Week 10 Journal

       This week I enjoyed reading about marketing and understanding methods my own personal mentor may have marketed their successful businesses.  I was taught that the customer is everything, their opinion may not always be the best, but you must make them believe it is.  I’m truly grateful for some amazing mentors.  I’ve been able to share burdens with some great men and woman in both my personal and professional life that showed me the things in life that don’t kill you, will only make us stronger.  I found the methods of marketing very interesting.  While some businesses thrive on television and print ads (car dealerships) there are others like Starbucks that have virtually no marketing, only word-of-mouth networking.  I think it takes a lot of forethought to know what kind of audience you need to make your business successful, then develop a plan to engage and attract those clients.

       Having worked in the auto/ truck/ engine repair service for over twenty years, I would like to think I’m an expert at understanding the needs of these service driven customers.  Currently I work for an engine company, Cummins, Inc.  We aren’t the cheapest engine or service, by a long shot.  However, I pride myself on understanding the needs of my customers and catering my endeavors to fulfill those needs.  For instance, when a customer requests a simple oil change because of some “minor” engine noises, I understand the stated need.  However, I tend to spend some time diagnosing the issue by analyzing the used oil and filter and doing a thorough inspection of the engine.  I understand the real needs, an engine that runs to specification.  However, the unstated needs are the diagnosis of what is truly happening to their engine.  I’ve found when I’m completely honest with customers, explaining my concern and allowing them to make the decisions – I end up with lifelong clients and job security.

         This topic leads me into a subject I read about this week, relationship marketing.  I was a shop manager with Cummins for a number of years, relying wholly on walk-in customers and other customers we had gained relationships with.  However, in January of 2016 I accepted the challenge to return to field service and direct all of experience and efforts on one client, who at the time was our second or third largest client.  They had slowly been turning away from our service bays and working more on their own equipment.  It was my challenge to take this client and reverse the trend.  I’ve been very successful, nearly tripling revenues by using relationship marketing.  I made it clear to this client, that I’m theirs – they can use me for any services they may require, including repairs on non-Cummins equipment.  It took a number of months to gain a relationship of trust, but now I feel like I’m a part of their team – someone they respect and are willing to call for any needs, anytime.  I’ve explained to my supervisors, when asked how I did it, “I treat the customer like I would want to be treated.”  It’s shocking to see that such a simple rule, can earn the trust of a multi million dollar account.