The crew from Marketing Concepts joined us for training at Draper headquarters.
Joseph Kolchinsky recently wrote a piece for CE Pro about a shift in the AV industry. One part of his post particularly struck me: the part in which he attempted to become a dealer for an AV manufacturer and wasn’t able to. The manufacturer didn’t like his focus on meeting the customer’s needs rather than the company’s needs. Companies like that don’t “get it,” Kolchinsky points out. (You can read his full article by clicking here).
That got me to thinking because, as an AV manufacturer, Draper cares very much about meeting the needs of the ultimate customer, the end user. Sure, it’s our bread and butter to sell people stuff through dealers, rep firms, and distributors, but how long could we have remained in business if we hadn’t been concerned about customer needs and experience all these years? If there are customers out there with a need we can’t meet, we typically come up with one!
Speaking of apple pie, here’s my daughter, Gabriella, making pie with grandma!
Part of ensuring the end user has a positive experience is helping our dealers and rep firms understand the solutions we offer, and our “company culture” as it’s called these days. To that end, we are always bringing folks in to our Spiceland headquarters for training, and to get to know our people.
Last week we had Marketing Concepts, our rep firm based in Texas, in for training. It was pretty jam-packed with information on everything Draper—screen products, shades, how to best work with customer service and accounting, etc. They got to meet their Draper contacts and have an excellent steak at the nearby Montgomery’s Steakhouse.
It seemed to go well, and we had some really good conversations. Just how well it went didn’t sink in until a few days later, when I received this email from Wayne Jemmott, Regional Sales Manager at Marketing Concepts:
I just wanted to take a moment to express my thanks for your hospitality, efforts and time.
Too often these types of activities take place and are simply nothing more than a formality.
Robert Kendrick of Marketing Concepts chills in the Draper Wellness Park.
The Draper experience was like coming home to mom’s fresh baked apple pie cooling in the window.
As corny as that sounds, it’s Americana at its best. So much of the corporate culture in this country has lost that, or tries to emulate it in a contrived plastic effort.
Your longevity due to a genuine honest commitment to quality, service and integrity is easy to represent in the marketplace.
As a rep for Draper it will be with pride to put it all on the line, because it’s legitimate.
As Sandra Whitehead and Chad Tabor are aware, I have had a long favorable history with Draper, but the visit was that much more inspiring.
For me, an experience like that deserves more than just a sustained memory, it deserves frequent mention.
So again, thank you! It was a special experience and a heartwarming sample of the values that made this country strong.
Wow, what a great thing to find waiting for me in my inbox! We appreciate Wayne’s kind words and positive attitude. I like to think of it as proof that Draper gets it.
By the way, for more information on Marketing Concepts, click here!
