When Things Go Wrong, Here’s Your Moment to Shine By Desiree Grace and Frank Hurtte Scientific research backs up something every seasoned distributor already knows: a perfectly smooth transaction doesn’t build loyalty, but a problem handled exceptionally well does. In Human Sigma: Managing the Employee-Customer Encounter , Gallup’s John H. Fleming and Jim Asplund found that customers who experience a problem that is fixed quickly and effectively become more loyal than customers who never had an issue at all. Think about this: the customer with a headache becomes your strongest advocate if you handle the recovery right. And let’s be honest, problems will happen. Back-orders appear. Pricing loads incorrectly. Freight gets damaged. Manufacturers sometimes send the wrong firmware. Instead of hiding these ugly moments, smart distributors embrace them as opportunities to display competence, character, and commitment. Because the truth is this: A flawless transaction doesn’t reveal who you ...

Forget the Crystal Ball: Future-Proof Your Business Using Your  AQ                        By Desiree Grace, Special Projects Consultant   Does anybody out there have a crystal ball? A tried-and-true way of forecasting the future? In the movies, a fortune-teller always sees the future using a crystal ball. With the numerous changes on the horizon, especially after the election, we recognize there are also changes we cannot see. In the supply chain, both manufacturer and distributor and rep agents are watching carefully to see what our new president and his team do. One thing we know is that as organizations and professionals, we need to try our best to prepare.   One way to plan is to build your Adaptability Quotient, aka your “AQ.” What the heck is AQ? Well, it’s a form of intelligence, part of a three-legged stool, along with IQ (general intelligence) and EQ (emotional intelligence). It is the ability to...