Fastenerblog.net

Got a little time over the Memorial Day weekend to do some reading.  I’m not too far into the book “Linchpin” by Seth Godin but I found this passage interesting:

“Consumers are not loyal to cheap commodities.  They crave the unique, the remarkable, and the human.  Sure you can always succeed for a while with the cheapest, but you earn your place in the market with humanity and leadership.  It’s certainly possible for a shopper to buy food more cheaply than they sell it at Trader Joe’s.  But Trader’s keeps growing, because the combination of engaged employees, cutting-edge products, and fun brings people back.  Even people trying to save a buck.

The cheap strategy doesn’t scale very well, so the only way to succeed is to add value by amplifying the network and giving workers a platform, not by forcing them to pretend to be machines.  The fickle nature of price-shopping consumers is bad new for many companies, the companies that tried to be cheap at all costs, because now they must figure out how to make a profit from expensive, unique, disobedient employees.

Those are the only two choices.  Win by being more ordinary, more standard, and cheaper.  Or win by being faster, more remarkable, and more human.”

I’ve heard the expression, “the person who owns the relationship owns the business”.  Do you think this holds true in the fastener industry?

Which companies in the fastener industry are trying to win by “being faster, more remarkable, and more human”?

Thanks to the records of Mike McGuire, I was able to recall the dates of the Columbus Fastener Show in 1986, my first day working in the fastener industry.  Today is my 30th anniversary.  Good ride so far.

Although, I did work a summer during college at All Pro Sales in Cleveland, Ohio before that, but then I went back to school.  I still frequently see Joe Tomoro of Hodell-Natco who shared an office with me back then… must have been about 34 years ago.  We’d go to lunch and play Galaga and Centipede and other “video games” and then rush back to the office to tell our customers that our shipments from Japan (yes, Japan) had not arrived yet and we had to backorder.  But, after the summer at All Pro I went back to school, took some other jobs before I ended up back in the fastener industry for good on May 19, 1986.  I had hair then and I weighed less.  But I did not know squat about hydrogen embrittlement.  I still don’t know a lot about it but I now have friends like Carmen Vertullo and Eric Dudas, so I’m covered.  And I still talk on a semi-weekly basis with Rick Rudolph who was was of the first sales managers I worked with 30 years ago when he was with Precision Socket.

I’ve got a table top show to go to tomorrow and calls set up with Don Shan next week so I guess I’m moving on to the next 30 years.  And, I still have Bill Robb and Jackie Ventura calling on all my customers so I’ll never be ever to let my guard down.  Hats off to those people who continue to do what they are supposed to be doing.

Right after I hit publish another funny thought came to me.  On that 1st day, 30 years ago, none other than Rich Cavoto of Metric & Multistandard was working in the booth next to me (I was in the Chicago Hardware booth).  30 years later we are working together and he just celebrated 36 years in the industry.  Funny world!