E-THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY AUGUST 13, 2009

Good day fellow vending enthusiast. Today's E-Thought is about trust and co operation.Traditionally based supplier/customer relationships for better or worse are changing dramatically in these unprecedented economic times.
Long term relationships are now being based on total cost, trust, innovation, and flexibility. We could all use any help or tools that may be available to us in order to make the changes from a supplier based management perspective to a relationship based management perspective.
For us at Vend Northwest we understand that in order to not only sustain but more importantly succeed in this environment, we need all of you to accomplish this. Thus the Blog.
Innovation lies within the Blog itself, with its virtually unlimited tools for communication sharing there should be nothing overlooked or not said. The potential to speak candidly about topics that are important to all of us is there.
Hopefully you all feel that I trust you guys enough to be able to say the things that I need to say, in the way that I need to say them. Because I do say what I need to say in my own way in every Blog that I post. I know that you all trust in me by the many comments and emails that I receive every time that I post a new blog. I truly believe that by open, honest communication and the sharing of resources, we will all benefit and become more successful. The more that we learn and grow and share with each other, the easier it will be for all of us to become better relationship managers and shift the balance from managing customers and suppliers to managing our business and the relationships that we all will need to thrive. We want this Blog to be a tool used by everyone to learn and grow from. Always remember that the only thing that limits us are the limits that we put on ourselves.

Regards
Curt Wokal

E-THOUGHT FOR THURSDAY AUGUST 6, 2009

Good day fellow Vending Enthusiast.
In today's business "atmosphere", customer loyalty means allot more than just money in the bank today. It means that you will be around to put money in the bank tomorrow.
There are several things in my opinion that will help to foster and nurture a great relationship between you and your customers.
1. You should invite your customers to share their opinions with you regarding yours and their business', maybe even invite them to "test" products for a type of non informal product survey.
2. Do not allow or put up with any of your employees being grumpy, angry or hostile toward your customers. Your customers are as loyal if not more loyal to your employees as they are to your products and one bad employee can ruin a long term relationship with a customer in a matter of months if not weeks.
3. Find a way to bring all of your customers together in one place. If not quarterly, try and do it at least once a year. 90% of those that show up are usually your loyal guys and loyal customers love to talk and share their experiences with other loyal customers. This tends to re inforce their "emotional" attachments to you and your company.
4. Remember that loyalty is built over time and positive experiences.
5. Make sure your customers know that you understand and value them and their opinions, they must feel good about their relationship with you and your company. Customers need to know that you listen to them and share in some of the same principles that they believe in.
6. And finally never mislead, coerce or disrespect your customers. Some of these may not be as perceptible as you would think. Examples could be; Nuisance fees, hidden charges, automated customer phone lines or even poor in store service.

I'm sure there are many more ways to promote customer loyalty, these are just a few of the ways that Steve and I try to instill in all of our employees(and customers) everyday. :) It is truly a constant learning experience to provide superior customer service but it is also a necessity in the business world of today.

Regards
Curt Wokal