ed itorial
what we have here is a failure to communicate
An overwhelming number of manufacturers and
distributors who responded to Play Meter's annual
survey question about major problems between the
manufacturing and distributing branches of the
industry pointed to communications as the number
one is ue.
Obviously, most of the respondents to our
questionnaire are aware that useful communication
between manufacturers and distributors doesn't
exi t, but unfortunately, few are doing anything
about it.
We would like to ask: What should be done?
An wering our own question, we would like to
propose a yearly distributor meeting between each
manufacturer and his distributors. The meeting
could last a day or several days--the length should
depend on what problems the manufacturer wants
to cover.
The chief con ideration is holding meetings that
will inspire open discussion and decisions and result
in the joint solution of mutual problems existing
between manufacturer and distributor.
The time and location of such meetings should be
determined by whether the hosting manufacturer
want to incorporate social events and/or new
product presentations into his meeting. While we
12
all enjoy such diversions, the temptation to make
them the primary purpo e of the gathering should
be subdued 0 that the more important business of
communicating and olving problem can be
accompli hed.
While there should be time left aside for
ocializing and "talking shop," the manufacturer
and distributor hould not lose sight of the purpose
of uch meetings--solving diHerences and opening
the lines of communications on specific points.
We aren't ugge ting that manufacturers allow
distributors to dictate how they run their factories
nor are we telling manufacturers they should bow
to distributors' every whim.
What we are suggesting is that both the
manufacturer and the distributor should face up to
the fact that many industry problems result from a
reluctance to talk openly and honestly to one
another. We are suggesting that manufacturers and
di tributors start communicating.
The best way to start doing it is with yearly
confrontations where both parties can air their
thoughts, uggestion and complaints. U nothing
el e, uch parleys could result with each party
leaving with a little more understanding of the
cri es each faces daily.
After all , understanding is what communication
is all about. Understood?
.