G3: Industry insiders talk glass

Commercial

John D'Amario, director of sales, C/S Erectors d/b/a CSE Facades, San Ramon, Calif.

"Some people would say I’m the last person qualified to answer this question, particularly in today’s 'buyer’s market,' where customers can be like the schoolyard bully. At a certain point, you have to give that bully a swift kick to earn his respect. Some customers appreciate a person who stands up for themselves, and others just move on to bullying the next person. When the smoke eventually clears ... you and your customer either part ways or form a stronger bond with mutual respect. 

Any time a new or established customer requests my services, I task myself with delivering responsibility in a serious way. This responsibility isn’t simply limited to the extent of my scope but includes addressing the implications to, or coverage of, related work. This typically requires that you cover more scope initially than you plan to actually sell in the end -- all for the purpose of providing coverage for the customer. The best customer relationships are those [in which the customer] recognizes this type of responsible work, comes to rely on your opinions and eventually rewards you for your efforts in the form of a contract. There is no secret to having a good, working customer relationship when your method is simply spending more time performing the hard work, rather than sitting in their conference room telling them what you can sell.

Retail

Kristi Watson, office manager / production facilitator, Echols Glass & Mirror Inc., Buford, Ga.

It was written by Napoleon Hill, "I will eliminate hatred, envy, jealousy, selfishness and cynicism by developing love for all humanity, because I know that a negative attitude toward others can never bring me success."

Customers are the base for business, and to keep them coming back, we must keep them well educated. Never, ever promise something that you can't deliver. Once the job is sold, it is vital that there be follow-up. Finally, if there is a mistake, admit and correct it. Combined, all of these assets are the secret to a good, working customer relationship.

Fabrication

Jeff Leone, CEO, Arch Aluminum and Glass LLC, Tamarac, Fla.

Reliability. It's all about reliability. People can deal with most information. They just want it to be reliable information. When you say something to a customer, you have to live up to what you say. ... At Arch, each location owns its customers; customer service is not done at a corporate location. Our plant managers are really business managers, and we make them responsible to provide service to those customers. It's a decentralized approach to customer service. While we give tools centrally, our locations are local businesses, and the jobs are done locally. If a contractor gets into trouble, they have a local contact who can get into a truck immediately to assist. ... We won't have leaders in our plants that don't put customer service first.