The Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail (http://www.nps.gov/ovvi) has a friend's group, Overmountain Victory Trail Association (http://www.ovta.org) to protect, preserve and promote the trail of the 1780 militia who left NC, VA, what is now TN, GA, and with men from SC, went to Kings Mountain and defeated the British Tory army. Thomas Jefferson said this battle turned the American Revolution to victory. After the march to Kings Mountain, the race to the Dan and murderous trek though eastern NC by Cornwallis, the war ended one year later at Yorktown, VA.

Pepsi accepted OVTA as a contestant in their Refresh Everything contest March 1st. Here is the link;
http://www.refresheverything.com/ovta

Read about our request for $250,000 to spread among 25 or more towns in western NC and the other states to educate students about the diversity, life-skills, causes and results of the American Revolution in the Southern States. We re-enact, hire artisans and storytellers, provide hands-on experiences, emphasis conservation and active use of trails, and conduct an annual physical march to Kings Mountain from Abingdon, Va to Kings Mountain National Military Park each September/October.

The militia of the Revolution represent the first National Guard. They were integrated, and in the backcountry, a collection of many nationalities. This story is not told enough.

Please vote to help us win the Pepsi Refresh money at http://www.refresheverything.com/ovta

We need a big push to be first or second by the end of March.

Vote for the March in March!! Thank-you, WOLFPACK!!! Want to be a reenactor? Join us too.

Donna Absher
Wilkes-Surry OVTA

3/8/2010 8:56:08 AM

Hey, let's post this in multiple sections

oh wait...





ibtmtcc

3/9/2010 4:53:25 PM

?

3/9/2010 5:17:41 PM

Y'all can vote in here. I'm not going back in that chit-chat spot. I have to figure out how to get into the Old school. they need more information or something...

3/9/2010 6:25:21 PM

Okay, I'm having a cultural experience but I'm adjusting.

THANK-YOU all, even the 137 of you in the chit-chat space. Somebody is helping OVTA move to the top in the Pepsi Refresh project. After i had my chat here, the poll move from 184 to 178 almost immediately. That is a lot!!! Thank-you!Thank-you! Thank-you!!!

3/9/2010 7:49:52 PM

^^

3/9/2010 8:09:45 PM

I realize this thread is about Pepsi (or not?), but hear me out, maybe I can offer some insight.

I am in outside sales, which is currently salary+commission, but will move into straight commission starting at the beginning of July 2010. I have been in this position since July 2009. I have competition from several direct manufacturing sales reps, large distributors, and local distributors. Here are the advantages and disadvantages of each:

Direct Advantages: Immediate knowledge of new technology, no middle man mark up, one shipping bill (paid by manufacturer or buyer of goods), access to larger range of non-commodity items, control inventory, have access to many distributors that can effectively sell their goods which increases market share, and set prices of commodity they manufacture.

Direct disadvantages: Typically have 1-3 sales reps per region (i.e. southeast, mid-atlantic, northeast, etc.) limiting the number of accounts they can successfully manage/cold-call, lack physical customer service or physical technical service available to or affordable for smaller users or altogether, are sometimes not trustworthy because they will go in behind their distributors that sell their commodity to one account in large quantities (i.e. they missed a big account, and have found out about it through a distributor selling their particular product) which leads to the distributor not selling their product anymore, have too many distributors selling the product ultimately driving the set price down through deviations, possibly rely on distributors to actually sell the product, and competition from other direct sources.

Large distributor advantages: have access to other commodities that go hand in hand with other manufacturers (poor example- grocery stores sell milk as well as cereal), get direct pricing, many locations regionally or nationally easing the shipping burden of buyers with multiple locations, personal service either customer or technical, many sales reps that are able to cover a broader territory, access to multiple manufacturers of the same commodity allowing to keep prices in check, service programs that smaller companies can't offer and direct providers can't match in price or value, and experts of many many commodities as opposed to one or a few.

Large distributor disadvantages: smaller local distributors creating price wars (think Michael Scott Paper Co vs Dunder-Mifflin), direct mfg's going in behind and stealing business, limited access to all of the mfg's (you won't find Harris Teeter name brands in Food Lion and visa versa), can't truly set prices because it's based on both supply and demand, territory management, and tough growth prospects in slower economies (this is true for direct as well really)

Local distributor advantages: Typically a good ol' boy setting where the seller and the buyer know each other for years (this does happen at all levels, but mostly at the local level), local folks are right down the street and can be used in emergencies, if the local guy buys at high enough volumes then there is no shipping charge to the end user, and access to both direct mfg's and large distributors.

Local distributor disadvantages: easily beaten in price, array of commodities, array of technology, lack of trained staff, low cash flow, etc etc etc.

This is what I have noticed in my six months, I am sure there are plenty more that need mentioning. The way I am setting myself apart as a sales person is this: I go after the big accounts right now while I am new. The big accounts, if I land them, will take care of me while I am new and building a customer base. The money made off of those allows me to focus free time on smaller accounts that get me higher margins. I build up big accounts, I would like to have 5-10 of these, then get 20-30 medium accounts. If I lose 1 or 2 big accounts, the 20-30 medium accounts keep me afloat while I go after new big accounts. I don't really waste time on small accounts simply because they basically pay for breakfast or something really small.

I will say this, if you can't get a big account in the first 6-8 months (assuming you have cash flow that you can ride this long) you could be in a world of trouble. If you can get one, it will really make going after the others a lot more enjoyable and less stressful. It's simply just very exhausting wasting any time on anything other than big accounts in the very beginning. You work just as hard on the medium sized accounts and see 1/3 to 1/36 of the money in my situation.

If you have any other questions, you can PM me. I hope this helps in the slightest!

3/9/2010 8:31:55 PM

YES!! Yes! It does help, believe it or not. When the opportunity presents itself, the big accounts or amounts are just as doable as a small one. It takes the same amount of time to give good customer service. So, to live, we must aim high.

So many people around me are so shaking their head at me asking to use $250,000 to help the reenactment. BUT its not that much money when its spread around!! We have people in five states to help us. We have an arts and culture expert at Pepsi to help us design our own grant and accounting measures. I have personally talked to the media group handling this promotion.

These Pepsi people have it right. All they want is for you to think Pepsi and create valuable, useful projects in your community so you'll keep thinking of them. They are certainly getting that.

In the end we are just as creative and just as effective in a local setting as trying to force fit our needs into another person's grant. Even if we don't win money, now you know about OVTA and i guess I wouldn't have put so much effort into telling you if I wasn't "encouraged" by the opportunity to help students in our western counties see live animals, learn about fire and blacksmiths, clay and spinning.... and on and on...

I really did learn something in the ChitChatATTACK! Young people -that is you guys under 30- have already had enough of traditional advertising. You tune it out. You expect to be cheated by people trying to sell you anything... It didn't used to be that way. BUT, the experience shows me the huge importance of being real and relevant. I hope you guys know I mean it now.

Thanks so much EMCE too. Sorry about that black eye. I wasn't expecting the firestorm. I went away from the site and when I came back it was engulfed!!!

I'll keep everyone informed here about OVTA. You can also join us on Facebook at Wilkes-Surry Overmountain Victory Trail Association. AND you can vote everyday too!!! YAY!!! HUZZAH!! Up and at'em!!!
there, ifeel better..

3/9/2010 9:09:17 PM

errr... we should 'chat' about some stuff sometime. I'll take the time to explain a few things to you

3/9/2010 9:14:10 PM

I'd like to apologize for bringing chitchat to the lounge





and yes, plz don't take that outside sales repost seriously

3/9/2010 9:30:09 PM

ahttp://www.... okay, tomorrow is another day. sleep tight.

3/9/2010 9:49:25 PM

don't post the same thread in multiple sections

3/10/2010 7:54:02 AM