Salvaging a Multimillion Dollar Customer
Problem: Upper management had made some poor decisions resulting in an almost complete deterioration of the relationship with one of the company’s largest customers. There was a large active project spanning hundreds of locations over multiple states that was being completely mismanaged by all parties. Communication had broken down to the point that the customer would either leave scheduled meetings abruptly or simply not attend them at all. Payments to the company had stopped and replacement vendors were being interviewed.
What I did: I identified the miscommunication that was happening as far as project responsibilities were concerned. I began rebuilding the relationship from the ground up, understanding the customers pain and forming personal bonds with their key people.
How did I do it specifically: I wanted to see for myself some of the issues that had caused the account to develop to the point it had so I immediately attended the next on site meeting. What I discovered was that there was a fundamental misunderstanding of responsibilities. The customer expected us to be doing all of the field inspection work, however upper management had directed our field personnel to stop doing this work. I redirected our field personnel to resume their inspections and committed myself to the same process. I then spent the next four weeks visiting all of the active sites in the greater New York area. I made the mandate that I was to inspect all sites before they were sent to the customer for approval. I personally met every on site manager, field rep and district manager involved with the program during this time. I took many of them to lunch and or dinner, and at times personally fixed issues with their sites.
Tangible results: Upper managements poor decisions were reversed with dramatic results. What was one of the largest costumers is now the largest customer with an almost doubling in annual sales. The relationship has expanded to an almost personal level and is solidified for many years to come.
What skills did I demonstrate? Problem-Solving, Follow-Through, Team-Building
