Detailed Answers Come From Detailed Questions

Phone rings... What happens from there is my responsibility!

I start my day early with a cup of coffee and morning chat with my wife prior to heading to our manufacturing facility. I'm here before we open and I enjoy ensuring that I am fully ready for the day to start and normally that's before I even get in the office.

I'm the guy who provides all of our customers my direct number. I've been told I'm crazy for doing that, but I want you to know that you're just as important to us as we are to you and your success. The main reason I want to speak to our customers, especially the newer ones that come aboard, is to ensure that we have a full understanding of how you operate and in-turn, how we operate.

Like any other business owner, my day is filled with RFQ's, calls to customers, suppliers and production numbers. My approach on the phone and in person is all about the details. We've all had those casual conversations with current and potential customers that simply drop a size, quantity and lead time on you and ask for a price right then and there. That my friends, is a receipt for a one-time order and an expensive mistake. As a custom manufacturer we have to ask questions... lots of them!

Pouches come in more sizes, shapes and structures now than ever before and we use our own language to break down the options. We say things like PET, MET-PET, laminations, OTR, WVTR, sealant layer, stand-up, bottom gusset, zipper, K-Seal, back-fin, tear notch and tamper evident. By the time we're done the customer is more confused than when they first picked up the phone.

It's important to explain the options available for a pouch and the only way to get to those answers is to ask the right questions. It's not only the questions that get to the meat and potatoes of a product and its final use, it's the detailed answers. If you don't ask detailed questions, you won't get detailed answers. Yesterday I worked with a new customer who simply said, "You know.. just a regular pouch. That's all we need and we'll take pallet quantities for each size". When I asked the final use I found out that these pouches are for a very specific kind of product. Sure, I could of simply quoted the sizes with a basic multi-layer structure and given a great price right there. At that point I've just landed in the same pile as everyone else who shot off a quote for the customer.

I asked a few more detailed questions and quickly found out that there was an issue with the current supplier and the quality they were providing this company. There had been an issue for a while and we solved that issue on that call. The issue may not have been the pouch itself but more likely the structure being provided. Now the customer has a solid understanding of what they need and they know they are going to get the best pouch for their product. We increased their knowledge, sustainability and lead times by simply asking them for detailed information.

If I was on the other end of the phone I would want to know everything that my supplier is doing to ensure my success. If they ask me questions, I give more details than they need but when the deal is done, there are no more questions... Only Results!

If you don't ask... how are you going to know? Answers don't come from assumptions, mistakes do and mistakes are expensive for everyone.