In the finishing business, there are essentially two kinds of inevitable problems, the good ones and the bad ones. A good problem is an opportunity to up-sell additional value or an opportunity to venture product where you’ve had no previous experience. Of course a bad problem is a persistent one that usually involves excessive waste or rejection on a job you that do have. In either case, I would argue that the “solution” to these problems should always look the same. It will be one that improves the product, makes your company money and keeps a lot of people happy—it’s a foregone conclusion.
Yes. If you’re not better prepared for the next inevitable incident of the same problem you really don’t have the right solution. If you’re not soon-after more profitable (or at least beginning to recoup loss) doing exactly the same thing, you don’t have a real solution here either. And if your people or your customers’ people aren’t happy with the process and the outcome you’re far from a real solution. Let’s talk about real solutions.
“Solutions” available, just ask
Speaking of perspective, it occurred to me how the name “Accessa Coatings Solutions”—particularly the “Solutions” word—could be misunderstood. “Solutions” happens to be a verb and the case studies the company freely shares prove they mean it.
Accessa is, as sales would have you know, “the universal expert on paint and coating solutions” but I think most people miss the point and short themselves the true value Accessa has offered to industry for decades.
Put another way, Acccessa is a solutions expert on finishing. They have, or will find, answers for just about any paint and coatings challenge, and turnkey products to keep their customers running smoothly. So in fact, the most important “solutions” Accessa provide are not mixtures at all; they’re best of class problem closure to coating issues and challenges.
Let’s face it, if you’re going to call a distributor with a finishing problem the last thing you want is to be sold on is a bill of goods. Looking for a place to issue another purchase order was not the pain you had, and lip service exacerbates it. What you call for is a solution in the form of outcome and closure. Trying to get paint to stick on a wet turkey for one customer is not your only problem today. You need to move on quickly and not have to endure the same issue again. You want that confident feeling you get after you’ve described a persistent problem to someone and they say, “I can fix that.”
How to get conclusion
Customer demand, environmental stops, and product advances create a fast moving target for small finishing businesses. Only conclusive recommendations keep you moving toward real solutions that are competitive. The process is familiar. The most common mistake is not following through. To get conclusion, and real solutions, you need expert help thru all 5 steps:
1. Define the problem or goal—this is not always as easy as it sounds
2. Develop a plan that fits your resources—if it doesn’t, what’s the point?
3. Implement the plan—and insure you have a method to the madness
4. Evaluate the results of the plan—and repeat steps 2 through 4 until you are satisfied with the results!
5. Conclude, document and move on
Solutions come in many forms
You don’t have to have a crisis to need expert help. Sometimes you need a little competitive advantage. Here are a few, briefly stated, examples of real solution scenarios Accessa could help with:
Solution: Bone up on a new process
Industry insight on new materials and techniques could be enough to win a new piece of business or go after an entire industry previously outside your radar
Solution: Sell value-add with confidence
What if you had product that had been out the door for months and your customer—who had been totally satisfied with your work—calls for your ideas on how it could be improved next time? Perhaps to withstand the elements or how to reduce maintenance
Solution: How to take the deep dive
The logistics of facing larger, more fundamental, changes in your process can take you back a bit. But when you find out you could also reduce waste, curb rejects, and lower related VOC and HAPs emissions at the same time, everybody’s going to be breathing easier
The bottom line
When you are persistently good at delivering superb product, the bottom line takes care of itself. That’s why a coatings partner like Accessa Coatings Solutions, armed with industry knowledge gained from decades of field experience, can help you leapfrog the obvious yet avoiding the ominous. What good is UV if you’ll soon be in violation of emerging OTC environmental standards in your area anyway? To improve the bottom line, seek real solutions that solve persistent problems from the top.
Contact me at 317-879-2055 to learn how to solve your persistent problems.