This Holiday Season looked bright and promising as we looked forward to seeing the kids and family.  Things changed when I got a call from my Dad telling me his sister was in the hospital and that it looked very grim.  He and my mom started the drive to Fresno to see her but an hour into the two hour drive my cousin called and said my Aunt Eloise had died. 

What was most difficult for all of us was that it happened so suddenly and ended so abruptly.  My Dad never had the chance to say goodbye and I could tell that really bothered him.  The loss of our Aunt was tough and arranging the service and burial proved challenging.  The family struggled to find a facility for the service and burial as most churches were unvailable or short staffed due to the holdidays.  In the end, with a lot of blood, sweat and tears the arrangements were made and the services set for Friday and the burial for Saturday. 

I looked up on the internet to see what was written in the obituary for her in the Fresno Bee.  It was very simple and basically said she was a homemaker.  There was no flash, no glory and no fan fair.  When we arrived at the service on Friday night there was an oddity to the number of cars in the parking lot.  My dad had mentioned that finding a church to hold a 1000 people was a major problem.  I thought a 1000 people for a homemaker seemed a bit of a stretch.  

The place was packed with people in the main hall, the balcony, the atrium and some were even standing outside.  At the Funeral the next day, there were 500 people who showed up for that too.  Who was this homemaker and what did she do that drew all these people together?  It was true that my Aunt was a homemaker, but what was not mentioned was her constant dedication to serving others.  She labored on behalf of worthy causes like leading community service activities, working with her church and volunteering for Special Olympics. 

The Family

She was a homemaker who raised 5 boys and with my uncle built a foundation that focused on giving more to others with no expectations of any rewards other than the smiles on the faces of those who benefited from their labor.  My Uncle was very composed and spirited when speaking about her.  He said something that stuck in my mind, he said do it more and do it often.  He was referring to saying I love you to your loved ones as you never know when you wont have a chance to do it again.  I am sure my father could relate to what my uncle said. 

My Aunt devoted her life to her husband, her family and those in need.  She was a homemaker who touched many people’s lives by doing the little things day in and day out.  Serving others with love and bringing joy and comfort in whatever way she could.  Her attitude was contagious and she was able to rally people around many causes to make a difference in people’s lives.  

You may be asking how this pertains to business.  The greatness of companies is based on the human element. For without people a business in no more than a hollow shell.  People give a business life and the opportunity for greatness.  It is about attitude, heart, passion and wanting to make a difference.  If my aunt, the homemaker could do it, just think what a business could do with an army of dedicated homemakers.

Posted under Employees, General, Leadership

Serving Food to Children in Mexico

Hello everyone, first things first Seasons Greetings to all!  The holidays are a great time to rest, reflect and celebrate the many good things we have in our life.  We have family, friends and loved ones to be thankful for.  And even though we are experiencing the most difficult economic times ever, it gives us an opportunity to help those in need.  Our company and our employees have been very focused on helping others during this holiday season.  What makes me proud is we do it all year round, and it is very cool to see their commitment to caring and giving.

 

Leader of Business Innovation

Switching gears, you may have noticed a new red button on the blog  labeled “got an innovative idea?”.  Innovation is one of our core values and we have built a program around it.  Greg Frazier has been appointed to lead our innovation initiative and cultivate new value propositions and business models for growth.  We believe that innovation and great ideas come from a variety of sources, including our customers, suppliers and employees.  We have created an environment and channel in which we can share and exchange ideas to create future opportunities for all of us.  If you have an idea, push the red button!

Let me close with a thoughtful reminder in the spirit of the holidays:

Happy Holidays

“Live everyday with a purpose.  To love your family and help someone in need.  Make a small difference in peoples’ lives.  Forgive yourself for past mistakes. Know that you are striving to change and make a difference in your life and others.  Put your ego aside, don’t let your pride get in the way.  Don’t be depressed, for your blessings are many.  Make it a point to be happy and try to bring joy to all you come in contact with.  Happiness is a choice you can make every minute of everyday.” 

Again, from all of us to all of you!  Best Wishes to you and your families for a safe and wonderful Holiday Season.

Posted under Business & Process Innovation, Customers, Employees, Value Proposition

We consider the voice of the customer a vital component of our strategy. It gives us the opportunity to listen, learn, and more importantly to take action.  By asking them for their feedback we can determine our relationship with them, make changes to our operations or develop new products and services.  We see the voice of the customer as an opportunity to partner for mutual success.

When we reviewed our Avnet brand scores we found that over 3/4 of those surveyed gave us scores of 75 percent or better in key categories:    

• Consider us a company of high integrity
• Indicated that we are dedicated to customer service
• Said we are a reliable partner
• Feel we work to build strong relationships 

Another area to find important information is in the customer comments.  This is where customers take the time to write down their explicit thoughts.  What was amazing were the number of comments indicating the difference our employees were making with our customers.  It highlights an old adage that people do business with people they like and trust.  Here is what some of our customers had to say:

Global Leader for Electronics Marketing Group

“Avnet has been an amazing company to work with and we appreciate the support that has been given across the entire organization to our new company. Clearly, best in class support”. 

“Thanks for hanging in there with our company when we were going through some difficult financial times. We appreciate the fact that you continued to call on us, quote and work out solutions to allow us to continue to receive shipments.”

“The people at Avnet – across the board – have been phenomenal to work with.”

“Excellent company, excellent services – well done”.

“Responsible and timely replies from the sales person is the important factor of your business success.”

Global Leader of Technology Solutions Group

“Avnet Canada is doing a phenomenal job in supporting our Sales activity. They are responsive, really care about the “right” thing and we feel like they support our efforts 110%.”

“You are doing a lot of good things – Our partnership is better today than ever. Continue to focus on your tools and processes.”

“Avnet has been and continues to be an excellent partner, concerned with assisting us with growing our business successfully. Everyone enjoys doing business with friends and Avnet continues to create a culture that reflects much more than a business partnership”.

“I would like to say that it has been a pleasure dealing with Avnet in the past couple of years. The team assembled is the best in the business & I look forward to growing our business moving forward. I would also like to make special mention to the management staff for caring.”

There were a number of great outcomes from our global survey that we should be very proud of.  However, the survey also indicated areas where we can improve or innovate.  The voice of the customer is a journey and the fact is we have to earn our customers trust and business every day.  We do this by asking, listening and acting.  You know you hit the mark when customers refer to you as their partner.

Posted under Customers, Employees

Down Turns Require More Focus on Customers

I have the opportunity to work with Steve Walker of Walker Information. Steve’s company is very focused on collecting the Voice of the Customer and translating that data into actionable information. He wrote a post that I thought was worth sharing with all of you. He highlights that you need to focus on what you can control and that maintaining or increasing your commitment to your customers is extremely important during difficult times. Let’s hear from Steve:

Fred, first of all thank you for letting me share my comments on your blog.

I have seen “Johnny the Bagger” video several times, and I enjoyed watching it again. If you haven’t already viewed it, do yourself a favor and watch it…now. It is guaranteed to inspire. One of the messages I get out of the video is to work on what you can control and let go of what you cannot. This is a time tested method for coping with stress, dealing with uncertainty and demonstrating leadership. This is a message that is definitely a great one for customer advocates to keep in their minds.

I have often described the concept of being customer-focused as being more about the journey than the destination. It is very similar to other worthwhile “life journeys” like being a good parent or spouse, or being spiritual, or appreciating art or wine, or playing the game of golf. You can never really complete the task. That’s because the more you learn about it, the more you realize how much there is to learn and how you will never ever master all there is to know. Still, if you persevere and keep adding knowledge, meet other like-minded people and share your experiences, you do achieve a level of mastery that others will recognize you for.

This is exactly the mindset that the successful customer advocate will maintain during tough times-that helping your company keep its customer focus is a journey-not a destination. Sometimes the journey seems enjoyable and sometimes it is a real grind. All things go in cycles-especially business-but a company’s customer focus not only needs to endure, it is essential to the recovery process.

Nowadays, there is no shortage of distractions for senior management. It may seem that all of the turmoil is devaluing the customer. If you are feeling this way, do what Johnny the Bagger did-focus on what you can control and be secure in the fact that for our businesses to succeed-a customer focus must endure. Not only will you feel more productive, but like Johnny, you might find that your focus and sense of purpose will draw others to you. This is exactly the kind of process it takes to turn things around from turmoil to progress. As customer advocates, we can and should be an essential part of the economic recovery.

Sincerely,

Steve Walker

During tough times it is very easy to get on the defensive and stress out as bad news tests us daily. There is no doubt that we are in a crisis, but our future will be based on our decisions and our attitudes, which are in our control. How we handle and treat our customers during difficult times is also very much in our control. Now is the time to recommit to exceeding customers expectations, building trust, which leads to loyalty and longevity of the relationship.

Posted under Customers, Employees, General