Pedro Bossy, left, of Shetakis Wholesalers, saved his good customer George Noel of the Palm Hotel a significant amount of money by
suggesting other chicken parts for its smoked selections.
Bossy explained in a recent interview with ID that there are three components of a business
relationship with the operator: service, quality and price. If the DSR allows all three to be present and dictated by the operator, the sales rep will ultimately lose because the enticement of price – in other
words, his sales – will force him to run all around town trying to satisfy the other two elements.
Consequently, for everyone to make money and be profitable, it’s better not to discuss price but
rather focus on providing the operator with top-notch service and quality products. That has been Bossy’s go-to-market strategy for the 22 years that he’s been a DSR, eight of which have been with
Shetakis.
Bossy, who was born in Mexico and has lived in Las Vegas since 1962 – he told us that he is not related to former New York Islanders star forward Michael Bossy – began in the
foodservice industry as a food and beverage buyer for the Golden Nugget. However, he was lured to distribution sales by the siren of a glamorous life.
“I came to realize that the sales people, who were
servicing my account, were the ones that were always taking nice vacations and trips, getting the nice cars, while I was struggling as a buyer. So, I thought, I’d have to give that a try,” he recalled of
his decision 22 years ago to become a DSR.
Bossy first joined Valley Foods, a broadliner that was ultimately bought by U.S. Foodservices. After working there for a couple of years, he went to work for Sysco
for four years before rejoining Valley Foods. During his second tour with Valley it was acquired by U.S. Foodservice, which became his employer for seven years. He came to Shetakis eight years ago.
“I’m my customers’ partner, even their employee.”
Working as a buyer at the Golden Nugget, Bossy formulated a
sales tenet that would serve him throughout his career as a DSR. He said the worst feeling that he had was not having anybody to turn to when he was in a bind. It was then that he promised himself to be always
available for his customers, ready to help them with personal service or the best products. Charlie Jackson, coo of the distributorship, observed that Bossy will do whatever it takes to help his accounts.
Remembers Bossy: “For example, last Saturday, a customer
called me at 2 PM, asking for clear containers. The operator doesn’t even buy my clear containers. At 4 PM I went to the warehouse and picked up 3,000 of them and delivered them to the account.”
Fortunately for him, he has a truck that can fit 15 cases of 200 units per case.
“Those are the things that I pride myself on. I delivered the containers and didn’t even invoice the customer
until Monday,” he said.
Bossy related a few additional episodes of his approach to customer service.
“Two years ago, on New Year’s Eve, a customer, who buys bottled water from me,
ran out of water. Our warehouse was closed. I went to the warehouse with my wife to pick up 200 cases of water and deliver them by hand to my customers.
“I used to work for Sysco Phoenix and I had a
customer 80 miles out of Las Vegas. My delivery trucks drove by the freeway exit every day, bringing product to Las Vegas. My customer needed rib eyes for a banquet, but my delivery truck was not going out to the
account until after the banquet. I called customer service and had the rib eyes put on the end of truck and labeled as ‘salesman will.’ I met the truck at two in the morning on the interstate to get the
product off the truck so that I could deliver it on time.
“Another time, one of my customers had ordered a whole hog, fully dressed, for a Luau. He had ordered the hog from one of my competitors, and
his delivery did not show up. Of course this happened on a Saturday morning. My customer called me asking for help. I told him I did not even deal in whole hogs but I proceeded to call the local pig farm. The pig
farmer told me to come over and pick one up. I did not realize that the pigs were still alive. I was told to pick one out. After 15 minutes had passed – I will spare you the gory details – I took the hog
to my customer. The receivers, at my customer’s dock, wanted to refuse the hog, because it was warm. I tried to explain to them that it had been alive less than 30 minutes ago. I asked if they would call the
chef out. The chef proceeded to check the hog’s tongue and approved the product. This happened at George Noel’s hotel, about 12 years ago.”
Noel, currently director of purchasing at the Palm Hotel, is still a customer of Bossy.
Bossy explains his level of person dedication to his customers by saying, “Anybody can do this job, 9-5, Monday
to Friday. It’s on weekends, holidays and off hours that you shine as a DSR because that’s when not everybody can do what you do or is willing to do.”
“I’ve gained their trust so I can’t provide them with products that are inferior to their expectations.”
Most of Bossy’s accounts are bid contracts with a number of Las
Vegas’ famous casino-resorts, such as the Wynn, Venetian and Palm Hotel – all told 36 of them. He also services a local chain – Memphis Championship Barbecue, for which he is the prime vendor.
“I have the Boyd Group which consists of nine casinos. That’s one corporate purchase management. It’s easy to call on that group because corporate makes purchases, which guides the business.
But in reality that’s nine casinos in one account,” he said.
On the casino side, his food and nonfood products are destined for housekeeping, maintenance, coffee shops, buffets and employee
dining, which he said is one of the biggest parts of his business.
Bossy pointed out that he is fortunate in his work to have his wife, Tricia, a Shetakis sales rep of seven years, helping him keep
everything in order.
“My wife is the brains of the operation. She manages all of the paperwork for me. That’s my greatest advantage. I may get the glory but she’s doing all of the hard
work,” he said.
While his wife makes Bossy look good, he said his greatest contribution to his customers’ success is making them look good because if they don’t, then he doesn’t
shine.
“I have to provide product and services that won’t embarrass them. Customers take my word on products. I’ve gained their trust so I can’t provide them with products that are
inferior to their expectations and will embarrass them in front of their patrons,” he said. “I don’t want to give my customers a product that is beneath standards just so that I can make a sale.
After all, I still have to deal with them the next day.”
Cringing at the thought of being called a salesman because of the image of guy dressed in a double-knit suit selling used cars, Bossy pointed
out that consultative DSRs are not “one-deal wonders.”
“I’m my customers’ partner, even their employee,” he opined.
Bossy enjoys working in Las Vegas, noting that the experience doesn’t compare with any other city that he’s visited.
“I’ve never see such a concentration of business in one small area. I can walk from casino to casino,” he said.
“I go to bed early but if a customer calls me at night, my phone is always on.”
Apparently, at least for him, with the warehouse located in downtown Las Vegas, he can
actually see most of his accounts from the office window. Being so close to the center of activity is a boon for Shetakis and Bossy. The company offers same day deliveries without too much consideration for the
price of fuel.
“I have a customer who only does business by ordering for same-day delivery and that’s why we do a lot with him. We can service accounts like nobody else can. Most of my customers
are right here, except for a couple that are a little farther away but nonetheless easy to get to,” he said.
Bossy keeps price discussions out of his sales calls because his foremost task is to build a
solid relationship with his customers. By making himself constantly available to them, over time they realize that he is not intent on merely making a quick sale.
“I go to bed early but if a customer
calls me at night, my phone is always on. Some really do appreciate this attention while for others the appreciation lasts until you bail them out,” he said.
With many of his accounts ordering as many
as 1,600 line items per week, Bossy said it would be nearly impossible for him to input all of them into his laptop – even with the help of his CSRs. Consequently, he has coaxed all of his customers to place
their orders on line. Then how does he spend the 30-or-so minutes that a DSR has for a sales call?
“I socialize with them,” he replied nonchalantly.
“I mix in sales but most of the
time I just ask them how they’re doing. I ask them about their personal lives,” he said, noting that he laughs that he gets paid to be someone’s friend.
Bossy believes that there’s
never too much socializing in foodservice business relationships because it removes the adversarial element from the setting. Once friendship replaces adversity, the DSR and operator can work together instead of
against each other, he reasoned.
Bossy relies on product demonstrations to boost his business but he shies away from overwhelming his accounts with new items. Having taught himself how to conduct
demonstrations, his first step is to size up the competition in his account and determine each other’s strengths and weaknesses.
“I take two or three products and offer them to all of my
customers for a whole week. I show them the same product so I’m consistent and know what I’m doing. Some of my best sales are when I’m not trying,” he said. “Then I’ll sit back,
look at the results and see what kind of pricing I’ll need. A week or two later I’ll do the same with other products.”
One of his biggest frustrations is not being able to help his
customers. This occurs when customers make unreasonable requests or want products that aren’t available to him. In order to maintain his relationship with the account, Bossy said he looks for alternatives that
will satisfy his customer.
“I spend time researching products and even suggesting that they can get it from other distributors or even buying clubs,” he said. “When I make commitments to my
customers and we can’t come through for them, I have problems with that.”
“I socialize with them.”
With overall business in Las Vegas not as brisk at the action at the slot
machines, many operators are attempting to “trim the fat” and “tighten their belts,” according to Bossy, and consequently they’re looking to consolidate and save money. Bossy comes to
their rescue by analyzing what they’re currently buying from him and then suggesting alternatives.
“A major customer was using imported pasta at a rate of 150 cases a week. We were able to get
him guaranteed pricing on a high-quality domestic product for six months with an average savings of $6-7 a case. That was a tremendous sum for the account,” he said.
Bossy’s multi-unit account
was having trouble keeping up with the costs of the whole chickens that he was buying from him.
“I learned that for 19 years the account has been cooking and smoking the chickens and then pulling the
meat off the finished product. I suggested that the customer buy fresh random chicken and fresh thigh meat, which could be cooked and smoked like before. The yield test showed that there was a combined savings of
40% on the previous cost,” he said.
By conducting a precise food cost analysis for another account and switching it from a competitor’s product to one of his, Bossy was able to save the company
$100,000 per year.
As labor issues compound the situation for his accounts, Bossy suggested to a major property that was recently forced to lay off one-third of its kitchen staff to switch its soup
preparation to pre-made items. Now the customer is buying about 140 cases of soup from him.
In the eight years that Bossy, a company team player who regularly plays softball with delivery drivers who provide
him with tactical information about his accounts, has been with the distributorship, Shetakis has made a remarkable business turnaround and he’s proud to have contributed to that achievement. Operators no
longer doubt the company’s viability as it drives sales close to the $75 million mark, he said.
A member of UniPro Foodservice, Inc., Atlanta, Bossy said he regularly leverages the group’s
reputation in capturing new business. In reply to prospects’ queries about how can Shetakis compete with corporate distributors, he says: “UniPro has tremendous buying power and we’re able to be as
good if not better than the corporate distributors.”
About the glitz and glamour of The Strip, while he’s been very successful, as a DSR he hasn’t rubbed elbows with any stars. He did that
when he was with the Golden Nugget, having met Frank Sinatra, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, Natalie Cole and others.
While a starring role in the movie “Vegas DSR” not in the offing, the
future is nonetheless bright for Bossy as he continues to contribute to Shetakis’ growth.
“We’ve been very fortunate because Shetakis has become a very strong alternative for operators
compared with the corporate distributors because we’re a lot quicker on our feet and trimmer because we don’t have their expenses,” he said.
