Back To Basics
By Frank Datzer
2 April 2007
Last December, on my 14-hour flight from Minneapolis to Tokyo Japan, I made the final decision to start my own business again. I had my own company in 1980, "The Video Company." For those of who are old enough to remember that far back, or if you were
even in Wisconsin back then, you may remember the first commercials for a store called "Wheel and Sprocket." The two owners liked doing all kinds of wacky stunts. Or maybe you remember a weekly television show called "Vintage Video Theater." It aired on TV18 in Milwaukee and was a "Siskel and Ebert," style show, only they played a whole movie between commentaries by the two hosts.
"The Video Company" also was hired to travel the country doing something we called "video wallpaper." "Video wallpaper" was a term we came up with to describe mixing shots of the local sites in each city with video, stills and marketing materials from our clients. The videos would be cut to popular music and then played on multiple television screens throughout their venues. I guess these were kind of a precursor to music videos. These were all productions of "The Video Company."
My career took me through a variety of positions and employers over the years, but I think I always knew I'd be back as an entrepreneur. Twenty-plus years in this business taught me quite a lot, a lot about the video business, and a lot about people. But one thing that always amazed me was why. Why some people or companies can't figure it out. I can tell you all kinds of stories told by my friends and clients about their experiences with poor customer service.
When did poor service become expected and satisfactory service (something that you're supposed to do anyway) become extraordinary? How can some companies so easily lose sight of the fact that pleasing customers is the most important factor for their success? What can't they remember how they like to be treated when they're the client instead of the provider? These are the questions that drove me "back to basics" and back into business for myself.
Maybe companies get too big to provide personal service. Maybe their "bottom line" eventually takes priority over "doing the right thing," or maybe companies forget that their customers can be offered a new option.
Disc Cloners Plus is a new option. My partner Marc Mayer and I started Disc Cloners Plus with the "Golden Rule" as our mission statement. "Do onto others as you would wish them do onto you." It's on our wall, it's on our website, and it's part of everything we do.
We don't claim that our DVDs and CDs are any better than the other guys. Well, not really. I mean, all BS aside, digital discs are really just a bunch of zeros and ones on a plastic disc. Of course we do only use the best writeable media available and we did do extensive research before we purchased the best duplication and printing systems available, but chances are the others guys have done their homework too.
However, what we do claim is that we will provide our customers with the highest level of personal service and integrity they will ever experience. We've been working very hard at striking a balance between growing our business so we can provide all the services our customer's need, but staying small enough to be able to meet those needs on a personal level.
Marc and I like knowing every job that comes through our door. We know the details and we know the people. With 40 years combined experience in the media business there's not much that can stump us anymore. If our customers need a special favor, an overnight delivery or whatever they might need to make their job easier they know they can just ask. If we can't help, our experience and connections help us find them someone who can.
One of our top priorities is to keep upt to date on new technologies and I really enjoy bringing that information to my clients. Being a producer/director for most of my career, I also love to learn about what others are doing in the business. I thrive on putting people together who may be able to help one another, and it's fun to be a part of making a connection for them. Maybe they weren't aware of each other or maybe they just didn't have a way to meet, either way it's great to be a part of helping customers come up with a solution.
All things considered, I guess it's really not "rocket science." I have experience on all sides of this business; I've been a customer, a salesperson, a producer, and a consultant. In all those roles, I always kept track of what things frustrated me and what things impressed me when dealing with others. I could usually tell when I was being "snowed" and it was pretty evident when someone was sincerely interested in helping. The latter was the feeling that made me want to work with that person again and I did - again and again. That's the feeling I want my customers to experience. So you see, I really had no choice; I had to start my own business again. I learned a lot of lessons throughout my career and I think I owed it to my clients and to myself to put that experience and the lessons learned back into action, It's really so basic.
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