Aaron Zavada, SupaLite’s Business Development Manager for the South, Discusses Why Visiting Customers is More Important Than Ever.
In an age where digital communication dominates, it’s easy to assume that emails, phone calls, and video meetings are enough to maintain strong customer relationships. Yet, many have forgotten the value of face-to-face interaction.
We place a strong emphasis on visiting our trade partners across the UK regularly. We understand that visiting customers in person is more important than ever – especially in today’s fast-paced, competitive market.
Maintaining Business Growth - One of my primary objectives is to ensure and maintain business growth by retaining our existing customer base. Meeting customers in person allows us to build stronger, more genuine relationships. There’s something invaluable about sitting down with a customer and discussing their needs in person.
It creates trust, reassures them of our commitment, and ultimately strengthens our partnership. Personal interaction helps us better understand their business challenges and how SupaLite can help provide the right solution. We always want our customers to feel valued, and face-to-face interactions are key for this.
Meeting Customer Demands - To effectively meet customer demands, you must first understand their needs. Good planning and communication are an absolute must. Visiting customers allows you to see their business in action, meet their team, and gain a deeper insight into their operations.
This experience helps you step into your customers' shoes, ensuring you can provide the best possible solutions.
By visiting showrooms, trade counters, and installations, I can see firsthand how our products are being used and the impact they’re having on customers’ businesses. This insight is crucial, helping us refine our offerings and develop new solutions that genuinely meet market demands.
Customer feedback is vital, and while phone calls and emails are useful, nothing compares to seeing an installer or supplier interact with our products in real-world scenarios. This direct feedback ensures we continue to provide the best possible solutions for our partners.
Every department plays a pivotal role in supporting all our customers – we all work collectively together to achieve the end goal.
Real-Time Service and Support - In 2025, our main aim is service, service, service. We want our customers to be at the heart of all our decisions – to achieve this, we take the customers' needs into account every step of the way.
I try to support our customers in every way, shape and form. From product samples for their showrooms, to new and updated marketing literature, to remote training sessions.
I also explain the process of what’s required at the point of quotation and order. This in-depth support ensures our customers have confidence in our products. Sometimes, some simple advice goes a long way.
National Insurance Changes - The introduction of the national insurance changes has had a big impact on trade businesses, leading to instability and shifts in workforce planning, employment decisions, and overall budgeting.
With economic changes like this, trade customers need more than just a supplier - they need a partner who understands the challenges they face. By being present and having these conversations in person, we can help our customers navigate these changes and ensure they continue to succeed.
SupaLite’s Dedication to Customers - With the market more competitive than ever, businesses need suppliers who are proactive, not just reactive, which is why we pride ourselves on going the extra mile for our customers. The value of personal interaction simply can’t be replaced by digital communication alone.
We are dedicated to building long-term partnerships that help our customers succeed, and we achieve this by making our customers feel valued and supported. This is why visiting customers is more important than ever.
