Stationery not Stationary

I joined many other business people in Toronto last week for the shareholders and dealers meetings for Basics Office Products, Guild and Canadian Independent Stationers. This group, along with several vendors, represents the independent office products dealers in Canada. That is, almost everyone other than Grand & Toy, Staples, Lyreco and Office Depot.

There were about 500 people attending the meetings and the trade show. These folks are passionate about their customers and their business. The energy level was remarkable. At every venue there were presentations and /or conversations about how to increase sales, improve service to customers and how to do so at a reduced cost (we are, after all, in business).

There was some discussion about what our customers really want from us. Do you want all your items shipped at once, even if it takes an extra day, or do you prefer to get what we have today, and wait for a separate back order? Do you need same day delivery or would you prefer to reduce the number of times we drive to your location and only deliver once a week?

Whether we are in St Johns or Toronto or Victoria our customers have very similar needs and wants. There is no reason why we cannot share our methods for dealing with customer issues.