Swimming with the Sharks

How The Scrub Daddy Cleaned Up At QCI

Do you watch Shark Tank? We really enjoy the show. Sure, there is drama and some silliness. But, there is more to the show than just that. As buyers, merchants and marketers, we are always on the lookout for new products. We admire the creativity and dedication of the entrepreneurs who have conceived of new products and services and are trying to bring them to market.

The show speaks our language. We know all about retail and wholesale costs, product packaging, distribution and fulfillment. It takes a lot to get a product into the right hands and then out to the public. It’s not just a matter of “make it and they will buy”.

We were particularly impressed when we saw the Scrub Daddy sponge on the show. Wow, how cool –  a sponge that changes consistencies in hot or cold water, doesn’t smell and smiles at us when we’re cleaning? We’re in! Our VP of merchandising, Jeanne Wind, contacted the creator after she saw the episode in which the Scrub Daddy was featured. Next thing you know, we became a proud source for the Scrub Daddy and even featured it on our cover!

We’re always on the lookout for the next cool thing – whether that be from a trade show, vendor or from a creative inventor. We’ll keep watching Shark Tank for that very reason. What about you? Do you like Shark Tank? Who is your favorite “Shark?”. The season just ended, but we look forward to see what the sharks get pitched this coming Fall.

Delivering The Goods

One of the major obstacles in the direct marketing business is being able to deliver the goods to the customer. Unlike shopping in a retail environment, the customer doesn’t get to touch the product until it arrives on their doorstop. And, if an item appears on a web site, or in a catalog, the customer assumes that product can and should be delivered in a timely fashion to their home.

I have been in business for 30 years, and am still trying to deliver the goods to my customers. It just isn’t always that easy. What if a supplier has a flood, the goods don’t get to our warehouse, our catalogs are already printed and on their way to you, the customer. How do I let you know?  Or, the product looks good and we discover it has a faulty mechanism – we are definitely not shipping out poor merchandise. We call all these problems “back ordered products”.  And believe me, they consume an enormous amount of labor hours and clear thinking to resolve.

As-Seen-on-TV Wraptastic.

Then there is “As Seen on TV” products. They sell so fast that we can have 1000 on Monday and be back ordered by Wednesday. Take for example our Wraptastic. We thought it was fantastic and ordered thousands. Then, someone displays it on a national news channel. Poof – our supply is gone and we have back orders.

Our policy/motto here is “sure, no problem”. We will give our customers the very best customer service. Back ordered products just do not jive with our policy. And yet, we keep moving forward. We deliver the goods in the best timely fashion that we can. Unless we have a typical Rochester, NY, snowstorm when all schools and businesses are closed for days. Now that’s a challenge!

That “hot new product” question

Wherever I go, friends always ask me what the hot new product is. Although it should roll right off my tongue, I find it is a tough question to answer.  We mail catalogs every 2 weeks, and each one has hot new products. Are they asking me about the new WaxVac because they just saw it on TV and want to know if we carry it? Or, are they asking me about the Solar lights because Summer is coming up?

This time of year we are in full-blown “get ready for Spring & Summer” mode. So, even though snow is on the ground, we’re writing about sprinklers, figuring out how to photograph flowers in a snow storm (always a challenge) and similar fun stuff. 

I can tell you some trends:
1) Retro steel frame lawn furniture is back – people dig the bright colors
2) People are really ready to ditch their boots and anything winter related and get out in the yard
3) People hate pests (the insect kind, not people).

Bottom line – in this job, you need to “read” the customer. How old? Do they own a home? Are they a TV watcher? Should I divulge that our hot new product is a Pest Repeller and risk making them feel that their house is infected?

This is one of the little quirks of owning a business. It’s just another puzzle piece that I need to figure out.

One view from the show – you end up walking miles and seeing hundreds of vendors and items

P.S. I get help with this question this weekend when I travel to Chicago, along with my merchants, for the International Housewares Show. Lots of walking & lots of amazing new items to scope out. Details/photos when I return…

Jane

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12/12/12

As a numbers freak, I was thrilled to write a check, sign my name on a contract, and stare at the digital calendar since today is 12/12/12.

In honor of this special event (you do realize it won’t happen again in our life time, right?), we wanted our customers to share in the excitement!

At 12:12 PM, any customer who placed an order was told “your order is FREE”. Yes, entirely free – not FREE shipping, not a FREE gift, but the whole entire order was FREE. It was sort of like “you won the lottery for the best timing- and you didn’t even have to pick your favorite 6 2-digit numbers.” We ended up making 3 customers across the country very happy. We gave away hundreds of dollars in free items including a $100 Oreck Vacuum cleaner!!

Check out the VIDEO as the winners were announced. There was lots of noise in the call center to mark a big day. This is what the holidays and big number anniversaries are all about!

Yes, we have a lot of fun here!

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The Dilemma Of Daylight Saving Time

As I changed my clocks, my watches, the clock on the stove, and my automatic dimmers, I couldn’t help but wonder what Benjamin Franklin would think. And that made me think about other wonderful “inventions” that we all grew up with. Since I am a merchandiser, I couldn’t help but think about the Fuller Brush man who used to stop at our house. Many of you might not remember this. What fun it was! Did my Mom want a free vegetable brush or a letter opener for her time? No one ever picked the letter opener. We still carry the Fuller Vegetable Brush!

How long has it been since we opened our doors to strangers?  Let alone, spent an hour at the kitchen table watching someone demonstrate kitchen brooms, mops and sponges? The Fuller Brush man was most often a student, working his way through college. He was young, eager, and definitely personable. And letting him in was a simple process.

Changing our clocks used to be a simple process too. Today, nothing is quite that simple. Over the years, Fuller Brush has added cleaners, air sanitizers, and even cleaning gels like their new stainless steel Gel. They still make everything in Great Bend, Kansas, but life is not so simple. We sell their products because more people are either not home or not willing to open their door to strangers.

Although I love the Fuller Brush Company products, and hope they are around for another 100 years, I am ready to cancel Daylight Saving Time. Too many gadgets, too much bother, and totally not able to change with the times. Got to run, it is time for lunch, or maybe not, is it 11 or 12?

 

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Creating Value in People

I was delightfully surprised to find the following article in the national trade magazine, Internet Retailer. It is an example of how talented and creative people can be- and best of all, people who work right here at QCI Direct!

As an entrepreneur, I have often read about how a company begins to expand beyond the entrepreneurial stage and into an honest to goodness real company. When I read this article, I knew we had arrived. My Vice-President of Operations, Donna Ciccarelli, is doing great things for the company and, although I would like to take credit for teaching her the ethics and values of QCI Direct, she has taken that knowledge and expanded upon it.

My only fear is that someone else will read this and think they can “steal” her from her position. No way!

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Being Ethical

The sign that hangs in our Lobby!

It is with great pride that I applaud my company for becoming the winner of the 2012 Rochester Business Ethics Award for mid-sized company. Wow!

Over the years (and that means 29 to be exact), I have met, talked, e-mailed, and corresponded with many associates, vendors, friends, and competitors. I knew all those years ago that I would have to make my own judgments and decisions about how my company would work. I watched many not-so-ethical companies grow larger than me, sell products I felt were inferior, and – one of my favorites –  vendors tell me that getting products to the customer wasn’t that important; the only thing that mattered was the bottom line. It was crazy! I could have easily been influenced by their success, but that’s not me. I just couldn’t go there.

I created our motto: “Sure, no problem” way back when and made sure everyone in the company knew it. As a matter of fact, that statement is what each and every employee sees as they enter the building on a HUGE sign in the lobby. And, it’s not just jargon – it’s real (and real easy to remember). New employees are always amazed to see me out picking product, or answering phones, or doing all the jobs that they were hired to do. I do it to help out when we are really busy. I do it at Christmas because I want to “touch” my customers. I do it because it is the right thing to do.

Truthfully, being ethical is the easy thing to do. No lying, no maneuvering, no fancy footwork. If you want to see how we started and what we do – from the moment you place your order, to when it is shipped out the door, watch the following video that was made about us!

Thank you for believing in us and allowing us to be in business for three decades now. We look forward to the next three!

Jane

P.S. If you’re ever in, near or around, Rochester, NY, we would love to have you stop in for a visit!

Click HERE to go back to our website: http://www.qcidirect.com

Stop in and say hi!