Page 8 - Lighting Magazine - August 2013

Editor s Note enLIGHTenment

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enLIGHTenmentmag.com

The More Things Change ACE H. ROSENSTEIN
Group Publisher
ace@bravointegratedmedia.com
800.774.9861 ext. 601
eve all heard the saying and the cell phone, GPS, laptop, and fax ma-
like most adages, it contains chine have been a tremendous help. But LINDA LONGO
Editorial Director
Wsome truth. I spent time at the all of the reps miss the personal aspect, linda@bravointegratedmedia.com
June Dallas Market talking to reps about the one-on-one interaction, and the time 800.774.9861 ext. 616
the changes that they ve experienced over spent with each customer catching up
the years since they frst got into the busi- on business as well as personal develop- Contributing Editors
ness. (See story, page 42) ments. They consider their customers to Patricia Hart McMillan, Denis Caldora,
Marty Glantz
The consensus was that technology has be friends in every sense of the word,
been both a godsend (regarding speed atending weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, fu-
SIMONE TIEBER
and agility in responding to customers and nerals, and childrens graduations. Creative Director
factories) and a hindrance in that it has Technology has had the same efect at simone@bravointegratedmedia.com
removed a lot of the face-to-face contact retail. There isn t as much interaction with
that made the job feel warm and personal. consumers and their families as there used JASON LOWSY
Production Manager
While email does, in theory, allow for to be. Similarly, customer loyalty has been jason@bravointegratedmedia.com
communication to occur 24/7, some reps replaced by price shopping. You might not
told me that they get a faster response by even meet your customers as some would LILLIAN ANDERSON
picking up the phone and calling their cus- prefer to buy from you online than come Publication Coordinator
tomers the old-fashioned way. Are they in. The Internet and the fast pace of life in lillian@bravointegratedmedia.com
800.774.9861 ext 608
ready to place that order? Would a meet- general these days has taken a lot of the
ing on Wednesday work to go over the new personality out of the business transac- COLIN VILLONE
catalogs? These are questions that, when tion. As yet another saying goes, Its not Advertising Director
posed through email, somehow get put of personal; its just business. colin@bravointegratedmedia.com
until later. We have all become victims of Lighting might be one of the few indus- 800-774-9861 ext. 635
email overload, where the inbox keeps fll- tries lef where the personal touch means JEFF DOCTOROW
ing up with messages round the clock and so much to all of the parties involved. This Business Development
large chunks of time are needed to answer month, lets all make time to get personal jef@bravointegratedmedia.com
800-774-9861 ext. 618
them all. with our customers (in a good way) and see
Even if a rep embraces the Internet, where that leads. EDWARD FREBOWITZ
Web marketing, email, and creating iPad Social Media Director
catalog presentations, there is a lot of data- ed@bravointegratedmedia.com
base juggling that occurs since there is no
BRIAN MICHALOVIC
universal sofware system that all of the Technical Development
manufacturers use. For a rep with many brian@bravointegratedmedia.com
lines, the process has become more time- 800.774.9861 ext 605
consuming than it has been in the past.
MICHAEL RUBEN
There is no question that the invention of Audience Development
michael@bravointegratedmedia.com
800.774.9861 ext. 615

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6 enLIGHTenment Magazine | august 2013