Great guest post from Anderson Lock in Chicago with an answer to “What is your X-Factor”.
“What is Your X-Factor?” Amanda asked in her November 19th blog.
After attending a Tony Robbins’ motivational seminar, she researched the “X-Factor” that makes A.G. Wilson Building Solutions successful…then, she soul-searched the skills and qualities that make Amanda unique.
She also challenged her readers to ask themselves what their company does better than their competitors.
A small team of Anderson Lock’s leaders looked at this question a few years ago when (now) company president, Cortney Anderson Wascher, was earning her Certificate of Business Administration.
After doing a SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) Analysis, we determined:
“Anderson Lock’s distinctive competency is its employee product knowledge. Since 1960 Anderson Lock has been more than a source for locks, parts, and security door hardware. It has been a unique resource for expert technical advice.”
After pondering Amanda’s X-Factor challenge question, I realized that, although many things have changed since we (literally) framed that response… including the retirement of Anderson Lock’s founder, Gene Anderson, and, under his daughter Cortney’s leadership and company ownership, achieved WBENC (Women’s Business Enterprise National Council) certification… the foundational company strengths remain the same.
The first “strength” we listed is, “Diverse knowledge base.” Although it was originally a one-man lock service shop, there are now 76 full and part-time employees. Training, whether it is led by someone famous, like Tony Robbins, or simply by someone knowledgeable about a specific product or skill, is essential, and ongoing. From weeklong DHI classes to hour-long webinars, education is elemental to having knowledgeable employees.
eCommerce capabilities were added to www.andersonlock.com a couple of years ago, and we do see a steady stream of sales, but the majority of our customers call us to place their orders. They rely on our experienced, knowledgeable, friendly, hardware sales representatives to know which product best fits their needs and budget, and which products meet building, fire and ADA codes.
Thanks, Amanda, for asking us about our competitive edge, and thank you for sharing space in your blog. I’ve enjoyed examining Anderson Lock’s X-Factor, and sharing our secret ingredient: employee product knowledge.
Now it’s time to make a New Year’s Resolution to do some soul-searching and goal-setting for myself!
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