Lessons for Old Hands

Good lesson today.  Even us old guys can still learn.

I went out to visit a good customer -- one that has been a long-time customer.  I learned that there were some problems brewing that needed to be addressed -- and NOW.  There were no signs.  There were no clues.  There had been no red flags.  It was a situation where some issues were percolating on the back burner that needed attention but no one was noticing.

I had an hour and a half with 3 of the top 4 individuals in the organization.  A very open and frank discussion.  Within an hour of the conclusion of the meeting I was able to respond to the concerns.

The lesson is this:  Never take a customer for granted.  Take time to touch base on a regular basis.  Ask probing questions.  If there are concerns, address them.  Don't ever think their concerns are immaterial.  Deal with them.

We are now back on track.  I will be back at their operation tomorrow to observe and train.  The lines of communication are open and there is an even stronger sense that we are all on the same team -- trying to make things better.

Life is good.

John 14:6

Back Home Again

It's the pits when I don't get a chance to blog. The last couple of days have been full, full, full! That's good though because there was quite a bit of it that was productive.

I am back home. It was a great trip to Denver to the National Cattlemen's Beef Association (NCBA) mid-summer conference. It is still going on, but I did not stay for all of it. Basically I traveled up to attend a committee meeting and to meet with a few customers and prospects. All of it turned out well. The meeting that I mentioned in the last post actually fell through and has been rescheduled at their place of business. I'm still excited about the opportunity and more so because they initiated the contact and in spite of scheduling difficulties, they continue to express much interest.

I know that I've mentioned it before, but I enjoy meeting with customers and prospects more than any other part of my job. We offer a service that is innovative and of high value. It is easy to get excited about educating people on how it can benefit their operation.

Education is another major component of successful selling. A good salesperson needs to be an exceptional educator. If you cannot explain, teach, show, etc. your product in a manner that highlights the benefits to your customer, you will struggle with sales. A good salesman knows his offering and can easily and quickly articulate its features and benefits -- with excitement! Your enthusiasm if genuine, is contagious. You should be excited about what you are selling. If you're not, you need to find something else to occupy your time!

Developing Relationships in Business

Ranando suggested that he liked for me to write about my business, sales and such in his response to An Appeal. Today I was able to arrange something for a customer that was a good example of how-to-do-things right.

Late yesterday afternoon I received a call from a customer that had "tested the waters" with us but never really committed to doing much volume. The customer is a mid-sized cattle feeding operation in Kansas that employs an "in-house" veterinarian. It was the veterinarian who called.

They have a customer whose cattle often present management problems for the feeding company due to their origin. The service that we provide is one designed to help eliminate some of the types of problems they have been experiencing through pro-active diagnostics. Our service is a great fit to solve at least part of their difficulties. The veterinarian saw the possibilities but is having difficulty convincing the feeding company's senior management and their customer that the service will be beneficial and provide a significant return on their investment.

I asked for a little time to put something together that might help him to which he readily agreed. I then contacted one of my suppliers to explore some ideas. Together we saw an opportunity to provide them with a discounted pricing for our service on a "trial number" of tests. The idea was to show them the benefits in a fashion that was palatable to both the customer and to senior management at the feeding company. I then arranged a conference call for this afternoon that involved the veterinarian, my supplier and me. It went extremely well.

By acting as an advocate for my customer, I was able to position my company favorably with him. By involving the technical services of my supplier, I was able to increase credibility with my customer and bring into play resources that I would not have been able to provide independently. By setting up the "trial run" we are able to gather data for my supplier as well as for my customer. The veterinarian looks good to his management because he is able to arrange the trial at a discounted price that ultimately will benefit his company's largest customer. It became a win-win-win situation.

The other benefit the call provided was in the enhanced relationship that it created with my customer. What was a tenuous foothold with them, is now a much stronger relationship. The potential with this customer is fairly large. We are currently providing only a small number of tests for them. The trial that we are doing will be for 2,000 tests. The potential is for around 80,000+ tests per year. The benefits will flow to all parties involved.

I love it when these kinds of opportunities develop.

The Walmart Experience

Today I went to Walmart to pick up supplies for one of the locations of the business that I manage. Such trips are not among my favorite things to do, and yet sometimes they are necessary. As I pushed the cart around the store locating the various items that I needed, I started thinking about why I didn't enjoy going to Walmart. Following are some of my thoughts:

• In spite of its size, it always seems crowded to me. I'm not a big fan of crowds.
• Sometimes it is difficult to find the item that I want. This difficulty offers two basic choices. I can either hunt for an employee that will help me (often hard to find), or I can walk a few miles hunting for the item.
• The choices are limited to a few brands. Often, the brand of item that I'm looking for, or perhaps the specific color, is not available.
• In spite of a greeter at the door, the experience is impersonal. I want to feel like I'm a valued customer when I shop. I don't get that feeling at Walmart. The feeling conveyed to me is that they are doing me a favor by allowing me to shop there. I want them to feel favored that I chose them as the place to shop.
• When Walmart comes to town, many small shops are unable to compete and eventually go out of business.

Now, in all fairness, there are a number of things that need to go on the positive side of the ledger. The following items are in that category:

• Walmart provides a convenient store for finding a wide array of products in one place. Instead of driving all over town to multiple businesses, most items that the consumer is looking for on a regular basis are at Walmart.
• Their items are not always the best of quality, but they offer items at an affordable price that the average consumer might not be able to afford elsewhere. In particular, the lower income shopper's dollar will go farther. I'm not necessarily a believer in quantity over quality, but sometimes it is needed.
• Because of their competitive pricing, when Walmart comes to town, prices in all stores on competing items generally come down. The consumer benefits.
• In areas where a smaller town is competing with a city within a short driving distance, Walmart locating to the smaller town can hold business locally that would have driven to the nearby city. This can indirectly help the smaller business owners. The shopper will be less likely to make a 30 minute drive for one item than for a lot of items.

I'm certain that both lists could be expanded considerably, but I just wanted to hit a few of the high points. I will not attempt to address what kind of citizen Walmart is to the communities in which they are located. Nor will I attempt to address the employee issues that are often raised. I do think that on the balance, Walmart fits a niche in the marketplace that benefits the lower and lower-middle income consuming public and on certain items appeals as well to the more affluent consumers. I do wish they would seek to become a more service oriented, customer friendly store rather than the impersonal behemoth that they have become. Perhaps though, that is the niche for the small business owner that seeks to compete against them.