Good Article by Tim's brother

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That was an interesting article Pat.
It's been a long time since I've read anything by Ed Shultz. He's always had something useful to say.

I am curious, however, about one part of his blog. He wrote: "No matter how you go to market; make sure your distribution channel is precisely aimed at your target customer."

He also wrote: "There are a number of ways in which industry companies bring their products to market........Some sell through third parties like general contractors........."

So who is the customer in this transaction? Do you do everything you can to protect the interests of the contractor or do you consider instead the interests of the end user. Sometimes these are not the same interests.

We sell all of our work directly to the end user because it's easier to understand what motivates them. For the most part they want to get the job wrapped up so they can move back out of the basement. The contractor sometimes is a bit ambivalent about how much the project costs or how long it takes.

Pat Gilbert

I don't know, I was just interested in the point about selling.

Jerry Cunningham

You would definitely be most interested in the needs of the end customer, the actual user of your finished product. The contractor is just a middle-man and will dump you like a high school girl with acne the moment he finds someone to underbid you. I'm not saying contractors are bad, but their agenda is not to make you money or help build your brand.

Anonymous

It depends on whether your company is wholesale oriented or retail oriented. "Cabinetmaker" is retail oriented, and markets himself as such. Therefore, the end user is the customer. Their perception of your performance is important because they talk to their friends, who are also your potential customers.

My company is wholesale oriented. The end user in my case is a 1 time customer, perhaps 2 time over a 20 year span. Pleasing them is emotionally satisfying for me but is only important in as much as it makes the contractors life easier. They want happy customers which means I need to make the customer happy. But more importantly, I want to make MY customer happy, which is the contractor. He's the one who is going to give me job after job after job for year after year after year. Whatever his agenda is my agenda.

Larry

We rarely see the end user. Making him happy helps the middle man make more sales and therefore us too. There are different things that drive to two.

Pat Gilbert

Tangent to the OP, I have noticed that the people who seem to benefit from Paul Akers Lean tenets do repetitive work. This does not get mentioned but is, seemingly the most obvious thing, that one can do about efficiency is to make a repetitive product.

Paul has a video of a guy who makes store fixtures. I thought ok cool I can see how Lean applies to a store fixture shop. But the guy appears to make stock items.

IOW Lean does not apply as much to custom.

Paul or others would say I'm being negative but I say I'm thinking critically.

I don't see that Lean resonates as much with somebody like Larry or Alan because of this.

IOW it is something that gets assumed but is not openly stated similar to Paul stating that you don't let everyone on the bus.

Video of store fixture company.

3/20       #8: Good Article by Tim's brother ...

Cabmaker