Posted By:
Isabella
I am generally the one to answer the phone at the small-but-feisty Stokefire. The other day our account rep called from an office supply vendor. It didn’t go so well. As a little background… we never asked for an Account Rep – this person is self-appointed or other-appointed. That’s fine. But in an earlier call with said account rep he unsubtly told me that his main purpose was to do all he could to “get more business out of us.” Well, talk like that puts a person on alert, you know? Mr. AR is being abundantly clear that his mission is to solve HIS problem (sell more stuff), and he’s trying to incite me to join in this mission. He’s not doing it by trying to understand my problems and help solve them, but rather just tosses perks my way that he thinks would “incentivize” me. Ugh.
Fast forward to the recent call. This time I barely had to say anything in the first few minutes. Mr. AR proceeded to recite my shopping habits on behalf of Stokefire – location, volume, types of products, etc. Now am I being oversensitive, or is this just a little unseemly? Sure, I know lots of companies have the inside scoop on our detailed spending patterns, but isn’t it just a bit crass to bluntly expose it all in the first few moments of conversation? Would it not be more shrewd to utilize the information gained without being so explicit?
Apparently my spending pattern revealed a gap – I was doing okay on paper and ink, but not so well on janitorial supplies. How strange to be assessed in this way! I actually thought I was doing okay on all fronts – our office is stocked with what we need, and not stuffed with excess. But the push was on. Mr. AR did his darndest to convince me to purchase these products from his company. It made no sense from my perspective. So I said no, and eventually declined to pursue the conversation even further about my shopping strategies and future plans with respect to janitorial supplies. It was getting… Dull. Boring. Exasperating. He eventually thanked me for my honesty – hmmm… did he mean that?
At Stokefire we talk a lot about being “in alignment” as an organization (though it’s important for individuals, too). Corporate “happiness” or integrity happens when the things we think, say, and do are consistent. At Stokefire we know we have a valuable skill set that can help organizations solve problems with their identity, strategy and messaging. Our starting focus is always on helping clarify the problem to be solved for a prospective client. Once there we can assess whether or not we are the right fit to help solve that particular problem. If the answer is “no” we let the prospective client know that and walk away from that potential business.
I have a great appreciation for that kind of organizational integrity. It’s part of what made me glad to join the Stokefire team initially. It is also what makes me a bit more sensitive to those whose approach comes across as primarily self-serving.