SUMMER 2018

164
THE DISTRIBUTOR’S LINK
LAURENCE CLAUS THREE THINGS THAT DISTRIBUTORS MUST DO WELL - PART 1 from page 102
As a result, when I set-up the new account I had
to work with two different company’s representatives
and well into the process discovered that I apparently
wasn’t eligible for the special pricing. When I voiced my
disappointment in this development and that I had been
told by the representative from the first company that I
would receive the price special, the second company’s
representative relented and agreed to honor the price.
To do so, however, they had to apply a reoccurring
credit. This worked for two billing cycles and then
mysteriously dropped off. I discovered this quickly enough
and contacted my provider’s customer service to remedy
the problem. The first individual I spoke with was a
friendly young man (although I couldn’t understand half of
what he was telling me) who expressed a desire to help.
Unfortunately after at least 45 minutes on the phone with
him, he finally admitted to me that he couldn’t help me
as he did not have the authority to make these changes.
When I asked if I could speak with a supervisor, I was told
that was impossible. We discontinued the call and I called
right back. This time I got a helpful young woman, but after
another half hour she was unable to help. By this time,
resolving this issue was now my new mission in life and I
called back again. This time I got a slightly more seasoned
individual. When I explained the problem, she very quickly
acknowledged that she could not resolve it and that I
needed to speak with Customer Care. She transferred
me to a representative, an older and empowered woman.
Within ten minutes the problem was resolved and I had
even received a sizeable credit for the frustration I had
just received in this run around leading up to getting to
her. It was obvious she was empowered to solve the
problem and did. The other representatives I spoke with,
although friendly and expressing a desire to be helpful,
could not, so that the only purpose they served was to get
me very frustrated and angry. I imagine that if I had not
taken this up as a mission, I probably would have asked
the first individual to just cancel my service, so that I could
take my business to someone that cared.
Providing Value
I recall an old Three Stooges skit where the Stooges
were auto mechanics asked to fix a rattle in a car.
However, instead of identifying and fixing the rattle, they
disassemble the entire vehicle. When they put it back
together they are left with a pile of unused parts. The
stooges are providing a service, but unfortunately not
the one needed by this customer. In the same way, we
should assess our customer’s wants and needs and
provide services that ring value to them. As distributors
your value proposition is what will separate you from
your competition. In fact, you should never let yourself
be lulled into believing that you are irreplaceable by your
customer. You should always be asking questions and
listening for clues to how you can bring greater value to
your customer.
It is important not to underestimate importance
of adding value. To illustrate this point simply reflect
on some of your own personal experiences. Take for
example servicing your car at the dealer. Car dealerships
generally make their money by providing services and not
by selling new cars. Therefore, dealer’s service activities
have become exceptionally competitive and to attract
and retain customers, dealers have had to increase the
level of value they add to these services. A couple of
examples include getting your car washed or vacuumed
after the service, providing drinks and snacks while you
wait, access to free Wi-Fi, providing loaner vehicles,
providing shuttle service, and having a kid’s play area
in the waiting room. I know that, I for one, very much
appreciate the popcorn our dealer makes available to
these waiting for their cars to be serviced. As silly as it
sounds, this little amenity is one of the reasons that I
will drive a couple of extra miles to have my car serviced
at this dealer.
Bottom line, train your people “on the street” to keep
their ears open for ideas that will bring greater value to
your customer. It really doesn’t need to be significant
activities, small, almost seemingly inconsequential,
things can pay back big dividends. A couple of items
that I believe are often not given enough importance in
the distributor arena, but are big value differentiators are
providing application engineering, doing value analyses,
and conducting training sessions for your customers.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 178