Do You Have a Partner?

For a long time this industry has preached that it is not like other industries.  It is built on relationships.  You cannot be successful without face to face interactions.  For the most part, that is very true.  However, most of the time you focus your efforts on building those relationships with your customer.  The relationship/partnership with your vendors is just as important as the relationship with your customers.  Here are three questions for you to think about.

• Have you built any strong partnerships?
• Are you leveraging the strong partnerships you have?
• Are you fostering stronger partnerships?

So, have you built any strong partnerships?  You know, more than just calling to check on an order or what the current stock is on an item.  Your vendors and suppliers want a strong relationship/partnership with you (their customer!) but often feel their efforts to build it are a one way street (sound familiar?).  Dale Carnegie said it best in his book "How to Win Friends and Influence People" - "You can make more friends in two weeks by becoming interested in others than you can in two months by trying to get others interested in you."  It might be hard to make the small talk or find time to ask how their family is doing (they are people) but building that relationship is key to your success.

Are you leveraging your strong partnerships?  Having a strong partnership is something that can help you grow your business.  While your rep might not be able to cut extra deals, they can help you find those extra breaks when they are available.  They will also fight for your best interest in situations that are behind the scenes.  How else can you leverage a strong partnership?  Your rep will find ways to make extra things happen.  They will find clinicians or events or other ways to build business.  They will provide extra inventory or manpower at times when things are tight.  They will lend themselves for situations that need an extra hand. They will sacrifice their own time for you.

So, do you have a rep or two like that?  How can you foster that partnership or build it with other reps?

• Don't take advantage/abuse it!  They will do those extra things for you because of the relationship.  If there is a feeling of being taken advantage of, those things will end quickly.
• Express gratitude!  You don't need to give gifts or take them out to dinner.  Most often a genuine Thank You will make them feel amazing.  You can take that a step further by expressing your gratitude to their boss.  Every rep likes a pat on their back by their boss!
• Return the favor!  Your reps are involved in many different events and extending your help with go a long way in showing a mutual partnership.
• Ask them to be part of your business!  Introducing them to your key customers and accounts will give you more credibility with those customers.  It will also show your willingness to ask for help and that you have someone you can turn to.

Your reps want your business.  If they are doing their job, they should also be building those relationships with you.  You can help them build that relationship by being an active participant.  A partner you can turn to when you need more than a widget will help you grow your business.

When was the last time one of your vendors went above and beyond the call of duty?  What is your relationship with them?  Do you have that type of partner?

Off the Rack

This month's issue of Music Inc. highlights some of the best accessory displays and looking at some of the displays, it made me thing of a few things.

Very often we are tied to the typical gondolas and display pieces we find in the jobber catalogs.  However, there are many other sources to use to create great displays and different looks. 

Something that has long bothered me at trombone shows was an effective way to display multiple horns I had an idea in my head but needed to find away to implement if.  If you were part of our traveling road show last March, you were able to see it in action.  It is something I turned to my local hardware store to help engineer.  Using some pipe flanges and compression fittings I was able to put together this display.  After figuring out the details of how to put it together and make sure it was stable, it worked out great and I hope to incorporate it in other ways.


Another creative display for saxophone mouthpieces is one I turned to my wife and mother-in-law for help.  Trying to find a way to display 50+ saxophone mouthpieces is no easy task.  Especially if you want to keep track of them all.  In this instance a spool rack from a sewing store did the trick.  Plus if you make it a permanent fixture, you can paint it and/or label it for easy reference (and re-order).

There are plenty of places to turn to for inspiration.  Often the best sources are small gift stores or other local businesses.  Anyone on a small budget will usually find ways to display product in manners that do not break the bank.

Get creative!  Show something in a way people are not used to seeing it!