We sure were proud the day we had our first booth at the CeBIT. In Hall 19 we had a 20 sqm black booth. It must have been either 1991 or 1992. It was amazing to present a CCD Scanner with keyboard wedge, amongst the incessant beeping barcode readers. At some point we had worked our way up to 250 sqm on two levels in Hall 1. After the exhibition was finished the booths were not dismantled - this exhibition hall was exclusively for the CeBIT (and except for the 10 days out of the year when the exhibition was held, only mice and rats lived there). The booths belonged to the exhibiting companies; in addition we had meeting pavillons on the roof of Hall 1, including entry into the land register. What a strange feeling it was at the time: the CeBIT. Lufthansa flew fully booked 747s from Frankfurt to Hannover, train reservations had to be made a half a year in advance. . .do you remember? In 2000 we sold our booth, and at a good time too. The CeBIT had a record-breaking year in 2001, but since then, the exhibition has basically been reduced by half. You never would have dreamed it possible amidst the ecstasy and alcohol poisoning.
A hotel room was unthinkable, unless of course, you wanted to spend the night in Braunschweig or Kassel. So our only option were privately rented rooms in and around Laatzen, where we dragged ourselves back to abandoned kids‘ rooms for 10 days. Sometimes we were robbed: the private rooms were all paid for in cash, which the thieves knew, and some renters did not think much of banks.
I also looked into the HRS: now I can book a hotel room near the exhibition at a fair price. And Lufthansa is flying again to Hannover, this time with smaller planes (and they have lots of seats available).
In our segment, EuroShop is purposefully going after the CeBIT, by having the exhibition dates overlap. Düsseldorf is completely sold out, and there are no hotels near the exhibition available for less than 550 euro per night. All that remains is the memory of a nice CeBIT decade, where everything increased and expanded, and the parties were more expensive and lasted longer.
One day I will go the CeBIT, that will do for 2011.
The road to success: do we really have to get worse at everything?
Last week I had a conversation with a customer that left me speechless....
Last week I had a conversation with a customer that left me speechless. Our sales department asked me to speak to a customer on the phone who doesn’t buy from us because we supposedly supply end customers.
No problem, I thought. I called and explained that this is exactly what we don’t do, and that this is a key promise to our dealers. There are extremely rare exceptions, – only if a vendor forces us to, or a retailer explicitly asks us to. But that almost never happens.
Then it turned out that there was a misunderstanding: the customer said that we also supply small retailers. My answer: »Yes, we do and we have to, based on our contracts with the vendors. Our competitors do that too.«
»All correct«, I hear, but then it got exciting: »Your large competitors are not interested in small customers, so they are poorly served. At Jarltech, the small dealers feel comfortable because you provide a great service.«
I didn't know whether to laugh or cry ... A customer doesn’t buy from us because our service is too good? I hadn’t expected that.
But don't worry, contrary to the headline: We will continue to endeavour to offer every customer the best service we can!
Why is good service so important again?
I'm writing to you today from China. Here I have learnt once again why good service is so important....
I'm writing to you today from China. Here I have learnt once again why good service is so important. If you want a customer to pay more than elsewhere, then you have to make the difference! You have to know what they like and anticipate their wishes.
Here in Shenzhen is the Grand Hyatt Hotel – I was here at least six times a year before Corona – and even stored some luggage in Shenzhen, so that I only had to fly with hand luggage. Liquids and such ... that was difficult on the plane.
It’s been over three years since I was last here, and I arrived to be greeted by an armada of hotel staff. My beloved Coke Zero was waiting for me in the car outside the airport. My luggage, which I hadn’t expected to see again, had been stored for three years and completely cleaned for my new stay. Everything was hanging in the wardrobe and the bathroom was neat and tidy. My razor was charged and my chargers stood on the desk. Of course, the fridge was full of Coke Zero and the white wine I had last drunk three years ago. Even the room service knew what I liked to eat.
That’s what hospitality really is. And we have to do the same at Jarltech. Always write down what our customers want and like. And when I go out to dine with a customer, I need to know whether they are vegan or if they don’t like pork, for example. Some customers want to be called and courted on a weekly basis, whereas others find this rather annoying. Some still prefer paper catalogues, others believe it’s environmental pollution. And all the better if a customer returns after three years, and I still have it all written down somewhere. Jarltech may not be a hotel, but we are a service provider that has to differentiate itself The difference is always in the details.
The world's smallest chef gives a guest performance in Usingen
It's finally back on: Our 3D projection dinner show »Le Petit Chef« will be back in our restaurant »Uwe and Uli« (www.uwe-uli.de) from the 11th of October...
It's finally back on: Our 3D projection dinner show »Le Petit Chef« will be back in our restaurant »Uwe and Uli« (www.uwe-uli.de) from the 11th of October 2023 to the 30th of April 2024. Personally, I always have fun enjoying delicious food with a bit of a show. Come by sometime – it's also great for Christmas parties with up to 20 people. And if you're a customer of ours, why not have your sales contact invite you next time you visit Jarltech? 😊
Have fun with the little chef!
Use our know-how power for yourself – free of charge!
We have the largest showroom in the AIDC industry in Europe, plus plenty of training rooms and an event location....
We have the largest showroom in the AIDC industry in Europe, plus plenty of training rooms and an event location. If you like, we will be happy to train your new employees or your customers’ employees here. You will find an overview and a virtual tour of the showroom on our website. We built these facilities for you – but apparently this is not sufficiently known yet. We can work together to make your staff better, or we can make our facilities available to you, and you can organise your own training for your staff or customers. Just as you wish. We are also happy to take care of airport or train station transfers. Just get in touch with your sales representative and we will do something for you!