mann lake manners

[td4bees]

The problem with this thread is that you offer no context as to the conversation. Did you call them just to try and barter down the price on one item or was it a possible add-on to a larger order? Do you have a previous order history with them?

Was the person you spoke to really being unhelpful? I'd have thought that being straight and telling you that your best deal is where you're currently purchasing the item from is as honourable a response as anyone could expect.

ok lets sort this .. I got out the catalogue from my current provider made up my list rang one of my mates to see if he wanted to put anything on my list. at the moment I get my stuff by the pallet which I have to pay for. my mate said he saw it advertised mann no manners was doing free delivery to ni. on orders over £200. rang them was talking away about the order glanced at my own cat. and said you are slightly dearer on that particular item. and she just floored me.

 

[Swarm]

So you want free delivery and price matching?!!?

 

[REDWOOD]

Sorry but I would love to know her exact words

 

[Into the lions den]

One of the tougher lessons in business is when to say no to a customer. You cannot be all things to all people, and small orders take up a disproportionate amount of suppliers time relative to the returns. I have on several occasions declined orders from those who tried to haggle to beyond a viable level.

One time a sizeable client asked me to reduce my heather honey price. This would have meant jarring it was a waste of time, as the price he sought, and had been offered by another supplier, was below the bulk rate plus bottling and delivery costs. The customer was annoyed and asked why I did not want his business, and I explained, and left him with the request to order a couple of tonnes for me while you are at it.

Then there was the guy who came in asking for foundation for me. He wanted thin super, and we generally keep some wax in stock for local beeks to come in and get some, though we do not take much margin on it. Well I did not actually have thin super, we never use it ourselves, but I offered him some standard thickness BS shallow, and yes, that was fine. I quoted him 19p a sheet. It came in packs of ten so that would be 1.90 a pack. How many packs do you want? Oh I don't need a whole pack, that's far too expensive, I want to cut it into starter strips to save money so I only need three sheets. I was rather flabbergasted as this guy had driven 20 miles to buy cheaper wax from me than pay Th...es price nearer home. Oh gee...so that will be 57p...here are three sheets. So along comes the next question....19p a sheet? Yes. How much discount will you give me if I take three? He was insistent, and offered 50p. I took the three sheets back from him, gave him a pack of 10, said that would keep him going for longer, to keep his money in his pocket, and please don't darken my doorstep again. ( You might think this was long ago...it was 2012)

Next week a friend of his turned up. He had heard we were giving away free wax.......

Sometime you HAVE to be rude (ish). Customers sometimes do not appreciate that their business is actually not worth having. Big customer or small.

 

[Edwardking]

ok lets sort this .. I got out the catalogue from my current provider made up my list rang one of my mates to see if he wanted to put anything on my list. at the moment I get my stuff by the pallet which I have to pay for. my mate said he saw it advertised mann no manners was doing free delivery to ni. on orders over £200. rang them was talking away about the order glanced at my own cat. and said you are slightly dearer on that particular item. and she just floored me.

I'm still on the side of Mann Lake.

 

[Fraise]

This thread has given a lot of publicity to Mann Lake, and given that ANY publicity is good publicity they may well benefit.

I for one will be tempted to give them a call next time I want some supplies. I may not buy from them if their price is too high but will be interested to hear how they respond to a sales enquiry.

 

[Roola]

Blimey, is this thread still going on?! You can tell there isn't much beekeeping to be done at the moment...

 

[Thymallus]

Tell you what is really annoying when you are selling honey is the number of people who ask if you sell that Manuka honey......They are happy to pay 20 quid for a small jar of the ruddy stuff.
It happens so often I got to asking them where their septic wound was, which usually gets them to talk and once explained about the stuff often gets a sale.
Came unstuck one day when the reply was « Well young man it saved my leg from being amputated: ooops.... not the first (or last) time I`'ll put my foot in it......

Unfortunately the number of requests for it does go to show what good marketing can do.

 

[Excession]

Thank goodness Beek season starts soon.... Can't take much more of this!

 

[madasafish]

Thank goodness Beek season starts soon.... Can't take much more of this!

It's amusing..

Compared to what has gone on in the past - (look at posts by borderbeeman as an example)

and this thread.. http://www.beekeepingforum.co.uk/archive/index.php/t-22247.html

and this thread is paradise by comparison..