“It’s a relationship, it’s not just a purchase.” – Phillip Williams, Sales Executive, BW Flexible Systems
Recently, I was sent a video from our BW Flexible Systems business, which is based in Duncan, South Carolina.
They build machines that fill and bag thousands of food and non-food products. You see the end results of their products every day in your local grocery store in the frozen food, dairy, produce, baked goods sections and more.
This particular video features a company called the Killer Brownie Co.
(Watch video through the link in the header image above)
When people talk about Barry-Wehmiller’s culture of Truly Human Leadership, they usually focus on how we treat our people. But if we just treated our people with dignity and respect and that did not extend to our customers, we would not align to our guiding principle of leadership where we “measure success by the way we touch the lives of people.”
As leaders, we are responsible to be good stewards of the lives of those within our span of care. But that span of care includes our customers as well as our team members.
Business is a virtuous cycle. Business growth is essential for the growth of our people. It enables us to help provide a stable living for them, which is the bedrock for their fulfillment at work and in life. Then, the investments we make in growing our people ultimately helps to grow the business; when we grow the business, it provides greater opportunities for our people to flourish.
Our customers are very important stakeholders in that cycle. They’re the ones who buy our products! For this entire relationship to work, we have to have our customers’ trust. And that does not come from a “transaction opportunity,” it comes from our actions that validate the trust they have placed in us.
And ultimately, it’s the right thing to do, something that is often missing in business.
Here’s a quote from Chimene Mayne-Ross, the President and COO of The Killer Brownie Company:
"The most important part is to take care of the people who are under your care… We saw immediately that was an important part of the BW culture as well. We knew if they were taking care of their employees and empowering them and if they were happy, that they would be a great partner for us because they would be people who enjoy their work and want to support us as a customer."
We treat our people well because it’s the right thing to do. We hope that they go home feeling fulfilled and valued and go out in the world and treat their friends and their family well and be good members of their communities.
Therefore, customers are people too! And we strive to treat them as they deserve to be treated. To listen, to be empathetic to their struggles and to have a mindset of service. We believe that a organization that is focused on earning the trust of our customers and that is focused on validating that trust will be an value creating organization like no other!
Trust, accountability, respect – I’d say that’s why we think a culture of Truly Human Leadership gives us a competitive advantage.
When you watch the video above, I hope you see how our team at BW Flexible Systems was able to make an impact on the folks at Killer Brownie.
Just like Phillip says in the video, it’s a relationship, it’s not just a purchase.