Guest Commentary: Our Principal-Agent Problem
Normally, the person making the buying decision is the person paying for that purchase; but, as we all know, this is not the case for everything we buy.
Guest Commentary: Mandy In The Middle
“The middle is lonely but crowded,” writes Counterman contributor Mandy Aguilar about his role in the supply chain.
Guest Commentary: Trapped In A Meeting
In a connected economy, you want to connect with your customers at all times. Speed-to-respond time is but one more essential requirement of doing business today.
Lesson No. 1: Never Mess With A Customer’s Sombrero
Counterman contributor Mandy Aguilar shares with us the customer service experience that he carries with him to this day.
Guest Commentary – I Admit It: I’m Afraid Of Driverless Cars
I recently realized I have been asleep at the wheel; that is, the wheel of driverless cars. You’d think a hopeless techie like me would have been all over driverless cars; but, the truth is, I have been avoiding the subject like the plague.
Commentary: Auto Parts Salespeople Rely On A Team
Being in sales is often a lonely game; lonesome ol’ you, going head-to-head, mano-a-mano with your accounts looking for that sweet “Yes, I’ll buy from you.” But the truth is, most salespeople are not alone — we usually belong to a team, a group of like-minded people willing to risk frequent and brutal rejection in pursuit of sales Nirvana.
GUEST COMMENTARY: This Is My Rifle … I Mean, Keyboard.
In my career selling auto parts, a keyboard is the closest thing to a weapon I have ever wielded.
Think About All The Generations Of Customers You Want To Target And Go Where They Are
As a Boomer marketer myself, I learned a trick or two about selling to my peeps; however, I feel the tide has been turning and there are just too many non-Boomers out there buying auto parts for me to ignore.
Technology That Makes Us Look Like Magicians
Boring, normal, same ol’ license plates are making a tech splash as of late! At a time when the world is embracing the “Internet of Things,” with “dumb” appliances getting smart, it’s great to see the un-exciting vehicle license plate stepping into the tech limelight.
Guest Commentary – Flash: We’re Delivering Auto Parts Faster Than Pizza
I remember the days years ago when we made zero deliveries to our customers. The “you want it, come and get it before I close the door” business mindset was the norm back then; but, it was doomed to cease.
Don’t Hide – The Online Identity Based Economy Is Here
Join the crowd and make sure you don’t leave your company behind a pseudonym.
Auto Parts Globalization: Learning Japanese In Mexico
“If all of our counterpros kept a map of the planet and placed a tack on every country in the world they sell a part out of, in a year our office supplies expenses would certainly multiply,” says Mandy Aguilar of The Parts House in Jacksonville, Fla.