For a number of years, a woman in a television commercial for Hanes underwear used the slogan: “It doesn't say Hanes until I say it says Hanes.” The ad was a huge success in selling their undergarments. For many years, quality control in America deteriorated so drastically that overseas competitors stole a large portion of our market share. Today, however, we're back and doing better than ever. But the painful lessons we learned about building a reputation for quality products and services has been expensive.
ACTION ITEM
Make a decision today that you're going to drive your company toward superior quality. Then communicate that goal to customers and prospects. Quality is the cumulative effect of many choices.
The late W. Edwards Deming was respected worldwide as a proponent of quality. He said that quality didn't really cost anything, but was in fact a profit center. Quality products result in fewer rejects, less maintenance, less down-time, extended performance, more enjoyment of use, and an increase in customer loyalty.
TAKEAWAY
There will always be a top-end buyer
who's willing to pay a premium price
for quality products and services.