62•
MARTIN’S CORNER APS differentiates itself from many others (Continued from page 60.)
several key elements — trust, contin- uous learning (self development) and feedback. Trust is the core element to leading and being an effective man- ager. It is one of the core values of our company. Winning the trust of others has two elements that have to be believed in — competence (that you know what you are doing and how) and character (that you want people to do well and your intentions are good). Lose trust and your out. You know, it brings to mind one of
my first decisions about the industry when my partner and I purchased American Pipe. Realizing that good leadership and management to me certainly meant at minimum I needed
connection back in 1996, and I have learned something every time I en- gage the company or my self into meetings and/or ASA group project and divisional work such as IPD, etc. I wanted to learn and I feel I have been able to be a better leader and build a really strong management team due in great part to the market philosophies and practices I have be- come part of because of ASA. It is about making friends and relation- ships that last. Leadership is a journey of self de-
velopment and continuous learning, with progress coming from “game” experience; observing and network- ing with others, trying and experi- menting, and pushing your self
Measurables are always important. Martin: I’ll tell you, my friends, somewhere in the above that Jeffrey just stated so very well, there is an ab- solutely wonderful “Vision and Mis- sion Statement” that I would bet you your “stakeholders” would really warm up to, know what I mean? Hav- ing seen you work and relate, your people skills seem to abound, your sudden comments on ASA were very timely and fit like a glove when talk- ing about leadership and manage- ment education. It is indeed a great group. I just had an idea about that which I’ll share at the end of this ar- ticle. Thanks, Jeffrey, for such a com- manding answer. So here we are — last question:
With so many sources of competition in the marketplace, how does your company attempt to differentiate it- self from so many other field loca- tions of national companies, local, and regional independents? Beall: It is great to end with this
Delivery truck in pipe yard. Note the heavy duty yet handy load/unload crane on the truck. Daily deliveries in the territory.
to get to know the industry in the area and across the country to even be able to set sail in a new company with a working knowledge of what it is re- ally all about. I think you know, John, how much
I support and believe in supporting the American Supply Association, which to me is the best wholesale in- dustry association for our kind of business. I know Anvil International (your company) feels that way be- cause I see you and other Anvil folks at all national and regional meetings actually working for the association and the members both wholesalers and manufacturers.
For me, I felt I had to get involved
back when we started because I wanted to know who was involved, I wanted to know the best manufactur- ers and vendors to connect with. I wanted to know first hand what the heart beat of the USA pipe, valve, and fitting business is really all about. I’ve been involved since that first
beyond the bounds of your comfort zone. Everyone’s style is different; no one is perfect. Everyone has strengths and weaknesses so we look to de- velop those strengths and compensate for our weaknesses by each one hav- ing a specific role. My role is to be a productive influ-
ence on others by making a differ- ence not only in what they are responsible for, but in the emotions and ideas that drive/motivate their ac- tions. In other words, it’s my job to coach and that is hard for me to do sometimes standing on the sidelines. I like the day-to-day interaction with customers, vendors and especially employees. It is a time management balance for sure, but relationships (one-on-one) are critical to truly building a fine-tuned total team that functions with a purpose. Finally, customers, vendors and employees (stakeholders) must trust you to give you the critical feedback you need to measure and assess your progress.
• Be sure to visit
www.thewholesaler.com for web exclusive articles and videos! •
type question. For me, I see our sole focus to differentiate ourselves from our competitors, whether larger or small, is customer service. We have always recognized the need to im- prove customer service, so four years ago we performance standards for various activities and tracked our per- formance against the standards. We were able to see improvements in our performance and this was validated by our customers started a formalized program to do exactly that — to im- prove our customer service. We sent out a survey to all our customers and then benched marked the results. Kyle: Jeffrey is right on, and I fully
support it. After benchmarking the re- sults, we then set when we performed a follow-up survey that showed dra- matic improvement in all areas. We were very pleased at the outcome and at the continued total improvement. Martin: I agree with both of you
100%. Striving to always increase your customer service performance (that is really what you want, right?), can never do harm. Keeping your focus on the customer so you indeed know his changing needs, is a natural market action to any pro! Well, time’s up guys! Jeffrey,
thanks again so very much to you and you, Bob, as it has been wonderful to spend time with you. — and to hear about American Pipe and Supply is a pure pleasure. I’m sure the readers will enjoy also. You know, sometimes I get the distinct feeling that God made some of the folks perfect or near perfect in our industry, and then the rest He made manufacturers/ven-
dors, or industry related association people! I also believe that the Lord has blessed your company and that’s a good thing! Remember, good things happen to good people. Best of luck to you and your TEAM in 2011! That’s it friends! Please join me in
the April issue as I just decided (after hearing Jeffrey’s comments about his experience with ASA) that I am going to address “head on,” to the best of my ability — once and for all, to clear my head & heart, etc., just ex- actly how I see the pros and cons of associations such as ASA & MCAA v/s the buying/marketing groups — Look for it. Maybe I’ll call it “Why Do We Need Both,” or maybe “Why We Need Both!” Until then, please know that “Mar-
tin’s Corner” declares 2011 as a cal- endar year to continue to be a better year than 2010 in most all areas of our industry except home building (home sales should be better). It is still a very good business practice to be cautious, yet look optimistically at growth opportunities when they pres- ent themselves. Things could still get derailed with rising cost of raw ma- terials, steel products of all kinds, healthcare cost (who knows), federal spending, lack of private money spending, etc. So many variables, so be ready and stay ready to constantly flex and change to meet the needs of your business. Blessings to you all, and thanks for reading!
n — John Born Johnney E Martin in Venus,
Texas in 1944, he is one of nine chil- dren raised 100% on a cotton and grain farm that his father share- cropped. After high school, Martin went into the Army and then Reserves. From there he joined what was then Grinnell Co. in 1968 and has been with them every day of his life since then through four different owners, now Anvil Inter national, A Unit Of Mueller Water Products. He currently serves as vice president of national ac- count sales for the Anvil Mechanical Unit. Holding various sales and man- agement positions for the company over the years, Martin has received numerous industry and association awards and has been involved with in- dustry education foundation boards, and the Board of Directors of both asa and mcaa. Martin currently resides in Castle Rock, Colo., with his wife Kathy of 27 years; they have a daugh- ter Kayla who is 25 years old. He is committed to staying involved in the plumbing and pvf industry (which he loves) for many years to come.
•THE WHOLESALER® — MARCH 2011
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148 |
Page 149 |
Page 150 |
Page 151 |
Page 152 |
Page 153 |
Page 154 |
Page 155 |
Page 156 |
Page 157 |
Page 158 |
Page 159 |
Page 160 |
Page 161 |
Page 162 |
Page 163 |
Page 164 |
Page 165 |
Page 166 |
Page 167 |
Page 168 |
Page 169 |
Page 170 |
Page 171 |
Page 172 |
Page 173 |
Page 174 |
Page 175 |
Page 176 |
Page 177 |
Page 178 |
Page 179 |
Page 180 |
Page 181 |
Page 182 |
Page 183 |
Page 184 |
Page 185 |
Page 186 |
Page 187 |
Page 188 |
Page 189 |
Page 190 |
Page 191 |
Page 192 |
Page 193 |
Page 194 |
Page 195 |
Page 196 |
Page 197 |
Page 198 |
Page 199 |
Page 200