How Smart Distributors Spot Problems Before They Become Expensive For years, distributors have treated Voice of the Customer surveys like something you send out there to customers without much follow-up. But after running dozens of these projects, we’ve learned something a little surprising: some of the most eye‑opening insights come from your own people. No one likes to admit it, but the hesitation usually starts the minute we ask a sales team to help promote a survey. Some worry customers will think it’s intrusive. Others are convinced management will use the results as a scorecard. A few swear surveys are pointless because “we already know what customers think.” And almost everyone quietly wonders what happens if the feedback is negative. But here’s the funny part. Once the final report lands, those same teams almost always say the survey helped them understand their customers better. The resistance was never about the survey itself. It was about not knowing what to expect. ...

Building on the Skills of Inside Sales Staff After conducting dozens of distributor Voice of the Customer surveys and interviewing their key customer contacts, I have discovered one eye-opening discovery. Customers place a high value on inside sales – perhaps higher than most believe. I can still remember the words of a VP of Engineering for a mid-sized OEM: “Tell your client this, despite our primary salesperson’s personality and product knowledge, we depend on the quick answers and problem-solving skills that come from [their inside salesperson] Scott.”    Comments like this reinforce the words of one of my colleagues many years ago. “A good outside sales guy makes the phone ring, and a good inside salesperson keeps it ringing.” In an age of instant gratification, with overflowing product information on the internet, e-commerce everywhere, and customers dealing with a fast-paced work schedule, the necessity for a strong inside sales presence has only increased.   For cl...

“Customer intimacy is our stock and trade, our most valuable asset and the reason our supply partners select us as their channel to market…” was the message shared with Supply-Partners during conversations regarding the addition of new product lines, territory expansions and other relational interactions. I totally agree with the statement, but... The question is, what are distributors doing to get a better picture of their customer’s interests? I believe not enough. For years I have encouraged distributors to take a deeper dive, to employ new techniques and look at their customers from a different angle. One way is to use a Voice of the Customer Survey as a tool. More progressive members of the distributor community have made the leap and the findings have been eye-opening. The question becomes why aren’t more using this time-tested tool? Join me as we review the most common reasons why some DO NOT use survey techniques. Reason One: We already know our customers. With s...

We have done a lot of Voice of the Customer Surveys for our clients lately. Along the way we discovered something strangely interesting. And, it has nothing to do with the customer. Allow me to share. After collecting several of these surveys, we observed a bit of reluctance, perhaps hesitance, of the front-line sales teams when asked to promote the surveys. Maybe it was caused by fear of the unknown, things like how management might use the survey, or wondering if customers might see the survey as an intrusion or perhaps the results would reflect poorly on the team.  Some salespeople believed the process was redundant because after all, they represented “the eyes and ears of the company,” ever vigilant for changes in behavior and shifts in thought. After receiving the final report, most view the survey information as a positive tool for better understanding what’s going on in the minds of their customers. However, during the early stages, the actions of the group are, at bes...