29 replies to this topic

[PamP]

Please follow us for Daily Promotional Updates on Twitter - http://twitter.com/PromotionsMan

[Chris Miller]

Done ;)

[tcbcorp.com]

Got you pam..
Follow Us at TC&B Corp here: http://www.twitter.com/tcb_corp

[neetfeet]

We will facilitate a Twitter chat with #flipflopchatNF (tag your Twitter postings with that hashtag topic to @neetfeet). Post your questions about our products, marketing, comments, Twitter how-tos and what-not-to and how it relates to your buyers, to enduser, suppliers and distributors, how we do it (check our Tweets), etc etc.

Again, just end your Tweets with #flipflopchatNF and our Twitter username is @neetfeet. Feel free to follow us as well.

Thanks!

[jimknecht]

John, in light of other threads concerned with the security of Tweets, who can view this discussion? Do endusers have access? If not, how is it kept private?

[neetfeet]

jimknecht said:

John, in light of other threads concerned with the security of Tweets, who can view this discussion? Do endusers have access? If not, how is it kept private?

Anyone can follow the hashtag topic whether they use desktop, mobile or web apps for Twitter.

For this application say @person1 asking you about #stadiumcups

@person1 = What colors are available? #stadiumcups
@you(if you are on Twitter) = It's available in 7 colors #stadiumcups


Now this conversation is readable for anyone following #stadiumcups and they can contribute to the conversation by ending it with the hashtag. Usually people following the hashtags are participants (sometimes people follow the hashtag for news for example #kennedy - http://search.twitte...ch?q=%23kennedy).


If you want a private conversation with a person, there is a direct message feature on Twitter how to use it will vary depending how Twitter is accessed (desktop application, phone, web (usually its 'd username') You don't need to have a hashtag.

[jimknecht]

Sorry John but I don't Tweet & this means nothing to me. My question is, can an enduser see all of this chat that you are talking about? Seems much of this info you plan to discuss is private & should not be seen by endusers. That is what several around here are concerned about... keeping conversations between vendors & distributors private.

[Chris Miller]

Jim,

Yes it would all be visible. Unless sent as a direct (private) message, and of course there is no benefit to that from a marketing standpoint.

What I am hearing from others, and I thought you felt the same way, is that the floodgates are open now. Everything is much more transparent, and we simply have to rely on our suppliers to act ethically. Some even argue that point, saying that with free trade, suppliers can sell to whomever they want.

The fact is, suppliers are marketing to end users now more than ever. They are ALL over facebook, twitter, etc. The new "Promo35" group on Facebook which is run by Charley @ Snugz with heavy involvement from Tim Andrews @ ASI has 1500+ members now. It's 100% open, and anyone can join. There are posts in there from end users saying "I am not even in the industry but this is great information!". Seriously! :eek:

I'm just going to be a good boy and continue to accept it like I have been told. I am sure it will all be ok for the distributor. ;)

[jimknecht]

Chris, what I said is you can not keep folks from finding contact info on a supplier... or anyone else. What I also said was we therefore need to control the content of discussions between distributors & suppliers. No different than what is expected here. A private forum should be private, but seems like this is not true anymore.

I think there should be no discussion that involves suppliers & their products & their pricing, etc., where endusers can see it.

[Allan]

This discussion has been going on for a long time here on DT. I understand the need to bring people to the site but soem discussions should be hidden for the public at large.

jimknecht said:

Chris, what I said is you can not keep folks from finding contact info on a supplier... or anyone else. What I also said was we therefore need to control the content of discussions between distributors & suppliers. No different than what is expected here. A private forum should be private, but seems like this is not true anymore.

I think there should be no discussion that involves suppliers & their products & their pricing, etc., where endusers can see it.

[neetfeet]

jimknecht said:

Chris, what I said is you can not keep folks from finding contact info on a supplier... or anyone else. What I also said was we therefore need to control the content of discussions between distributors & suppliers. No different than what is expected here. A private forum should be private, but seems like this is not true anymore.

I think there should be no discussion that involves suppliers & their products & their pricing, etc., where endusers can see it.

There is also a concept called SEM/social marketing. End users are driven by suppliers to the distributors. For example we post where end users are driven to suppliers site to search for our product. We believe its a win-win scenario. End users get the our product thru distributors who sold our product. Increased branding for us and orders for distributors

We don't know any supplier doing this for their distributors like we do.

[ProPrinters]

This is why you need to FB accounts if you are using FB. One for your suppliers, and you only friend suppliers there, and the other is for clients, so suppliers don't post where you clients might see.

[FindingPromo]

Twitter has revolutionized the social web in it's own way.

Coca Cola, Ford, Red Bull, Leeds, Bullet and 3M Zoom Catalog, Sage, ASI, PPAI, all have Twitter accounts.

Do you call Coke to order a Diet Coke? Ford to buy a Ford? People understand Established Supply Chains, that are delivered in an efficient way.

We need to "get over" how accessible and available the information in our industry is to anyone and everybody in Twitterland, Facebookville and the WWW.

When people who do not "get" the fact that their Facebook Fan pages, Twitter accounts and websites are openly viewable by everyone, begin posting the wrong proprietary, costing and private information, then we have a problem. THERE IS NO PROBLEM, unless people are posting improper discussion items and points.

There is not a problem, in the big scheme of things, by Suppliers wanting to get the quality, features and benefits of their products and how they can be used by example into the wwworld. I welcome a more informed customer anytime they are out there, and I would hope Distributor salespeople would too. We're not talking about costing, margins, rebates, loyalty discounts and the like being talked about here. . . . as that simply should not be public stuff.

Now if in fact,(which I believe is not the case 99% plus of the time), Suppliers are encouraging people to contact them directly in order to sell to them directly in competition with their other reselling distributors, then that could be a problem.

The more end users actually know about how our industry is set up, it is a good thing for quality distributors and sales reps that are servicing their clients, as well as for Suppliers that are providing quality goods and services.

www.twitter.com/findingpromo

Edited by FindingPromo, 01 January 2010 - 07:24 PM.

[BryZ]

Well said Mark, I completely agree!

[SunScarf]

FindingPromo said:

Twitter has revolutionized the social web in it's own way.

Coca Cola, Ford, Red Bull, Leeds, Bullet and 3M Zoom Catalog, Sage, ASI, PPAI, all have Twitter accounts.

Do you call Coke to order a Diet Coke? Ford to buy a Ford? People understand Established Supply Chains, that are delivered in an efficient way.

We need to "get over" how accessible and available the information in our industry is to anyone and everybody in Twitterland, Facebookville and the WWW.

When people who do not "get" the fact that their Facebook Fan pages, Twitter accounts and websites are openly viewable by everyone, begin posting the wrong proprietary, costing and private information, then we have a problem. THERE IS NO PROBLEM, unless people are posting improper discussion items and points.

There is not a problem, in the big scheme of things, by Suppliers wanting to get the quality, features and benefits of their products and how they can be used by example into the wwworld. I welcome a more informed customer anytime they are out there, and I would hope Distributor salespeople would too. We're not talking about costing, margins, rebates, loyalty discounts and the like being talked about here. . . . as that simply should not be public stuff.

Now if in fact,(which I believe is not the case 99% plus of the time), Suppliers are encouraging people to contact them directly in order to sell to them directly in competition with their other reselling distributors, then that could be a problem.

The more end users actually know about how our industry is set up, it is a good thing for quality distributors and sales reps that are servicing their clients, as well as for Suppliers that are providing quality goods and services.

www.twitter.com/findingpromo

Mark,

I agree with your perceptions, and believe that end users actually rely on brand recognition to make repeat purchase decisions. The reality is, suppliers have 2 "customers" to satisfy - one direct, and one indirect. If we tarnish our brand names with poor quality, end users would never give distriutors repeat orders, regardless of who they are.

Professionals in this industry must realize that in this day and age, information is more readilly available and accessible than ever before. And with the onset of Twitter, Facebook, Linked-in etc., information is out there for everyone to see. Rather than fighting and attempting to control the situation, people must embrace and use this fact to their advantage.

We've always done our best to help distributors sell, and always refer contacts to distributors local to their geography.

Is it just me, or do some people simply not trust the integrity of suppliers as professionals in the industry - you know, the way it should be? We are all in this together, and rely on each other to get the job done right. We're not interested in selling to end users. Please, let's work together people.

Edited by SunScarf, 14 February 2010 - 07:29 PM.

[royster13]

I have a hard time using suppliers that "plaster" their name all over things......That is nothing to do with trusting a supplier....It is more to do with not trusting the marketplace and Google......I am just trying to make a living and it seems about 90% of the folks out there shop around....So the easier it is for an end user to figure out where stuff came from, the less likely I am going to make a decent margin on sales I do keep.....

[FindingPromo]

SunScarf said:

Mark,

I agree with your perceptions, and believe that end users actually rely on brand recognition to make repeat purchase decisions. The reality is, suppliers have 2 "customers" to satisfy - one direct, and one indirect. If we tarnish our brand names with poor quality, end users would never give distributors repeat orders, regardless of who they are.
. ..

Thanks Peter,

Well said above. Not only to buyers use the Supplier Branding and Quality, but with the predominance of and use of 4 or 5 star, as well as A, A- and B rating etc., this industry rating system is also many times being shown and seen by buyers.

I truly also have seen and am regularly shown, how Supplier Branding, Quality and Reputation is not only relied on for repeat buying decisions, but also for referral buying decisions inside a company, up and down their particular industry's supply chain, and even in some cases that a competitor wants to do something similar that their competition is doing.

This also leads many times to Distributor referrals also, when the distributor has earned it's own Quality, Reputation and Branding in their own right.

Trust works in all parts of our channel, and via Twitter and many of the other places, Industry Suppliers are earning their own reputation, just like many many other industries are doing. I would not be surprised at all, if Toyota in fact used, and leveraged new media, Web 2.0 and 3.0 strategies to help it recover from it's recent challenges to it's reputation. . that was pretty strong. Heck, they hopefully will be using lots of our industry product to in fact build that along the way . . .

Edited by FindingPromo, 14 February 2010 - 09:11 PM.

[Chris Miller]

I tried to read this, but I could not even comprehend it, and it didn't even sound like something you would write. Not trying to be mean, but this is WAY out there!

FindingPromo said:

Thanks Peter,

Well said above. Not only to buyers use the Supplier Branding and Quality, but with the predominance of and use of 4 or 5 star, as well as A, A- and B rating etc., this industry rating system is also many times being shown and seen by buyers.

I truly also have seen and am regularly shown, how Supplier Branding, Quality and Reputation is not only relied on for repeat buying decisions, but also for referral buying decisions inside a company, up and down their particular industry's supply chain, and even in some cases that a competitor wants to do something similar that their competition is doing.

This also leads many times to Distributor referrals also, when the distributor has earned it's own Quality, Reputation and Branding in their own right.

Trust works in all parts of our channel, and via Twitter and many of the other places, Industry Suppliers are earning their own reputation, just like many many other industries are doing. I would not be surprised at all, if Toyota in fact used, and leveraged new media, Web 2.0 and 3.0 strategies to help it recover from it's recent challenges to it's reputation. . that was pretty strong. Heck, they hopefully will be using lots of our industry product to in fact build that along the way . . .

[FindingPromo]

Chris Miller said:

I tried to read this, but I could not even comprehend it, and it didn't even sound like something you would write. Not trying to be mean, but this is WAY out there! :eek:

Chris,

Inside other industry Supply Chains (IE contracting Industry, Automotive Industry, Aviation Industry, Software industry), our products are used, gifted inside companies, gifted to clients, buyers, gifted sometimes to their suppliers, and in some cases our product are purchased by a competitor in order to match what one of their competitors are doing.

I know a mechanical contractor, that gets certain branded products from their suppliers for various reasons, as well as a part of their industry association trades shows events, golf tourneys etc.

He has received the same product from competing suppliers who appreciates his business.

He also chooses the same brands that he has rec'd to gift to some of his employees and customers. . . . .. so:

I truly also have seen and am regularly shown, how Supplier Branding, Quality and Reputation is not only relied on for repeat buying decisions, but also for referral buying decisions inside a company, up and down their particular industry's supply chain, and even in some cases that a competitor wants to do something similar that their competition is doing.

Sometimes a certain distributor has earned the original business, repeat business and referral business, and sometimes they were not involved.

Back in the early nineties, I was with a distributor who had earned the business from many different parts of the transportation industry from Engine Companies, to Trucking Companies, to Freight Companies, Air Freight Companies, Trailer and even Transmission Companies via referrals and also regularly providing the brands of products that all of them wanted in their programs, from Belt Buckles to Golf Balls, Caps to Jackets, Polo Shirts to writing instruments to drink ware. Visiting with some of the decision makers from some of the above companies, they regularly asked that a number of brands of Suppliers' products be made available to their teams as a part of their programs.

Via Twitter are just other ways that brands brand themselves and secure their reputations. It is already very well documented how many a retail and industry brands are delivering on the customer satisfaction process via how they communicate in social media, only a natural process for them to not only establish credibility for their brands, but also to highlight how their products are only available for corporate usage, via approved industry providers / distributors.

Edited by FindingPromo, 15 February 2010 - 12:46 AM.

[SunScarf]

FindingPromo said:

Chris,

Inside other industry Supply Chains (IE contracting Industry, Automotive Industry, Aviation Industry, Software industry), our products are used, gifted inside companies, gifted to clients, buyers, gifted sometimes to their suppliers, and in some cases our product are purchased by a competitor in order to match what one of their competitors are doing.

I know a mechanical contractor, that gets certain branded products from their suppliers for various reasons, as well as a part of their industry association trades shows events, golf tourneys etc.

He has received the same product from competing suppliers who appreciates his business.

He also chooses the same brands that he has rec'd to gift to some of his employees and customers. . . . .. so:

I truly also have seen and am regularly shown, how Supplier Branding, Quality and Reputation is not only relied on for repeat buying decisions, but also for referral buying decisions inside a company, up and down their particular industry's supply chain, and even in some cases that a competitor wants to do something similar that their competition is doing.

Sometimes a certain distributor has earned the original business, repeat business and referral business, and sometimes they were not involved.

Back in the early nineties, I was with a distributor who had earned the business from many different parts of the transportation industry from Engine Companies, to Trucking Companies, to Freight Companies, Air Freight Companies, Trailer and even Transmission Companies via referrals and also regularly providing the brands of products that all of them wanted in their programs, from Belt Buckles to Golf Balls, Caps to Jackets, Polo Shirts to writing instruments to drink ware. Visiting with some of the decision makers from some of the above companies, they regularly asked that a number of brands of Suppliers' products be made available to their teams as a part of their programs.

Via Twitter are just other ways that brands brand themselves and secure their reputations. It is already very well documented how many a retail and industry brands are delivering on the customer satisfaction process via how they communicate in social media, only a natural process for them to not only establish credibility for their brands, but also to highlight how their products are only available for corporate usage, via approved industry providers / distributors.

Thank you for your intelligent comments. Very professionally said. However, it may be difficult to comprehend by some.... As far as educational merit, I find comments that leave-out the bantering and focus on the reason Distributor Talk was made available in the first place, much more informative.

I can't speak for others, but I'm here to learn and share information so as to make this world a little better and life more beautiful for as many people as possible. It's great when people can make this their primary objective, and using social media will only make this easier than ever before, so long as people keep their focus.

It would be appreciated by the professionals in this industry, that insults and attacks be left to personal chats on MSN or Facebook.

Thank you.

PS - I thought this thread was for suppliers to focus on how to sell our products?

Edited by SunScarf, 15 February 2010 - 06:52 AM.