solutions. It is a revenue stream that would be grown to undreamed of heights if the distributors were to receive compensation for it. And it would help struggling dealers by giving them opportunities to sell additional products to their customers, including family and friends who did not purchase a Kirby. 


 


The average longevity of a distributor is key. Many do not last very long. Some do, many do not. It takes more than sales ability to be a good distributor. In fact, often the very traits that make the highest unit volume salesmen make for unsuccessful distributors, because they lack the interpersonal skills that make them good developers of future distributors.  Distributor development is pretty much a 'sink or swim' technique.


 


 

 

[IL-Kirby-Fan]

Yep

I was a Kirby dealer for several months and still work for a Kirby Distributor presently I work in the office. I am the Service Master, Inventory Control Manager and Personal Assistant to the owner.

I agree there are a lot of unethical things that go on in a lot of Kirby organizations, and a lot of things do not belong in the work place. I happy to say the office I work in is one of the better organizations. We up hold very high moral and ethical standards and represent the Kirby Company in a positive, respectful and appropriate manner. But I do know of other distributors around this area of the country who leave a lot to be desired so I do know what you mean.

 

[trebor]

Brad...

I am happy to hear things are going well for you, and your distributor is one of the good guys.

 

[IL-Kirby-Fan]

Thanks!

So you said in one of your posts that a Kirby Demo is not a date and to keep clothes on. There's gotta be a story there.

 

[trebor]

Brad...

There is a story there, and it is not pretty. It involved gross misconduct on the part of a young dealer, the outright congratulatory approval of every other person (all male, thankfully) in the van, the verbal abuse of me by the Divisional Supervisor, and the turncoat undeserved dressing down by my distributor of me and the area distributor I was helping to get started.  I told my distributor I was going to address this issue with the D/S and he approved. He then cowered liked a whipped pup before the D/S's wrath.


 


I drove 50 miles each way each day to work. I earned 3000.00 of which I never saw a dime. And while I am venting, the AD rode me in front of a class of new recruits about being upset over the loss of my dog of 16 years. I cried my eyes out in the vet's office, then sucked it up and went to work because we had a huge turnout from the ad. The third time he opened his mouth, I let him have it. I said 'Look, you coke-snorting, gin-swilling, skirt-chasing, low-life son-of-a-whore. I had my dog longer than you had all three of your ex-wives put together!"  I stayed until the turnout weekend was over for the sake of the recruits, but it was over. I was not getting paid, the AD was showing up hungover, and I had had it with the entire management structure.  The in-depth details of what happened in the house are sordid indeed, and are not suitable for sharing here, although the dealer eagerly shared them with the encouragement of the van crew. Serious TMI, and not boasting, given his appearance and aroma after the encounter.

 

[IL-Kirby-Fan]

WOW!

Scandilous!

Yeah, my office is nothing like that thankfully.

Anyway, yeah I sure hope the new Kirby comes out soon.

 

[trebor]

Sorry, Brad...

if you were expecting an amusing, slightly titillating, humorous anecdote. It was, and it is scandalous to this day.  These behaviors reflect badly on the Kirby name and its representatives.

 

[kirbyloverdan]

I always was taught

when you work for a company you NEVER speak bad about any another company or

competition even if you know it is true .

 

[trebor]

Dan...

Keeping secrets under the guise of confidentiality is what allows these kinds of incidents to continue. I relayed factual occurrences while not revealing any names or dates.  Revealing names, dates, and places serves no purpose now because those people are no longer in the Kirby business, but they made a lot of money undeservedly off the backs and feet of hardworking people. I lost three thousand dollars, and had, and still have no recourse. That is a substantial sum of money, at least it is to me. The refusal of many distributors to adhere to and uphold standards of ethical conduct has been the number one issue in the Kirby business for a number of years. They need much higher ethics much worse than they need a new model.

 

[kirbyloverdan]

Sorry about your loss but

I still beleive :

Be above the fray; be the class act.

You can get down and dirty with your competition but you end up covered in dirt.

By staying above this type of marketing, you look like a class act and you don’t

end up promoting your competitors.

 

[trebor]

I am not in competition with any Kirby office, or any DTD

operation. I say nothing about my competitors. There is a huge difference between competing business bad-mouthing each other and addressing an issue that is endemic and nearly, but not quite pandemic.  It's more than a difference, it's a quantum jump, a paradigm shift. The real issue is that too many distributors go along rather than speak up for fear of being thought a 'goody two-shoes' as the epithet goes.


 


"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing," Edmund Burke


"I shall assume that your silence gives consent" Plato


 


For speaking out, I got the black eye from those who should have defended their personal integrity, the honor of their chosen profession, and the good name of their company, and I am the one whose personal integrity is still being questioned?  Something is terribly wrong with this picture.  Every act of impropriety or dishonesty makes it more difficult for honorable dealers to make a living in the Kirby business. 

 

[IL-Kirby-Fan]

Ok, so the subject kinda drifted...but...

Does anyone have any actual information on the release of the next model Kirby? You don't have to reveal your sources just the information. I am just very anxious for it to come out. I can't wait.

 

[trebor]

Brad...

Every day is one day closer. It won't be any longer than 14 months, and according to Dan, sooner than that. I think spring of 2013, so if it were mid March, it would be six months.  If it is going to be yet this year, logically Kirby would choose a good time, after school starts, and before the election and before the holidays, October would make it 90 days.  There are a lot of people very worried about their jobs in addition to those who are unemployed and under-employed. $2000.00 plus cleaning system not a high priority for those people.  I am sure Kirby is paying very, very close attention to the statistics to time the launch of the new machine for the highest success.


 


 

 

[IL-Kirby-Fan]

True

Lets hope for 90 days, lol.