Is the customer always right?
It doesn’t matter if it’s true. If the customer says this, we just try to work it with that. We want to close the sale. If doesn’t work financially or if it’s going to put us out of business, then we just say, ‘Sorry, can’t do it.’
We will do anything the customer wants as long as it’s legal. If a customer wants a banana taped to each DVD, I’ll say, ‘Sure, we can do it, but here’s the price.’ I’ll apply to the Food and Drug Administration to attach something perishable to a DVD. It’s just going to cost the customer money, and we always tell them that. That’s why I’m still here doing business, because we’ll do whatever the customer wants.
Is there a pitfall to that approach?
My board will complain, saying, ‘Hey, the margin was low on that deal.’ But then I’ll say, ‘What goes around comes around,’ meaning I might have sold something at a low margin, but that customer’s going to order from me again because I did what they wanted.
That’s the whole key. The more attention you put on (customers) and the more you do what they want, the more likely you’re going to get the business again.
HOW TO REACH: Distribution Video & Audio Inc., (818) 848-6111 or www.dva.com
