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"Tomorrow's Needs"As appeared in ISHN’s “FDO”September 1997Quality, Service, Price..... it used to be that Quality lapses occasionally were overlooked - (OOPS! was the word - seconds - rejects, etc.) they were sort of laughed at and apologized for - NOT ANY MORE! Quality is a Given - you must have quality - no excuses anymore - if you can't make a quality product and ship it the first time - forget it - maybe you should do something else. Service - do you have it on the floor? JIT (Just In Time) ship within 48 hours (or better) - blanket programs, systems contracts, EDI, etc. Service is a Given - you must provide service -no excuses anymore - if you can't perform better than 95% on regular terms - forget it - maybe you should do something else. Price - this is the "toughie" - assuming you're still in business and performing the above "Givens". Let's also assume you have picked the above as your 2 - you still have to establish a fair and reasonable price. And if you don't think so - forget it - because it too could drive you out of business. "You Can Have It Good" "You Can Have It Quick" "You Can Have It Cheap" Pick any two! ('cause you can't have all three) Quality, Service and PriceThat's what it used to be..... Now, according to Phillip D. Steffen, President The Bottom Line Group Inc. "Today's customers want quality, speed, value, price, service, convenience and specific solutions - in that order." Some may argue that it's only semantics when you add speed, value, convenience and specific solutions to quality, service and price. But I think you'll agree to the additions and what they really add and mean when you think about it. George J. Hayward Executive Director SEMAA (Safety Equipment Manufacturers' Agents Association)
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