Bob's Thought for the Week

This is how Rich Shannon began a recent presentation at Hillsborough County Public Schools.

Good morning everyone!  We are here today to talk to you about……….boots.  But not just any old boots.  These are LL Bean duck boots.  I own a pair of these boots.  They look just like these.  And they are great.  Mine are approaching 20 years old and they are still comfortable and in great shape, despite 20 years of wear.  They are not going to fall apart…ever. 

There is a fascinating story behind these particular boots.

LL Bean has been selling these same boots with very little changes in how they are made for over 100 years…since 1912!

They sold a half-million of them in 2015!

You might wonder how sales of these boots have done so well.  They don’t have celebrity endorsements.  They are not super fashionable.  Some even call them ugly.  They do very little marketing or advertising for them.  And customers are willing to wait months for back orders.  So how can that be?

I believe it is because of 2 things:  Quality and Customer Service. 

LL Bean has a very customer friendly approach to doing business and they have an unwavering commitment to quality. 

They could easily outsource their production overseas and make 10 times as many for half the price.  But that’s not who they are.  They are about quality and they want them to remain handmade in Maine just like the first pair was handmade by Leon L Bean in 1912.

And they could easily outsource their customer service department to a call center.  But they don’t.  It’s not who they are.  They believe in communicating with their customers and making sure their expectations are exceeded and they have a great experience.  Every one of their customer service agents is in their Maine HQ.

So what does this have to do with us?  I believe the LL Bean duck boot story best describes the business philosophy of Williams Company.

Like LL Bean, we have been in business a long time…since 1920.  Also, like LL Bean, Williams Company was started by one man, JJ Williams, who had an innovative approach to business…build high quality buildings, take care of your clients and your clients will take care of you!  96 years later we still live by this philosophy!

We were awarded a middle school renovation after this presentation.