Ron Crowl's blog

Fall, or sweater weather as my wife calls it, is my favorite time of year. Crisp mornings, cool evenings, apple cider, falling leaves and high school football are some of my favorite things that come to mind when I think of time away from the business. 

When I think about fall in relation to business, I immediately think “Trade Show Season." Why? For well more than a decade, attending trade shows has become a part of my professional life. I call it "Trade Show Season" because my calendar is dominated by the GlassBuild America, glasstec, Vitrum and  WInDoor shows from August through November. And frankly, I really enjoy it.

Upon returning to my office after the first trade show I attended (I believe it was the iGw/FW show in Atlanta in 1999), I found a lanyard with my vendor badge attached to it in my luggage. Without much thought, I placed it on the doorknob on the back of my office door, not knowing that nearly 13 years of lanyards and badges would quickly accumulate there and become a daily reminder of Trade Show Season and the work associated with it.

 As an industry supplier, the goal of Trade Show Season (and I assume the same is true of all other suppliers) is to demonstrate what we have been working on over the past year, with the hope that we get slivers of time to educate clients and prospects about the benefits we have to offer and eventually make the sale.

Over the years, I have learned that the actual time spent at the shows is very small compared to the time spent preparing for and following up after the shows.  I am a strong believer in the old proverb, “failing to plan is a plan for failure,” so we dedicate many hours to every detail of our trade show efforts prior to the shows and then to following up with new prospects and existing clients after the show.

On a personal level, I enjoy attending shows not only to get another lanyard and name badge to hang on my door but to catch up with old friends as well. If you’re in Las Vegas for the Glassbuild America show, stop by our booth and say hello. I always have time to meet new friends.

Ron Crowl is president of FeneTech, the Aurora, Ohio, provider of software automation products and services to the glass, window and door fabrication industries. Write him at ron.crowl@fenetech.com.

The opinions expressed here are those of the individual author and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Glass Association, Glass Magazine editors, or other glassblog contributors.

I recently had the opportunity to visit a prospect in a relatively new European country with a colleague. The lengthy trip from my home in Ohio was made with high hopes of returning with a nice order. Lady luck was not with us on that trip, but I returned with something even more valuable: a renewed perspective that personal relationships still matter in business.

The first person I encountered when I landed in this foreign country was a taxi driver. He quickly discovered by my accent and clothes that I was not a local. After such a long flight, the last thing I wanted was a chatty driver as all I cared about at that moment was a warm shower and a few hours of sleep. The short 15-minute drive to the hotel was filled with a narrative about his city and its history.

The next morning, another driver (the president of the potential customer) picked us up at the hotel. A great amount of time that day was spent on their shop floor and in their offices learning about their processes, machinery, people and company history. At the end of the day, the general manager insisted on taking us to see the historical sights of the region. His passion for his country and its history–like the taxi driver's–was obvious. He could certainly have been a very successful tour guide!

On the second and last day of our visit to this faraway land, I thought for certain that we would leave with an order. As the day went on, I realized that coming home with an order on this visit would not happen, even though the prospect liked our product and admitted that they needed and wanted it. This visit was a social call: an opportunity for them to get to know us and for us to get to know them. The president told us that he could not yet buy, as we had only met three  times previously at trade shows and during one other visit. They wanted someone they knew, someone they could trust: a long-term partner and not just a vendor.

We live in times where almost everything can be purchased with a click of the mouse, without ever a handshake or even a look in the eye. This long-distance social call was a great reminder that people sell to people, and relationships still matter, even in our age of instant gratification.

The author is president of FeneTech, the Aurora, Ohio, provider of software automation products and services to the glass, window and door fabrication industries. Write him at ron.crowl@fenetech.com.

The opinions expressed here are those of the individual author and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Glass Association, Glass Magazine editors, or other glassblog contributors.

Being an avid reader, I often find inspiration and focus within the pages of biographies of successful people or in discussions with people I admire. Sometimes, I even find it while enjoying a spectacular sunset. On occasion, inspiration and focus can be found in the strangest things and at the most unexpected times.

I have just returned from the Vitrum show in Milan, Italy, where I was supporting our European office in the trade show booth. Just before the show opened, our manager of the French-speaking market segment handed all of our booth personnel blue shoestrings to immediately place in their shoes.

I assumed that this was meant to be a fashion statement, as the color of the shoestrings was a very close match to our official corporate logo color. With Milan being the fashion capital of the world, I thought this made perfect sense.

Now, I've never been accused of being fashionable – actually quite the opposite – so naturally I hesitated for a moment. I watched as the rest of our team took out their old laces and inserted the new ones. I was still not sold on the fashion idea, but being a team player, I followed along.

As the week went on, I found that these shoestrings provided much more value than just fashion.

Each morning as I tied my shoes, the blue shoestrings stared me right in the face. These shoestrings provided me the inspiration each morning to approach the day and trade show booth with the proper mindset and focus on our mission in Milan.

So here it was: focus for less than a buck! No long hours of reading or deep discussions with others or even an enjoyable sunset. Focus was simply found in the strangest thing and at the most unexpected time--while tying my blue shoestrings.

Upon returning home, my wife, Tammy, took one look at my shoes and informed me that the look was certainly not a fashion statement – at least not in Cleveland, Ohio. These laces have been changed but not discarded. They now sit on my desk as a daily reminder of the focus that was found in Milan and the mission that we are on.

There is now a very good chance that blue shoestrings will be a part of our fashion statement and focus at our future trade shows! 

The author is president of FeneTech, the Aurora, Ohio, provider of software automation products and services to the glass, window and door fabrication industries. Write him at ron.crowl@fenetech.com.

The opinions expressed here are those of the individual author and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Glass Association, Glass Magazine editors, or other glassblog contributors. 

My wife, Tammy, had a quizzical look on her face when I told her that I planned to write my first blog about my favorite t-shirt.

My favorite t-shirt―gray with a fading logo and a little oversized―is really nothing special, but I wear it around the house (and even out in public) much more than Tammy would like. Why do I like wearing it so much? Because of the story that comes with it.

Recently, while on a business trip I had the unfortunate circumstance of running over a dead deer in the middle of the freeway. Since I was only a mile or so from my hotel, I continued down the road at a cautious pace. I parked at the hotel and got out of the car in time to hear the last of the air escaping the tire. With a dinner appointment in less than an hour, the tire was quickly replaced with the donut that was in the trunk, and I went on my way.

After a meeting the next day I started to head home, at which point I wondered how far I should drive on the donut. A quick look in the car's user manual indicated that 50 miles was the recommended maximum. I then took the next exit off the freeway in an attempt to find a new tire.

I quickly came upon a rundown garage that had a tire sign in front of it. I pulled in and went inside. Did they have a tire to replace the flat one? Yes. Did they have a set of four? Yes, At a reasonable price? Yes. Now, the most important question: How long would it take to replace all four tires? I didn't want to wait the expected two hours. The gentleman told me they would have me on my way in 15 minutes. I was shocked and said yes right away.

The next thing I knew, a garage door flew open and a small army of men with floor jacks and air wrenches descended on my car right there in the parking lot. I could hear the new tires being placed on the rims and spin balanced. I watched in amazement as the new tires were placed on the car and they told me I was ready to go, all in less than 15 minutes. As I walked out the door, the gentleman handed me a t-shirt and thanked me for the business.

They certainly exceeded my expectations and gave me a t-shirt to remind me of the experience!

Going forward, my hope for this blog is that my words regarding manufacturing efficiency, organization and production flow can create an experience that will keep you reading.