Masonry Magazine October 2001 Page. 14
COVER STORY
MARKETING
MASONRY IN A
COMPETITIVE MARKET
Are we
listening to
our customers?
by Stephen S. Szoke, P.E..
Director of Codes and Standards,
Portland Cement Association
The masonry industry continues to effectively position itself to defend the status quo and tends to maintain competitive prices, compared to alternative building systems. Is this enough? Will this level of effort permit continued growth? Do we need to better understand our customers? One of the first things people who get involved in key accounts and market development programs discover is that they didn't understand what the customer wants and needs. Our industry seems to have a reputation of deciding what the customers need and should have. Several key accounts view this reputation as fairly arrogant and archaic approach to doing business, especially in the twenty-first century. Thus, for several key accounts, industry image needs to be improved.
The masonry industry needs to do a better job of understanding what the customer needs and wants. There is a need to listen to our customers rather than presuming or telling them what they need. Many customers, particularly the large national accounts firms aren't even being called on by the industry. There is a need for more face-to-face contact with customers. We need to fully understand what
14 MASONRY OCTOBER, 2001