Can A Legit "Trick" survive the competition?
12-01-2007, 06:42 PM
#51
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iTrader: (2)
i have had parts delivered on saturday at no extra cost because they use fedx ,now , this was back in 03', i was like , wtf is fedx doing here?? and saw the summit box..
12-01-2007, 10:54 PM
#53
Registered User
Platinum Member
12-02-2007, 03:50 PM
#55
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Chris, obviously indefensible what has happened recently and seems it may have been going on for awhile; however 7 points come to mind that I will continue to apply in my own business (37 years in biz and 44 years in my industry). My dealings with Fred/Trick were characterized by 1. rapidly returned inquiries by phone and/or e-mail. 2. professional product and application knowledge. 3. reasonable prices. 4. fast and accurate delivery and order fulfillment. 5. good product selection. 6. on two occasions Fred was able to suggest a lower cost yet appropriate alternative.
7. Fred actually seemed to want my business which was a completely different attitude than what I received from a number of marine suppliers; although this last point seems to talk to a dynamic that is endemic across all industries in the past several years. - Jeff
7. Fred actually seemed to want my business which was a completely different attitude than what I received from a number of marine suppliers; although this last point seems to talk to a dynamic that is endemic across all industries in the past several years. - Jeff
12-02-2007, 05:35 PM
#56
Registered User
Chris, obviously indefensible what has happened recently and seems it may have been going on for awhile; however 7 points come to mind that I will continue to apply in my own business (37 years in biz and 44 years in my industry). My dealings with Fred/Trick were characterized by 1. rapidly returned inquiries by phone and/or e-mail. 2. professional product and application knowledge. 3. reasonable prices. 4. fast and accurate delivery and order fulfillment. 5. good product selection. 6. on two occasions Fred was able to suggest a lower cost yet appropriate alternative.
7. Fred actually seemed to want my business which was a completely different attitude than what I received from a number of marine suppliers; although this last point seems to talk to a dynamic that is endemic across all industries in the past several years. - Jeff
7. Fred actually seemed to want my business which was a completely different attitude than what I received from a number of marine suppliers; although this last point seems to talk to a dynamic that is endemic across all industries in the past several years. - Jeff
They may have been "spot on" for you but as evidenced by the small but steady stream of "did Trick go out of business?" and "why won't they ship my stuff or call me?" threads over the last year, I think the key word is "consistency". Even if it's consistent mediocrity, you at least have an understanding of what you're going to get.
12-02-2007, 06:35 PM
#57
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Chris, let me clarify; I'm not defending Trick Marine. Ultimately, nothing that they did well excuses what happened in the end. I'm merely saying that SOME of what they did constitutes good practice; probably what every world-class business does day in and day out over the course of decades. - Jeff
12-02-2007, 06:59 PM
#58
Registered User
Chris, let me clarify; I'm not defending Trick Marine. Ultimately, nothing that they did well excuses what happened in the end. I'm merely saying that SOME of what they did constitutes good practice; probably what every world-class business does day in and day out over the course of decades. - Jeff
It's funny- there seems to be two completely separate groups of Trick customers. One's that had multiple transactions and were treated well and others that got poor service on more than one occasion. it's almost like they spun a wheel to see who they would jerk off.
12-02-2007, 07:04 PM
#59
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Kinda interesting, Chris; since all this nonsense came to light I've been giving my own business operations some additional thought. It really is becoming clearer that we don't really do anybody any long term favors by keeping prices artificially low. Lots of lessons to be learned. - Jeff
12-02-2007, 07:11 PM
#60
Registered User
Yeah. I learned that years ago. i used to try and over-deliver with everybody while always being priced below the competition. I wa so busy I had no time to look for new customers and the lack of profits hampered my ability to expand. The one day I stopped. Now, 95% of my customers don't even ask price. They need it, they need it quickly and they need to know that with one phone call they never have to think about it again. All we did is get rid of the customers who were price sensitive. Now we're 10 times the size and 50 times more profitable. It's a niche though- it's tough to do in a commodity business.
