This commentary, by Steve Alford, was originally published in the Fall 1996 INSIDER Magazine, but is as timely today as it was fifteen years ago. This is the second of a series of previously published commentaries we are featuring this week while we celebrate Customer Service Week.
Ethics. Integrity. Fairness. Morality. Honesty. Honor. We strive for them. You strive for them. Doesn’t everyone strive for them? Or are they just “marketing” words thrown about when it seems prudent . . . makes good business “cents”?
In our finite audio-visual world there are many wonderful people and exemplary companies, but we’ve all heard horror stories about shows that crashed or installations which did not meet expectations. Gossip about competitors sometimes can run rampant. Bills aren’t paid as promised. Bribes are rumored. Resumes are inflated. A high bidder slashes his “best” price when he hears the competition is lurking about.
Uncivilized as it may seem it is human nature to relish in the failures of your adversaries and to revel in your own victories, but is it ethical to build one’s success on the failure of others? Sooner or later, folks get tired of falling and will take the extra steps to win, and sometimes those steps cross that ethical barrier. The business of business too frequently overshadows the relationships in business.
In our industry, companies often vie for jobs by bidding. We take a specification or a list of guidelines and apply our knowledge and expertise to finding suitable equipment and appropriate personnel and then we price that service to our customers. Then some mysterious process occurs whereby the customer decides that one bid is better, cheaper, or quicker than another and chooses that vendor. The odd thing behind the bid process is that it is almost impossible to level the playing field enough to compare bids fairly. This is where the ethics part comes in. Is the successful vendor the one who wins the job by appearing to be better, cheaper, or quicker, or the one who gave the best, most accurate information to his potential client? Is the vendor who keeps his promises but costs a little more preferable to the one who takes shortcuts but was cheap?
What about partnering? Isn’t that part of the ethics equation? If, as a vendor, you are true in your desire to provide the best support and fairest price for your service every time, then are you not in effect the partner of your customer? We’ve all heard the old AV adage: Fast Cheap, Good – pick any two. Must that choice be made? If so, is your choice the same every time? Partnering dictates that sometimes we ask our vendors to give more for less. Do we repay those vendors by giving them more when we can?
At Alford Media we have a simple way of doing business: live up to our promises at any cost, price honestly and consistently to everyone, take care of our people. What this means to our partners (customers, if you’ve been keeping up) is you should get a fair price for your needs and that if your needs change that you’ll still get a fair price. It means that we will meet our obligations throughout the partnership. It means we will take care of our people so that they may take care of you. It means that we will not take short-term profit over a long term customer. It may take a little getting used to, once you put your faith in your partner, you will have someone else looking out for your best interests. In the long term, both partners will be better off.
Those of us who have been in this business for any length of time, don’t do it for any huge financial reward, and we certainly don’t do it for the great hours. The trust-centered relationships we have one with another are significant in terms of our business success, and perhaps more importantly, our personal happiness and fulfillment. How we handle our business relationships defines who we are as individuals.
At What Price?
Aug 30th
Posted by steve.alford@alfordmedia.com in Commentary
1 comment
This commentary, by Steve Alford, was originally published in the Fall 1996 INSIDER Magazine, but is as timely today as it was fifteen years ago. This is the second of a series of previously published commentaries we are featuring this week while we celebrate Customer Service Week.
Ethics. Integrity. Fairness. Morality. Honesty. Honor. We strive for them. You strive for them. Doesn’t everyone strive for them? Or are they just “marketing” words thrown about when it seems prudent . . . makes good business “cents”?
In our finite audio-visual world there are many wonderful people and exemplary companies, but we’ve all heard horror stories about shows that crashed or installations which did not meet expectations. Gossip about competitors sometimes can run rampant. Bills aren’t paid as promised. Bribes are rumored. Resumes are inflated. A high bidder slashes his “best” price when he hears the competition is lurking about.
Uncivilized as it may seem it is human nature to relish in the failures of your adversaries and to revel in your own victories, but is it ethical to build one’s success on the failure of others? Sooner or later, folks get tired of falling and will take the extra steps to win, and sometimes those steps cross that ethical barrier. The business of business too frequently overshadows the relationships in business.
In our industry, companies often vie for jobs by bidding. We take a specification or a list of guidelines and apply our knowledge and expertise to finding suitable equipment and appropriate personnel and then we price that service to our customers. Then some mysterious process occurs whereby the customer decides that one bid is better, cheaper, or quicker than another and chooses that vendor. The odd thing behind the bid process is that it is almost impossible to level the playing field enough to compare bids fairly. This is where the ethics part comes in. Is the successful vendor the one who wins the job by appearing to be better, cheaper, or quicker, or the one who gave the best, most accurate information to his potential client? Is the vendor who keeps his promises but costs a little more preferable to the one who takes shortcuts but was cheap?
What about partnering? Isn’t that part of the ethics equation? If, as a vendor, you are true in your desire to provide the best support and fairest price for your service every time, then are you not in effect the partner of your customer? We’ve all heard the old AV adage: Fast Cheap, Good – pick any two. Must that choice be made? If so, is your choice the same every time? Partnering dictates that sometimes we ask our vendors to give more for less. Do we repay those vendors by giving them more when we can?
At Alford Media we have a simple way of doing business: live up to our promises at any cost, price honestly and consistently to everyone, take care of our people. What this means to our partners (customers, if you’ve been keeping up) is you should get a fair price for your needs and that if your needs change that you’ll still get a fair price. It means that we will meet our obligations throughout the partnership. It means we will take care of our people so that they may take care of you. It means that we will not take short-term profit over a long term customer. It may take a little getting used to, once you put your faith in your partner, you will have someone else looking out for your best interests. In the long term, both partners will be better off.
Those of us who have been in this business for any length of time, don’t do it for any huge financial reward, and we certainly don’t do it for the great hours. The trust-centered relationships we have one with another are significant in terms of our business success, and perhaps more importantly, our personal happiness and fulfillment. How we handle our business relationships defines who we are as individuals.