It has always amazed me that the same people who claim to be building the best products on the market today are also the ones who want to buy the cheapest ingredients they can. Our customers like to tell us that they need the best price possible or else. If we do not provide them […]
Why Are We Paying Extra for Mediocre Customer Service?
We have been bombarded with robocalls this past year. At least 10 times each week, we get automatic calls to our home’s landline. The calls can show up on caller ID as “private” or “credit card security” or “bankers trust,” so we don’t really know where they come from. And of course when we answer […]
It’s the Customer Experience Stupid!
When it comes to what customers want there is one big secret. They think that they want our products or services. They think that they want us to deliver good products on time. They think that they want good Quality. They think that they want a great price or a great value as they would […]
The All Powerful Referral!
Someone talking about how good you are is so much more powerful than you saying how good you are. A customer praising your product, is so much more credible than you telling people you have great products. And, a customer going on and on about your extremely great service will help you grow your business […]
It’s Time To Globalize!
The world is getting flatter every year, month, week, day and even by the hour, as we get closer to one another and like water seek ways to touch one another and do business. This, from some of the world’s leading economists: no matter what politicians try to do they can only at best re-channel […]
On Being A Great Independent Rep
This week we are going to talk about what it takes to be a great rep; and what you can do to not only delight your principals but more importantly develop a win/win partnership with them where you both win more business and make more money. First of all: get over it. Yes you’ve been […]
Don’t lower your prices, raise your value
Don’t lower your price…Raise your value: The Intangibles Anyone can lower their prices, that’s a loser’s game that we in the printed circuit board industry have been playing for years…and look where it has gotten us? There are only 200 shops left in North American because we have all played the lowering the price game […]
PCB Vendors vs Customers: This Is What We Do About It
I have talked endlessly about PCB customers who were not happy with their vendor’s performance and last week we talked took things from the other side of the issue and talked about why PCB fabricators have a hard time being good and productive suppliers (both articles can be accessed by scrolling to the bottom of […]
Contract Manufacturers: Does Anybody Know Your Name?
Unlike PCB shops where there are now less than 200 left in North America, there are well over 1000 contract manufacturers of all shapes and sizes. Everyone knows the big guys from Celestica, to Flextronics, to Sanmina to Plexus all of them doing hundreds of millions to billions of dollars, but what about all the […]
A Better Relationship With Your PCB Manufacturer Will Yield Better PCB’s
We have talked a lot in this column about how board shops should treat their customers. How they should try to get to know their customers and their needs. So now let’s switch things around and talk about how customers should treat board shops, how they should work with board shops to get the best […]