The Valve Chronicles: What Makes a Good Agent

This episode of the Value Chronicles was all about partnerships and making an excellent agent to cement relationships and deliver world-class service. Two long-time partners of Cla-Val joined host Tyler Kern to tackle this vital topic. Raeann Velasquez, Chief Executive Officer and Outside Sales Manager for Cimco-GC Systems, and Robb White, Regional Sales Manager at ESI, dove into the agent waters to reveal some of the secrets that make a good agent.

“People are the key element,” Velasquez said of the importance to her organization. “We have 22 employees between the two organizations, and we have representation of 18-years old up to 72. And we have employees that have longevity anywhere from six months to 41 years.”

“Experienced people are our biggest and most important asset,” White said. “Experienced people in our industry are very hard to find because it’s a difficult industry to find experienced people in.”

And to ensure those valued and experienced employees want to remain with the company, White said it was essential that his organization set goals and a vision that the employees buy into and accept. “They also have a say in that vision and goals. It’s incredibly important to us that everyone’s on the same page.”

So, what goes into a good manufacturer/agent relationship? “Just like any good relationship, it’s good on both sides,” White said. “That means they are providing the assistance, the support, the technical knowledge, the inventory, the ability to ship, and for us on our end it is we are having good communication, good feedback with them, and we are out promoting their product on a daily basis. We go to work every day, and we start with Cla-Val. It is the heart of who we are.”