More Than Product

From VANEEpedia

As Bill Mason points out in his article “The Knowledge-Based Salesperson,” competition in the foodservice industry will be based on an organization’s ability to bring its knowledge to improve the foodservice operator’s business. “Organizations need to marshal their resources and focus their efforts on providing the customer with ‘more than products.’’’ But what does this mean, in a day-in-day-out sense?

Vanee understands ‘more than products’ to be any knowledge that can improve the operator’s profitability. Examples can be things such as menu engineering, pricing strategy, menu item naming, cost reduction, consumer marketing… just about anything. These are activities that many of our brokers have some experience with – usually through previous experience in foodservice operations. These skills and experiences, however, are where our brokers can create the most value for the operator.

In its own broadline marketing, Vanee Foods has been moving away from a traditional product–oriented approach to an operator–application approach. While it is still important to know why Vanee Corned Beef Hash is better than Chef-mate® (we start with real corned beef, fresh potatoes, etc), it is now more important to understand why the operator would serve corned beef hash at all. By asking our operator just to switch from Chef-mate® to Vanee doesn’t necessarily put more money in the operator’s pocket. But helping the operator develop a new menu item called the Reuben Omelet that brings in an extra $50 a day in gross profit has a true, bottom-line impact.

Our network of sales agencies across the country is the single best source of best practices in providing ‘more than product.’ Because they visit with operators every day and have experience with what works and what doesn’t, our brokers have a pool of knowledge that is both wide and deep. By taking that knowledge and systematically applying it, the Vanee broker can be a true value creator for the operator.