Customer servicetops at STAFDA
By Staff -- Industrial Distribution, 12/1/1998
Toronto--If one common theme prevailed throughout the 22nd Annual Convention of the Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors Assn., it was customer service. From the general session to management workshops, customer service in one form or another was highlighted.Held in Toronto, Nov. 1-3, the event drew an estimated 3,900 attendees, slightly under last year's record-setting figure of 4,200. Additionally, more than 700 booths were hosted by manufacturer members.
During the general session, STAFDA president Dale Guenther, of Lincoln Contractors Supply, and Gay Peeples of Igloo Corp., presented state of the industry reports for distributors and manufacturers. They were followed by Marriott Corp.'s Roger Dow, who presented the keynote address.
While Guenther encouraged a "Customers for Life" philosophy, Peeples spoke of distribution survival. Guenther's concept of "Customers for Life" assumes a philosophy that each customer who walks into Lincoln Contractors Supply has the potential to spend thousands of dollars over the course of his lifetime. In taking that frame of mind, Guenther and his employees treat customers in a unique way.
"How your business looks reflects your values," explained Guenther. "We want people to see us and our company and say 'Wow!' " The 'wow' factor gives fuel to Guenther's golden rule: Empower your people to make decisive and immediate customer service decisions and support them.
"The front line is the bottom line," he said. By using the customers for life philosophy, Guenther has been able to stave off any negative impact of a new Home Depot facility less than a mile away from his Milwaukee branch.
Peeples, director of commercial products for Igloo Products Corp., emphasized how distributors can transform problems into opportunities. The scarcity of a skilled workforce is evident in low unemployment figures. However, through product training, distributors can help educate the underskilled. Further, consolidation will cause restructuring, increasing the number of people unemployed.
"Know your customer," Peeples said.
Dow, vice president and general sales manager for Marriott Lodging, delivered a high-energy presentation about empowering employees. Dow takes customer satisfaction one step further because it's not enough by itself. He believes it is both customer and employee enthusiasm which make a company successful. Your relationships with the people on your team help build this kind of enthusiasm.
"Enthusiasm is about people who are excited about being in business," he explained. "It gets down to an attitude. Motivate your employees to care about the mutual success of the company and the customers you do business with."
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