A centipede by definition has 100 legs. I’m not an entomologist, but I’ll bet it is safe to say that when it comes to survival, no pair or group or section of those legs is any more important than any other pair or group or section.
Even though some of those tiny little legs have been modified through evolution to provide a somewhat different function over countless millennia, no two or three or 12 or even 20 of the centipede’s legs could be considered any more important for survival than the remaining 98, 97, 88 or 80 legs.
The centipede “needs” every one of those 100 legs to accomplish its biological or anatomical destiny. Otherwise, evolution would have ensured we were discussing a creature that had 35 or 40 pairs of legs and not 50. I can say that with a certain degree of confidence because I actually took the time to look this up rather than take a chance on tripping over my own, now seemingly inadequate, number of legs, by choosing this little arthropod as an example.
I guess that’s why I find it so fascinating when warehouses and jobbers seem to be fixated on just three of the countless factors that help define our relationship. I can make that observation with a certain degree of confidence because I’ve done the research here as well. And, while that research may not have been as formal as a trip to the library, after almost 40 years of intimate contact and thoughtful reflection, the results were just as enlightening and — I believe — equally as dependable.
It’s almost as if no one on the distribution side of the industry can count beyond three. At least, that’s what it looks like from the outside looking in. Regardless of the order, the discussion always seems to falter and stop after identifying just three of the many “legs” that support manufacturing and distribution: service, availability and price — as if those are the only three factors you folks really have to worry about.
That would be OK if our relationship remained strictly “transactional” in nature, with no further consideration of the many problems and opportunities that exist on both sides of the parts counter. But, I’m not sure that service, availability and price — as critical as they might be — are enough to provide the stability you need to move from the transaction-based interactions you have enjoyed in the past to the relationship-based interactions you will need to build to enjoy a stable and secure future.
The differences that separate us are not as great as the similarities that bind us. There is a lot you can learn from those of us who have abandoned the notion that a strictly transactional relationship with our clients and customers is enough. There is a lot you can learn from those of us who have explored and discovered the many other components necessary to build relationships based on more than just service, price or availability.
While important, I’m not sure those three legs are strong enough or stable enough to support the weight of the entire industry or a powerful and positive future for your company any longer. And if they aren’t, you just might wake up one morning to find yourself without a leg to stand on.
