One of the biggest
lessons I have learned is that of a technical basis. I
received a call from one of my accounts late on a Thursday
afternoon complaining of a shiny streak down the center of their
panels coming off their Costa abrasive plainer. I told them
that I would visit first thing the next morning. Upon my
arrival I went through the normal procedure to determine where the
streak was coming from. I looked at all three belts to
determine which belt were the cause, as well as checking stock
removal and asked if their procedure had changed. I was able
to locate the spot on the belt which was not cutting into the
panel. I looked throughout the machine and could find no
cause. By coincidence I had made arrangements for a tech the
next week and informed the customer that I would bring Tony by
Monday morning for evaluation.
Tony and I arrived
Monday and within a few minutes Tony had fixed the machine. The
problem was a piece of a broken belt that had become lodged against
the head that was not visible from the belt loading side of the
machine. The operator informed us that a few days ago a belt
had broken and he thought he had cleaned everything out. To
his defense I couldn’t see the piece either. Once the
lodged paper was taken out the machine the streak disappeared and
the machine has been running great since.
My lesson is to not be
afraid to get “dirty” and inspect all areas of the
machine when a problem arises.
I was in pursuit of a
fairly large account that I had on my radar for several months. The
account is a producer of contract furniture casegoods and
upholstery. After several visits I was able to try disc and
back up pads in the upholstery side. The test was a success
and I received a commitment from the powers to be to buy our
products. During the testing phase I received word that the
plant manager that I was dealing with was being promoted to VP of
Operations. Great news I thought.
I was able to save the
upholstery side around 50% on their current abrasive cost which was
a small % of the companies overall abrasive costs. The
casegoods division was obviously the major abrasive user in the
company. With the gentlemen I had developed a relationship
with being promoted I assumed that I would be able to keep my
momentum and go straight into the casegoods. I set up a test
with a couple of widebelt machines and brought in
technicians. The tests were a success. I was quite
surprised with the delay from my “friend” from this
time forward. I was constantly being asked to lunches and
dinners as well as other perks. I spent several months
perusing the prospect while only receiving minimal orders.
During this phase “entertainment” was getting a bit out
of hand. I have since stopped dealing with the account due to
their indecision. I have learned throughout the whole process
that even though I was dealing with the VP that the casgoods Plant
Manager had more power than I realized. This turned into a
major political process due to the plant manager’s refusal to
change from 4mm.
My lesson here is
simple. I will no longer spend countless hours without
getting something in return. I have realized that people will
allow you to go the extra mile as long as a commitment is not being
forced. After I had put cost guarantees in place and still no
commitment I decided to spend my time where I could
win.
