SPRING 2018

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THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
SPECIALTY TOOLS & FASTENERS DISTRIBUTORS ASSOCIATION
PO Box 44, 500 Elm Grove Rd., Ste. 2I0, Elm Grove, Wl 53122
TEL 1-800-352-2981 FAX 262-784-5059 EMAIL info@stafda.org WEB www.stafda.org
STAFDA’S FOCUS ON INDUSTRY EDUCATION
by Georgia H. Foley, CEO
The Specialty Tools & Fasteners Distributors
Association (STAFDA) is a 42 year old educational
association serving wholesale distributors,
manufacturers, and rep agents in the
construction/industrial channel. Over the
decades, STAFDA has offered a variety of
educational programs and services to
assist members be leaders in their
markets. Here is a sampling of
what STAFDA is working on.
STAFDA is putting the
finishing touches on an
upcoming training manual, Concierge Customer Service.
Written by Dr. Jeanne Hurlbert, an expert in big data and
predictive analysis, the STAFDA-specific book provides
the metrics to accurately measure customer service.
Many companies collect feedback from their customers
then have no idea what to do with it. Dr. Hurlbert
began her research by surveying STAFDA members
to gather their current level of customer service data,
which included employee sentiment. Do customers
and employees share the same vision when it comes
to customer service? Does an employee feel they’re
offering exemplary service whereas the customer thinks
it’s only mediocre? The book addresses this in addition
to how the different generations (Baby Boomers, Gen
X’rs, Millennials) view customer service, what their
expectations are, and how to provide the ultimate in
Concierge Customer Service to each.
As always, each member receives one complimentary
copy of Concierge Customer Service with more available
at discounted pricing. This latest book joins STAFDA’s
series of educational training manuals including Sales
SHOW EVENT ARTICLE
Pro, Inside Sales & Service Pro, Effective Inventory
Management, Business Security, Showroom & Visual
Design, and others.
STAFDA also provides a series of benchmarking
studies. In even numbered years, the Association
offers a Compensation & Benefits Study.
STAFDA is joining 17 other distributorbased
organizations this spring on
a cross-industry compensation and
benefits study. It will delve into
over 30 job descriptions,
tenure, and fringe benefits.
Administered by Industry Insights, Dublin, OH,
participating members will receive three reports in one:
the overall cross industry report comparing all distributorbased
organizations; a STAFDA-specific compensation
and benefit report; and lastly, a company-specific report
where Industry Insights will offer guidance on what the
member can do to improve.
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