Bribery or Appreciation?

I just got off the phone with a potential client. She mentioned several times in our 10-minute conversation that “this is what everyone in her industry does.” She was referring to the practice of essentially bribing dealers to sell her company’s product by giving them rebates and monetary incentives when they reach a certain amount in sales. And that’s how they show appreciation for their dealers. They give them money for selling their product.

That’s not showing appreciation, nor is it building a strong relationship. It’s just doing business. Money is definitely a motivator, but it’s not as big a motivator as some people believe it is. Relationships built on money as a reward will go away when the money goes away. Relationships built on trust, appreciation, gratitude and value will endure a lot longer.

The conversation ended with her commitment to continuing to do what everyone else does. That will assure she will get average results. Apparently she’s okay with that, which is exactly why she wouldn’t be a good client for my company anyway.

Good Day Atlanta

Fox 5’s Good Day Atlanta covered the Great American Dessert Expo live on Tuesday morning. The Gratitude Cookie ™ and Zen Rabbit were featured in this segment, right after Spice Rack Chocolates. Want to see it? Click here.

 

 

The Dessert Experience

The Great American Dessert Experience and my first “big girl” trade show is over. While it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting in terms of overall size and number and quality of attendees, I did meet several other exhibitors with great companies that I would recommend you check out.

Jodi Braun started For Goodness Cakes and mmm, mmm, mmm, they are good! Kind of a cross between a cheesecake and a coffee cake. She gave me a cinnamon one to bring home at the end of the show and we are quickly eating our way through it. Read more about them at www.forgoodnesscakes.com.

My “next door neighbor” at the show was Spice Rack Chocolates, created by Mary and Paul Schellhammer. These are solid chocolates enhanced with a variety of herbs, spices and flavorings. Think lemon with basil, grapefruit with lavender or, from the en fuego collection, crushed Thai chilies (yes, it is HOT!). Check out all the flavors at www.SpiceRackChocolates.com.

Winners in the “Small Bite, Big Taste” competition, 3 Sisters Creative Specialty Foods makes confectionary covered popcorn. We’re talking mini popcorn balls drenched in strawberry or key lime or chocolate coating. Sweet and crunchy. See what I’m talking about at www.popon-line.com.

Other cool products include Wine Cellar Sorbet (www.winecellarsorbet.com) which is exactly what you think – sorbet made from wine and PhotoFrost which is a system for printing pictures on cakes, cookies, cupcakes or anything else edible using a regular inkjet printer (!) (www.photofrost.com)

If you need bakery equipment, I now recommend calling my new friend John Stricker at www.bakery.com. And in case you want to certify your kitchen and products as kosher, contact Steve Sichel at Star-K Kosher (www.starkosher.com).

Next trade show is World Tea Expo in Las Vegas, May 30-June 1, 2008.