Some games and… The deal we’d take…

Some games and … getting the answer

As kids, we sometimes played the guessing game Mineral, Vegetable or Animal. It involved asking questions that were only answered by a yes or no allowing a player to (hopefully) guess who or what the other player was.

Discovering the source (and cure) of that persistent haze we’ve been fighting on that customer’s glassware might benefit from a similar approach.

But instead of asking questions, we set up a simple chemical test to get the answer. In three bus pans we add warm water. The first is a strong water / acid descaler solution, the second a strong bath of water / warewashing detergent, and in the third, distilled water. Into each tub place one of the affected glasses (partially submerged) on their sides and wait for about thirty minutes.

If the submerged side of the glass in the acid solution no longer has that haze, you have your answer. It’s a lime scale film and either their softener isn’t working properly, or your detergent isn’t handling the water hardness. If the detergent side is now clear, the film is likely composed at least in part of unremoved protein, so you probably need to bump the concentration. And if that last one (distilled water) is the clear winner, the haze is likely the result of high total dissolved solids composed largely of soluble salts.

Of course none of the three is guaranteed to be definitive, but with a likely result in hand, you have, at minimum, a place to begin and a potential way to correct that chronic problem and eliminate a recurring customer complaint.

Next up: Water softeners and high usage.

The deal we’d take… versus the one we like

We’re being challenged by an aggressive competitor in a great account that’s attractive for a variety of reasons. First, their service needs are minimal, their purchases large, and they pay on time. To put icing on the cake, we’re enjoying really great profits because we “might” have their prices a bit higher than they really deserve.

Human nature being what it is we’re likely inclined to stand pat and let our really great results and sterling service stand as the bulwark against that interloper. After it’s been our account for years and they love us. So what’s to worry about? Just build a “wall” with the long list of great things you’ve done for them and rely on that solid evidence to prevail.

Or you could reconsider and look hard at your pricing and decide if this is the time to find a creative way to sweeten their deal. It could be a “new” rebate plan you’ve enacted to offer select customers. Or maybe it’s a sliding schedule that provides an incentive for key customers like them.

No matter what we may or may not do, we need to bear in mind that there’s the deal we’d like and the one we’d accept. That bit of wisdom goes for the new account we’re pursuing as well as that existing one we don’t want to lose.

Next up: Measuring actual profitability.