For example, one FLEXcon sales representative recently had a customer who was placing lots of small orders (~500 MSI each) of five different products. Our margin was low, and his customers’ costs were preventing him from competing effectively in the marketplace. He worked with the customer and their end users, and together they were able to identify just two made-to-order products (a standard and a high-performance) that we were already making regularly, and transitioned multiple applications to these two products. This customer is now able to place larger, more economical orders, and both FLEXcon and the customer are running more efficiently. More significantly, the customer is now able to offer a more competitive price to their clientele, which is gaining them more business.
Customization has always been desirable, and with personalization so prevalent in today’s society, why wouldn’t your customers want it? In fact, in some instances, letting them know that they can “have it their way” could be a critical component of keeping them. In addition, studies have repeatedly shown that consumers are willing to pay a premium for premium service – like paying extra to sit in first class - so the upfront cost is not necessarily all yours to bear. Of course, you need to offer that service in the first place for your customers to take advantage of it.
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