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Fred's
Articles
Fred Selects A Service Stock
I'm at Fred's, bugging him -
Surrounded by thousands of stocks, I push him: "Fred, tell me how you select a stock."
Fred laughs and says, "That's the hardest part of the job. You want to pick a stock that is at least as good as what the fellow receiving it wants - to guarantee a happy customer.
"That's where 'service' comes in. To do the job right, you need to find out what the guy on the other end of the phone really wants. I have stocks that are near white, yellow, orange, red, red-brown, medium brown, dark-brown, and red wine/purple brown - stocks that are slim, normal, full, and extra-full - stocks that are normal weight, light-weight, and heavy-weight - stocks that are issue, match, refinished, replacement, experimental, and sniper - so I have enough stocks to pick one to meet any request.
"I have enough stocks that I can afford to throw the bad ones away, and select only the best for a customer.
"The bottom line is getting the stock out that the customer wants and expects - and that takes service.
"It's a little easier with us at Fred's. Where else can you telephone to order a stock and speak directly to the person who will pick it out? Often I will ask - especially on an 'as new' stock - what color, make, and weight the caller wants.
"To give you an example, when we first got started, I had a call from a fellow in Anchorage who requested an 'as new' walnut stock with deep half-moon staking in the ferrule, and a specific stamp under the trigger guard. (You M14 experts will know what he was looking for - a stock made by Winchester - but at the time it was a new one on me.) Within a couple of days I located the stock matching his request, and it was on its way to him.
"Because I need to make room for several hundred 'as new' wood stocks, I am offering a special price on the best stock for the M14 or M1A - the synthetic GI stock.
"The buyer gets a stock that is far stronger than wood, impervious to water, and is superior to wood where it counts - in performance. It is not looks that count on the target, but hits - and you get hits from a stock which - unaffected by moisture - shoots to the same point of aim under all weather conditions. As for looks - nothing is easier to improve than the synthetic's appearance by repainting in a camouflage finish. "
I must have really punched Fred's button to get all this - usually he is more a doer than a talker. But he wasn't through.
"Service - that's the bottom line to any successful business. And I've been in business only a short time and still think like a consumer. So I try to send a customer what I would expect to get if I had ordered that item."
What could I say?
Fred says: "In any election year. You must DO something - not just talk - to protect your rights. Item Number One is to VOTE, and to know WHO to vote for, and to encourage your friends, family and relatives to VOTE for the right people. Item Number Two: get yard signs for your candidates - and get some for your friends - and get them set out. Item Number Three - and the time to start this is NOW - realize that the strongest impact is made by a group of dedicated individuals working as a TEAM to accomplish an end. Start now networking with your friends - set up a 'dinner' meeting at the local Burger King or McDonald's. The first meeting: Get yourselves psyched up and committed to electing good people - and lay the ground work for a second meeting in two weeks. Look over the political landscape, from Congress on down, and start to find out who are the right people to support. It's past time to stop talking - and start walking!" |
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