Playing the long game
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In our feature story this month we chatted with third-party logistics provider Mikhaiel Logistics and their customers.
What really shone through in all the conversations we had with them is the foundational importance of relationships. Mikhaiel is not a large company, nor has it been around for a long time. But the interactions that its people have with customers are clearly its number one priority.
A lot of this comes down to the leadership shown by the three principals of the company. Their knowledge, expertise and understanding of what a 3PL customer really needs are what is attracting and retaining customers. In fact, their first customer came to them looking for their personal touch on transportation and logistics operations just they were starting up the company. That’s a vote of confidence!
And the care doesn’t extend only to the client base. Employees are part of the family. They are treated with respect and given individual consideration.
These are textbook examples of how to generate good feelings. But do these behaviours also generate profits? Well, yes, and it’s sometimes a long game that involves taking one for the team.
As the president of Mikhaiel Logistics said: sometimes his company has to make sacrifices to ensure their customers’ success.
And he’s not alone in suggesting this as a means to achieve loyalty, and profits. Aaron Bare, founder of business-to-business AI provider Kin + Carta, told Fast Company, “Often customer loyalty is created when something goes wrong. It’s how you act in difficult times that create bonds between customers and companies. Once a customer lands on their feet they will remember who was there for them during the difficult times.”
Ultimately, this isn’t a big secret. It’s really just a good understanding of how business works to understand that when your customer succeeds, you succeed. Anything you can do as a supplier to help that success will eventually reflect back in your own achievements.
What’s interesting is to see this philosophy put into action, and how it delivers tangible results for all involved. To see about how Mikhaiel Logistics puts its customers first, you can read the whole story here.
