by Cameron Smith

Decision makers for the Wal-Mart supplier teams are the major league players of the consumer packaged goods industry.

They were plucked off the best of the best campuses across the U.S. to take entry-level sales positions in the field. Many started out as Territory Managers and the best rose through the ranks of the CPG teams. They are judged on deliverables which turn into braggables – and up the ladder we go. District Manager, Region Manager, Zone Manager, Trade Marketing until the elite athletes get a chance to play in the Superbowl of CPG: Wal-Mart.

To give you an idea of the magnitude of responsibility that comes with this account, consider the result of one mistake in analyzing “the numbers.” That mistake could cost hundreds of factory jobs at the corporate office. In 14 years working with CPG major league players, I have plenty of memorable moments. Here’s one I will never forget: Factory workers applauding the sales force and other visitors as we toured the facility with our safety glasses on. All I can say is these suppliers are the best.

As the suppliers have made their way to Bentonville and set up satellite offices over the past 16 years, the size of what would eventually be called a team doubled, tripled and quadrupled in size. Whether it’s category management, RFID replenishment or consumer insights, the suppliers have to be on their game.

These suppliers are not here to sell to Wal-Mart, they are here to service Wal-Mart. You see, to be successful at Wal-Mart, you not only have to be a good marketing company. You must be a great service company. When people talk about Wal-Mart, they talk about speed and how they can navigate through the numbers to manage the business at the home office and Wal-Mart more efficiently.

The suppliers who are here and get it – meaning their company is happy and Wal-Mart is happy – they are the ones we are asked to recruit.

Companies who are late to the party in having a local presence can make up a lot of ground when they can recruit a player in the same category, someone who has moved the needle consistently and has learned how to be very strategic. In other words, someone smart, quick and accomplished with experience playing in the Superbowl of CPG.

by Stephanie Meehan

Life is not fair, and that is never so evident than in the lottery of looks and college education. Some people are born into health and resources and families that value accomplishment and foster high expectations. Others not so much. But often the people who did not get the chance to grab a degree early end up working harder and smarter, developing skills money can’t buy.

Recently I was checking references for a great candidate on track to receive an offer. Amy had done a stellar job in replenishment at Wal-Mart working with some of the world’s biggest brands. She had since gone to work for a smaller supplier which was soon downsizing, so she was back on the market.

Everyone who knew Amy's reputation wanted to hire her – including some of those big-name companies she had worked with at Wal-Mart. There was a sort of race to see who could bring her on board first. Her references were an enthusiastic chorus of praise for her poise, her collaborative style, her patience, her initiative. There was only one drawback: She had never finished her degree.

The only person I spoke with who was not happy to provide a reference worked for a big supplier and had tried to hire Amy himself.  Here is what he had to say:

Amy’s the best replenishment manager I have seen in ten years. I would love to have her on my team. We interviewed her and thought we could overcome the degree thing, but [our company] officially drew the line in the sand as of January 1st that we would not bring anyone into logistics without a degree.

Amy always held herself to an extremely high standard. When we heard she was looking, we interviewed her. A six-person team agreed she was the top candidate of a long list of qualified people. But company policy would not allow us to hire her. So now we have to settle for less than the best. It’s very frustrating.

Amy had other offers, and we were proud to place her with one of our client companies. But she knows that working smart and networking may not be enough to protect herself and her family in this economy. To be welcome at the best companies and avoid putting a cap on her earning potential, she has a plan in place to finish her degree. It’s good insurance and a great investment.