Spray Foam Magazine - Jan/Feb 2017

CON TACT SES FOAM

Direct any questions about business management strategies to SES Foam:

Phone: 855-335-2440 / 713-239-0252

Website: www.sesfoam.com

When you ask if your supplier is in your corner, the question really is whether the supplier is investing in your business or only theirs. Are they supporting you in advertising your business as they advertise their own? Does their investment have your success in mind or have they invested in a manner that insures their success regardless of your performance? There is often a message from the marketplace that this investment is not valued.

A QUESTION OF PARTNERSHIP

As customers, do we reward investment
in our business or do we simply look for
the lowest cost alternative? This is truly a
business decision and there are advocates
for both sides. As a consumer, it is often
difficult to envision a supplier or vendor
truly being on your side. The traditional
customer/vendor relationship is more
adversarial than aligned with common
goals. In the downstream model, both
parties must overcome this traditional
relationship. The true partnership
opportunity must be embraced and
practiced. In a true partnership both
parties must give. Does the supplier
sell to all his customer’s competitors or
does he choose to support and invest
in one champion? At the same time,
does the customer continue to purchase
from his supplier or does he switch due
to short-term income gain? These are
very difficult questions for both parties,
and there may not be a correct answer
as they simply may be differing business
decisions. If the consumer does not see
value in the supplier’s investment, then
why not accept lower pricing if indeed
there will be no change in the resources
available to the customer? At the same
time, if the supplier is going to be
constantly at risk, then why not sell to all
opportunities that present themselves?

How do these parties ensure that they can truly form a partnership and that linked downstream and upstream relationships can be achieved? Communication is key, and the supplier and customer need to openly discuss business issues. This level of relationship is difficult to achieve due to several reasons. The sales personnel either need to have the wherewithal to engage customers from a business perspective or the supplier needs to have management available to engage customers in these discussions. The buy-sell relationship has to grow to the point of being a business discussion.

SES Foam LLC (SES) has invested
in understanding the contractor’s
business. This investment has led to
the development of a new standard
of customer support with the highest
ratio of technical support personnel to
sales personnel in the industry. SES’s
new online contractor support portal
will provide their customers access
to significant contractor-focused
support services. They have invested
in key industry specialists focused on
supporting their contractor base. This
means that SES is poised to tailor
support to the individual contractor,
meeting them in their market and
providing services directed by the
contractor to be utilized specifically in
their market. This focus on downstream
business is the foundation of the vision
that SES has for the market.

The request for constant input from the customer base, coupled with communication regarding future investment by the company, set the stage for the downstream relationship to work. Reviewing customer performance and needs ensures continuing development of programs designed to support customer growth. In this manner, the company remains flexible to design business relationships and services to meet individual customer needs. Listening to the marketplace and requesting feedback is a critical component to this program.