I am a business administration student and some times I can´t help me looking at companies mistakes in Brazil. The business administration course in Brazil is so popular and wide attended that just in my city there are 14 institutions offering it. My city has 500 thousand people. It is probably that more than three hundred people graduate in business administration every six months and over six hundred people a year. It is quite a big number, isn´t?
We could imagine that there are so many good people knowing about procedures, costumer care, production control and so on that we are in fact building a good path to turn our country competitive. Everybody says that and a large number of people believe in that. But the problem is that it is not true.
Despite the fact we are “creating” professionals and teaching professional skills for many people, our country is still struggling with our culture. And our culture is quite strong to be put aside. What aspect of our culture am I talking about? Well, I am talking about the fact that Brazilian people are never worried in doing the best thing at the best time in the best way. We always are worried in doing things that we should have been done yesterday. So we are always doing these things in the faster way, in a delayed time and in the easiest way possible (not in the best way to do).
It is annoying. And it is annoying because the quality passes by.
I happened to be looking for suppliers for one project and I had to be in touch with many companies throughout the country. I spent almost 2 mouths trying to contact companies in different sectors. After contacting almost two hundred companies, I just received answer from less than ten of them. Is it possible? It would be just 5% of return. And I have to say that many of them took many days to contact me back.
It is funny because I was interested in being their costumer. I was not doing span or something like that. I started my contact with “I would love to know more about your company and your products...” and do you believe that many of them were not engaged in getting this opportunity to show themselves to a potential costumer?
I was told by my friends that maybe I took the wrong addresses, but I don´t think so. Is it possible I took 190 wrong addresses? Even if these addresses were in fact wrong, it would not be something positive and it could not put them out of guilt from being unprofessional companies; it is their responsibility to keep their contact updated.
But anyway, the wrong addresses possibility is out of question once my e-mail service would say that the contacts were not delivered. I didn´t get any notice from it.
In an accidental situation I met this guy who were the salesman of one of those companies that I didn´t get any answer. In this occasion I was not tough, but I was not with that smiling face. After greeting I told him “So it is pretty coincidence see you here. I was really interested in you products a couple of weeks ago, but just talked with another supplier...” and then the man came on “Ow.. it is a pity. But you know, I can make to you that special price. I can sell to you for less than this company is actually doing.”
“Ok” said I. “But, you know. I contacted your company a mouth ago and I haven´t got any answer since then. I even tried to call them, but the number wasn´t working. It was just in a busy tom. So I decided another one. Sorry.”
“Oh man. You know e-mail address never works... and phone calls are complicated these days. Please, come on my office and I really can do some special to you.”
Well. Needless to say, I didn´t get in touch with him again and with his company. If I need some help, or a technical assistance, or complain about some mistake in the order delivered? I could not contact them by e-mail or phone... what would that be so? Telepathy?
I didn´t make any accordance with another company, I lied to him. Actually I did not need them anymore. But I thought it would be good show him that the costumer needs attention in the right time. I kept thinking after that in many things. One is that he would give me a special price which it would be less than others suppliers, what is to say is that he would probably loose a bit of money just to repair his fault. Or at least, make less profit. If he or his company had done the right thing, contact me at the time e showed their products and prices I would be so happy that even if they had a higher price, just because the attention I would make business with them.... in that occasion or in the future. Now in the next time, if I need it, I will really look for another one.
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