Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/873536
6 FEDA News & Views Morgan Tucker The Singer Equipment Companies I 've never believed that employing tra- ditional rules of engagement would generate wild success. Instead, I've always searched for the road less trav- eled. This is what largely shaped my deci- sion to target the nightclub market when I started my career at M. Tucker a decade ago. It was an underserviced market and gave me the opportunity to offer a value proposition that others were either unwilling or unable to deliver. Even better, it was a natural fi t. I had begun my professional career in res- taurant operations. I was young and ambitious, understood the buyer's busi- ness, and was accustomed to working less than desirable hours. Throughout my tenure in sales, this approach has not changed. My expertise in culinary- driven tabletop now steers my targeted approach to connecting with chefs who look to bring their personal language into all aspects of their hospitality eco- system. B ra d l e y U n i ve r s i t y P ro fe s s o r o f Management Aaron Buchko has written at length about how the natural progres- sion of things has led to a shakeup of traditional sales and marketing models, forcing businesses to respond to grow- ing customer expectations and competi- tive pressure by rethinking the role of the sales rep. Instead of simply identify- ing the customer's needs and meeting the demand, he says, we should strive to be "infl uencers" that will impel cus- tomers to behave in ways that not only will benefi t them "but will challenge the infl uencer as well." In other words, to be successful today you must do your homework. We are now "competing on information, knowl- edge, and customer intimacy" rather than traditional sales benchmarks, asserts Buchko. So, let's get intimate. I stalk my customers online. I'm pretty sure they do the same in return. We interact on a multitude of social media outlets to develop trust and understand- ing. Anyone can see all aspects of my humanity @littlemtucker and see how passionate I am about plates, food, and dining. I learn about the true needs of my partners through intrepid invasion of their personal space as well. The entire notion that privacy should be a sacred cow in current market condi- tions is preposterous. "Firms today have two clear paths to future success," warns Buchko. They can become "the most effi cient low-cost provider of products and services…or they can master the customer's viewpoint and use creativ- ity and innovation to create new prod- ucts and services that solve problems the customer did not know existed." I've embraced the latter and engaged this concept as the single driver for the Business Development team at The Singer Equipment Companies. We use every resource available to understand the unique needs of all our partners. I split my time between the great- est hospitality destination on the planet, New York City, and a sustainable veg- etable farm in rural Ohio, The Chef's Garden. Successful demand manage- ment means thoroughly understanding my audience by studying their business models rather than smothering them. Changing channels focuses on being ahead of the customer, not simply in front of them. At Singer, we don't allow ourselves to be reduced in value because we look for the most effective, not most effi cient, strategies and solutions, and we fi nd unique ways to develop an emotional connection to both our customers and our goods. If as an industry we choose not to sell on price fi rst, a commitment to endless education will always keep us relevant. "Firms that will succeed in the future will not attempt to meet buyer's needs; instead, these fi rms will actively seek to man- age the buyer's demand process by not only anticipating buyer needs but by actively creating new demands of which the buyer was not even aware." – Aaron A. Buchko, Changing Channels: Sales and Distribution for the Future Changing Times Call for Changing Channels Industry Insights