Confessions Beyond the Food
Confessions Beyond the Food is a podcast about working in the Food Industry. People who work in the Food Industry have grit and lots of stories to tell. W3 Sales, a sales & marketing company, will host this podcast with their confessions on how they have a new, fresh approach and invite guests to confess their secrets to their sauce.
Confessions Beyond the Food
Leading a Successful Sales Firm in a People First Culture
We explore the importance of relationships and a people-first culture in the food service industry with Jeff Griffiths, President of eSource Miller & our host, Nancy Ridlen. From employee empowerment to customer connections, this episode is packed with insights on creating a thriving business environment.
• Discussing the journey and experiences in the food service industry
• Importance of relationships and culture in business
• Empowering teams by understanding individual strengths
• Cultivating a service-oriented organization
• Navigating mergers while maintaining company culture
• Emphasizing transparency and open communication
• Finding inspiration and motivation in leadership
Welcome to Confessions Beyond the Food. I'm your host, Nancy Redland. Let's dig in and get inspired. Hey guys, welcome back to Confessions Beyond the Food. My name is Nancy and I'm with W3 Sales. I have today in the studio a good friend of mine. We have known each other over 20 years. Yes, ma'am. Yep 20 years. So this is Jeff Griffiths yes, the legend. President of East Horse Miller.
Speaker 2:Yeah, thanks, hey, thank you for having me. It's awesome to be here. It's fun to be on Confessions Beyond the Food too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, just wait, you're going to have to confess something at the end of the show. I'll confess, I'm sure you will. He has lots to confess. So one thing that you may not know about Jeff and I is like he's my annoying big brother and so we.
Speaker 2:A big brother.
Speaker 1:Yeah, a big brother. He's not annoying all the time, but sometimes and he is older. I have brother, yeah, a big brother. He's not annoying all the time, but sometimes, and he is older lately, yeah, he's, he's, he's way older. So just so you guys know. But we met when I first started an industry in 2002, 2003, and I was in distribution and you were the federal.
Speaker 2:I think it was federal and beverage air are the two things we ever talked about, but federal for sure I think, you were selling display cases and my expertise probably made that thing go amazing for you yeah, it's really exciting fun fact.
Speaker 1:I don't know if you remember this, but chef doug brown was opening up a um his beyond the box catering and remember the federal like the first day, like we had to. You know something was tripping or something just kind of first day problem sometimes and I like showed up with my hair dryer.
Speaker 2:Oh, I do, which is interesting, cause he's a bald guy, right.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:Yeah, two bald guys, you and a hairdryer.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so it's convicting, it is very convicting.
Speaker 2:So it worked out great. I think you fixed the problem.
Speaker 1:I don't think I did, but I mean I think it fixed itself. So but cause it's great equipment, so anyways, but yeah, so you've been in the industry, You've always been on the factory side, right.
Speaker 2:No, I was actually a dealer for a while. I was hired into the industry in 1993 and I worked at ISI Commercial Refrigeration. So we leased ice machines and we're a Beverage Air and Scotsman ice machine distributor. So awesome experience for me. I worked there in 93 to 98 before I moved over to the rep side. I worked for John Dunn at the Dunn Group at the time. I had met John Dunn in 93 trying to sell him a copier machine. He didn't buy it for me, which was most people I talked to about copier machines. I sold 11. My parents bought one but John had introduced me to ISI and kind of in a cool full circle moment, bob Gilbert, my first boss, works at eSource Miller now and we represent Beverage Air and we're the Scotsman distributor. So over the last year all three of those things kind of have come back together and it's just been a phenomenal thing for me. It just feels like family kind of a reunion every day.
Speaker 1:Yeah, it is. This industry is very full circle, you know, oh for sure, and the friendships you make are forever. And I know that I've had that with you, jeff, you know, over the years and just coming to you and just in different seasons of my life, and whether it be, you know, a situation with a customer or owning my own rep group, but you've owned your rep group for how long?
Speaker 2:So started at Miller Associates in February of 05 and we bought it November of 06. And we bought it November of 06. So since then one iteration of it we purchased eSource in January of 21 to create eSource Miller. We're super creative with names and it's been great. I think I've told the story before it was going to be Miller eSource.
Speaker 2:But somebody way into the process of making logos said you know that almost spells mess, so it's like ESM. It is. But yeah, so since November of 06 really is when we've had started Miller Associates.
Speaker 1:Yeah. So I don't know if you are listening outside the industry, these brands are huge, huge, and so Jeff is one of the most humble people I've ever met and he's just a great leader. And but you would never know, because you, you are one of those guys that I'll call you. I think I called you a couple of weeks ago and you're like, something went down for a big customer of yours and you were in your truck heading down to help them out with a replacement. I mean, that's just the kind of guy and leader you are and I've always admired that part of you.
Speaker 2:It's nice, nice of you to say that. And with a replacement were the key words, I think, because if it was me going there to fix it, it would have never Really, I don't even own a hairdryer, for instance. How could I fix a piece of equipment?
Speaker 2:Okay, no but I'm not super technical right. So when it comes to fixing a piece of equipment, my method would be similar to a computer. You know, turn it off, turn it back on. If that doesn't work, unplug it, wait 18 seconds, plug it in, turn it back on. But no, we just have a. The industry, to your point, is phenomenal. It's service-oriented people. It's just a group of kind of play hard, have fun, work hard people, and I've always just loved that about it. I think the restaurant industry is the greatest way to learn business. You have full-on manufacturing where every step and every process really matters in the back. Generally it's completely haywire in the back and then completely sales, customer experience, customer service in the front, and so it's always kind of blown my mind that young people don't take that first job experience and we don't do a good job of showing them that this could be a career. That food service is just this phenomenal place to work, and especially maybe in Texas and Oklahoma.
Speaker 1:Especially in Texas and Oklahoma. And if you didn't, if you're not watching. He is bald, so that's why he talks about he doesn't have a hairdryer. So if you're just listening on one of our platforms but just kidding, I didn't know you were.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean.
Speaker 1:I. I didn't know you were weren't technical, I thought you were. So you fake, you faked it.
Speaker 2:Yeah, maybe. Maybe I just try to pay attention to some super technical people that have always been around me. I require, like, high executing people around me. I have a lot of ideas and a lot of thoughts, but I'm not always the best at fixing things specifically, so I've had a lot of really technical people around me over the years. So I'm okay and I can speak the language, but I'm not going to service something and have it go right for a long time.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and I think one thing that is cool that you do at eSource Miller is just recognizing everybody's differences and gifts and you guys test all your employees. I took a test, so for fun. He was like I just want to see what you would be, and so tell us a little bit about that.
Speaker 2:Yeah, okay. So I used to be the owner of that thought I was supposed to be in everybody's jobs, right. So if I was going to expect somebody to be great at accounting, I should know the accounting or processing an order or taking a service call, any of those things. And so we run our business on EOS and one of the first principles they teach you is that everybody should live in their excellence, that we're all kind of wired to be great at something and the best teams are kind of an eclectic group of parts that work perfectly together. So first off, when we're talking about kind of the uniques at eSource Miller, the very first one is our culture. My favorite definition that we've ever made describing our people is that we're a working body of independently talented people striving to achieve a common goal. That really allowed me to stop trying to be everything to everybody in our company and just live in the excellence that I have and be excellent at that. And that's the best thing for our company is for me to spend my time and efforts there.
Speaker 2:On the testing, we use an assessment called a Colby and it really measures four subjects. The first one is fact finding, and I'm a pretty low fact finder, I kind of trust my judgment. I'm a four out of 10. Follow through I feel like I should be a 10 out of 10, but I'm a three out of 10. Quick start I'm an eight, and that you know. If there's a big problem, I almost can't get off the phone to get to that fast enough. I have a really high quick start and then implementing, which is kind of being able to fix things with your hands on the floor. So I will tell you, we have a wide ranging set of skills on those assessments. At eSource Miller we have a lot of high fact finding, high follow through, low quick start people, and to them I seem a little crazy, but I'm really good at where we're headed 10 years from now, but I'm not as great at 10 minutes from now and so they're always, you know, operationally more proficient probably, and that's, that's a big thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so because I mean it's changed over 20 years, like in the beginning, you know, you were wearing multiple hats and it's hard to go from wearing all the hats and then thinking you have to know everything to really empowering your team to make decisions and use all their giftedness.
Speaker 2:And you've seen that sometimes we miss. So, yeah, there is an interesting kind of hard balance of okay, I need to delegate this to somebody that's way better at it than me.
Speaker 2:But but literally think about what I just said a second ago. I often say, hey, take this and run with it. And I might be talking to a person who is a nine fact finding eight follow through person who is a nine fact finding eight follow through, and I'm giving a four level set of facts and a three follow through type. So sometimes we miss on things and those assessments are really intended to help us see each other's differences and for them to know hey, I just need to give them a couple things and get them moving in a direction. And for me to know sometimes I need a pause, go deeper, make sure that the vision is really perfectly clear so that they can follow through to the level that they want. What happens oftentimes? If I'm not, if I'm not providing enough facts and they don't feel like they can follow through, then they don't want to be a part of that project. Does it? Does that make sense?
Speaker 2:Yes so lesson that gets learned every now and then.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I get learned, I get taught that lesson all the time. I just assume like everybody can read my mind.
Speaker 2:Sure yeah.
Speaker 1:It's really frustrating when people can't like, don't have ESP. How do they not know? I don't know. So another thing that you've done really well, like you mentioned it a little bit, but it's your culture, and so can you tell us a little bit about your culture?
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah. So we have very clearly defined purpose statement. It's three words connect, care, change. I will even say that we are constantly kind of reevaluating this stuff. We do it four times a year, three times at quarterly meetings and once at a two-day annual planning meeting. And I've been really lost in thought over the last few weeks.
Speaker 2:Should we change that to care, connect change and the idea being that if we care first, then people would want to be connected. If we connect and we're not offering care up front, we may never get to that point. So trying to connect through care, reaching out to a customer with hey, I know you sell equipment to this chain. Here's a small risk company that I know and a disposables company that I know that might be able to care for you better than anyone else, right? So if we're offering connections of other people through our care, that might be the best way to earn trust, get closer to customers and then be able to change their lives for the better.
Speaker 2:So we start everything right now with Connect, care Change. But because we're evaluating that all the time, I could see us making that change because it'll kind of more detail out functionally how we want to be when engaging a new customer. And then we have core values that we make every decision in our business through. So we filter every decision through the core value of always put people above things and always put tomorrow before today and that kind of takes away the risk of any gray area situations, so that if we're always putting people above time or money or the emotions of the moment and we're not trying to win right now but we're trying to win a long term relationship, we almost always make just a perfect decision.
Speaker 2:So, we have five total core values. We really live every single decision made through people above things. Tomorrow, for today. And then maybe the third one that's really important to us on a daily basis is always put improvement above proving yourself to us on a daily basis is always put improvement above proving yourself. So, rather than trying to talk about how great we are, how big our sales are or all of the things that we can, we can offer, it's much, much more powerful just to keep getting better and let people notice that for themselves, and I think I think it just draws us closer to our customers. But sales people love, and sales companies love, to beat their own chess, and I think it's just way more powerful for people to figure out on their own why they would want to do business with us.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you can definitely fill your culture when you walk through the doors. Thank you, I mean, obviously I know you, but just all the people that work for him is just how can I help you? Very service oriented. So you've acquired a couple of companies over the years. So how is it? Was it difficult getting people to adopt the culture that you established? And how did you do that? Just hammer them. That's not very caring.
Speaker 2:I think that that is a great question and it takes time and it requires patience, but one thing that absolutely happens is well, I mean two things that are must. Number one I have to be accountable for our culture, meaning that if I'm not living in it, somebody else has to be able to call me out on that. And I have bad days, I have high-intensity days, I have moments where I'm not really living out a connect, care, change attitude or putting people above things. And every single person who gets on board at a resource miller has this conversation with me. I go over our core values, our core focus, our three uniques, all those things that we've defined, and I absolutely make the point that if you do not see me living in these, you have to call me out. It's your job. So that's the first thing, and I have to be just as accountable to those as they do.
Speaker 2:If I wasn't, it would. It would just be words on a page, people would roll their eyes and we would never be able to pull it off. So that's probably the biggest thing. The second thing is we have to be. Oh, I totally lost my train of thought on that. Can you edit me out?
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:You promise, I promise.
Speaker 1:I'll be nice and I'll edit.
Speaker 2:This could be an outtake. Oh, what was I going to say? That was so amazing. I don't know. Let's go back and I'll answer it again.
Speaker 1:Okay, so over time you have you basically acquired companies and I know is this the thought, so just start word there.
Speaker 2:I got it All right, so can I just start at the second thing.
Speaker 1:Yeah.
Speaker 2:The second part of that is this Whenever a door opens to employ your core values, you have to walk through that door. And I can tell you, when we merged Miller and eSource together, oftentimes in the very beginning, our salespeople would come and say hey, I've got this problem and I saved you $400.
Speaker 1:Today I'd say okay, how did you save us?
Speaker 2:$400? And they'd be like well, the factory said, no, Basically there was a service issue, they weren't going to pay. The customer thought the factory should pay. We're in the middle. I said it's not our fault, you have to pay. And we'd look at it and say, okay, to put the person above the things in this case it's money. What would that look like? And then what would the long-term relationship look like if we were to invest this $400 in that customer and every single time an opportunity came like that, I made sure to just say, okay, let's go back to our core values. What does it look like to put the people above the things? And what does it look like to put tomorrow before today?
Speaker 2:And the net result is that in 10 years we want this person to think I should buy everything from them. They take care of me, they're in the trench with me, they never leave me all those kinds of things. So to invest the money today would be a huge win for us long-term. We should do that.
Speaker 1:So you guys spent a lot of time, I mean developing these systems, correct, I mean, and also the EOS, which. So how long did that take? And I mean, if somebody is, you know, a new business owner and stuff like that, what? And it could be inside the food service industry or outside what. What should they do? What's your recommendation?
Speaker 2:So EOS is a system. There's a book called Traction. It was written by Gina Wickman and it brings a lot of principles that we probably already know in business together into one kind of system. A lot of companies that are seeking EOS, seeking a new way to run their business, are there because they're hitting a ceiling. They just kind of can't break through that next level of growth. Their people feel tapped, they feel overly extended, they're kind of banging their head against that ceiling busy all the time but kind of can't get through and hit a full speed stride.
Speaker 2:So we were like that at Miller Associates in 2017. I started asking people around that I knew kind of how do you do it? I made a few trips to see how people operated and we had a customer and I had a friend that owned a rep group like ours in another area.
Speaker 2:Both that ran on the US and both kind of said here's the thing that changed in our lives. It took all of the aerobics of coming into the office and having people waiting on you and hey, I need you here, hey, can you go there, can you go there? And it just brought structure to every bit of that. And I'm a naturally unstructured kind of by feel manager and that was really difficult on our people because they didn't know exactly where we were going to head. I might have an idea.
Speaker 2:I was sold on today and tomorrow realized no, that's not going to work because of this Three days later they might come and say, hey, here's the work I did on that idea and I'd be like, oh man, you know we didn't have a structure for me to say. Hey, actually I decided that was a bad idea and I'm so sorry, I made you work on this for half your week. So EOS really brought structure. It brings a meeting pulse. It brings your values or helps you define your values and what you stand for.
Speaker 2:But all of that increases communication. It gives you a North Star kind of where you're headed in 10 years, what your three-year plan should be and what your one-year plan should be. So you're always kind of working on a next set of goals that leads to a third of where you're headed. So the one-year plan should get you a third of where you're headed. So the one year plan should get you a third of the way to your three year picture, which should get you a third roughly of the way to your 10 year target. So all of that kind of makes it easy for people to see. All right, if we achieve that goal, we're going to have this many people. I'm here now. There's opportunity for me to grow. I love the energy of this. I know that I have a voice. I know that I have an impact on where we head, and I know that I'm valued, and so it really has made for incredible momentum for our companies.
Speaker 1:So I'm curious, like how you've got a lot of responsibilities and I'm just curious like how do you keep going every day Like what's your inspiration, what's your inspo, my inspo? What does your inspo board look like?
Speaker 2:Yeah, I have one of those. It's interesting. I think I had somebody ask me recently can you just share some business wisdom with a couple of younger guys? And it might've been a facetious question, but I answered it anyway. But the problem is I went right back to our core values, and I think that's just how I live my life is.
Speaker 2:I just love people, and that's something a lot of people would say and it sounds a little cheesy maybe, but I am really inspired by that. I think in any industry, the product is really just the key to opening the door, and if you open enough doors, you're going to meet some of the most fascinating, interesting, loving, caring people. And my way of looking at that is like this is where God has placed me. I'm so thankful for that. I just am around, like I said earlier, some of the most fun, loving, hardworking, caring, service-oriented people in the whole world, and that just totally drives me. So I've never in this industry, hated Sunday afternoons because I was dreading Monday morning. I've never had any of that. I just this industry always provides you a reason to look forward to the next day and the next opportunity. So I just love the people.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. I know it really makes this job, which is really hard and it's not, I mean, the industry is. It's really fun, but we've talked about it on other podcasts but it's a, it's a hard, it's a grind, and so you can have, I mean, 10 lows before you get one high, you know. But if you have the people and you surround yourself with people, good people that have the same vision as you, it's so inspiring and people that are different than you and you're able to be like hey, my way is not always the right way and that's the hardest for me, that's always the hardest is like OK, I need to step back and understand. You know the way other people would get to it.
Speaker 1:Maybe it's not the way I would go, but it may be more interesting and we find more things out of it.
Speaker 2:I'll tell you one thing I think about the rep business that's tough is that everybody's a customer right.
Speaker 2:So, our customers are buying the products that we represent and the factories we represent are buying our product, and our product is all people right, it's effort, it's communication, it is community, it's relationships, it's strategy, planning, vision, execution, all of those things. And so, as people, we all have bad days and we all have good days, and we all have family issues and friends issues, and then we have times in our life when everything's amazing and yet, at the same time, we're being counted on to to basically, uh, carry the flag of our factories right, and so that's that's been one that we've really had to craft and work hard on. At e-source miller, we have a factory relationship guide and it's interesting. I I tell every customer this guide and it's interesting, I tell every customer this but it says always remember, you're hired to represent the factory, and that's a hard thing to say to a customer who sees you as their only conduit to that factory. And our job is to make sure that those two parties are always in this people above things.
Speaker 2:Tomorrow, before today, where the factory is always valuing the customer and wanting that long-term partnership, and so we do our best to be really credible and to make sure that we're helping with situations always, but that we're not. The sky is falling. We're going to lose every order if we don't fix this one problem.
Speaker 2:If it comes to that then again we're going to circle right around to those same two core values people above things. Well, we probably need to invest the money and tomorrow, before today, we need to be so tight with that customer and that factory that long-term. From now, the three of us are having dinners and enjoying looking back on all of our successes together. Looking back on all of our successes together. So that document starts with always remember, you're hired to represent the factory.
Speaker 2:We are the product that they're relying on to train this entire market on their products. Our product is the vision that they can achieve here and it's the hands and feet on the street and all of those things. And then it talks about praising factories publicly, working on problems privately, how to handle communication when we've got to cover a really difficult situation, and all those things, and really the entire method is to try to bring customers and factories into this. We're all in the trench together. We all are working towards a future together and let's not let this one moment in time be the thing that leaves a bad taste in either party's mouth.
Speaker 1:And the accountability of that. Having it all spelled out like I'm sitting here really jelly right now because I'm, it would be awesome to have on your inspo board. Yes, I need to put that on my inspo board now.
Speaker 1:I know, so, um, but yeah, that's um, I think it's really good accountability. I know that I mean just me being a much younger, um, business owner and um, just kidding, but but but you know, being a newer to this like just having just watching your company and you giving me advice on how to handle certain situations and the core values and you know your operating systems and has just been very insightful to me. It's really shocking to me that, like, when we say to our factories, you're our number one and they're like really, and I'm like duh, like you're the one that like pays us. You know, you're our bosses and I've always said I've never had more bosses in my entire life. But you know, we're a team, you know, and I think that I mean it sounds like you guys operate the same way, but we're we're cheerleaders for our factories and we're here to help and win together and with our customers and yeah, so keep you said something there that was really important, sorry.
Speaker 2:Just you said I've never had more bosses in my life and I think that's one thing, that that uh is it makes the job um um difficult. Is is just that at every factory there's probably a national accounts person. There's a regional uh sales manager or a national accounts person. There's a regional sales manager or sales VP or director.
Speaker 2:There's a national VP of sales or a senior VP of sales, and so at every factory, you're going to have three or four people that you report to, and their success is reliant on our information, and so having readily available comprehensive information is an absolute must, and that's one way that we can set ourselves apart and if we have that.
Speaker 2:I heard this from a friend of mine a few years ago. He said the more transparent we are, the better we look, and I was like, oh man, that's the point that I want to get to is just where. I know that I'm going to drop some walls, but we're so good that we can be completely transparent about where we mess up or where we've missed or who we haven't attacked yet that we should have years ago, right?
Speaker 2:So we do that. We stratify everything in our business and we basically have core and opportunistic customers and core and opportunistic factories, and basically the idea is that we're dying to be at the core of our customers to the point where if they lost us, it would hurt as much as if we lost them and I don't think most people think of the rep customer relationship that way and then an opportunistic customer is one that should be a core customer.
Speaker 2:that we've missed on. It's not about them, it's about the fact that we haven't taken the steps yet for them to think man, I just want to do everything I can with them, I want to be family with them. So that's really how we attack the market is really assessing where we're not doing well and those are opportunities for growth, and then where we are doing well. That's just like this incredible foundation. So we spend all of our time keeping the core customers core and then taking opportunistic customers and trying to move them to that, and we found the best way to measure that is not in sales dollars because we represent multiple lines.
Speaker 2:We could do $2.5 million with one factory and then do $2.8 million overall and we're missing with a huge customer. That could really just be this game changer for us. So we look at our line list and we try to think, ok, if there are 12 or 14 products somewhere in that range into our line list, then we're probably at their core that they're probably seeking at this point to do business with us because of their experience and their relationship. And then we look at all those opportunistic customers and think, okay, where are our?
Speaker 2:growth targets. How can we achieve that and what steps will it take to how do we get started? It's been a real clarifying assessment for us.
Speaker 1:Well, I really appreciate you kind of opening up your brain, because I think it's just fascinating how you run your company and and how successful eSource Miller has been over the years. And just to see you from you know back in the day, um nine toe guy, I was guessing why I had 10 toes when you met me. I know. No, that is not your confession.
Speaker 2:No, it's one of reveal like one of the most uh, I don't, I don't even know how to say it One of the most unique things about me. I'm an amputee.
Speaker 1:He has nine toes and there's not, I don't think, one person that I've ever been around that you haven't said it to.
Speaker 2:I want to be open. I'm confessing.
Speaker 1:I know, but that is supposed to be a little bit more secretive. But now you've all heard it. That's your last confession.
Speaker 2:Okay, I'll go with one more Okay. I love all the candy in this jar.
Speaker 1:Okay, so not everybody can see, so what's in that jar?
Speaker 2:I'm not really sure, but the pumpkins and candy corn are my two favorites. They're the old staples that I know. I haven't figured out what the rest are yet, but I like them all.
Speaker 1:I know they're really good. They're like crack.
Speaker 2:I've never had crack. Well, I haven't either, so but I can look at the camera and say I've never had crack Me either, so anyways, but yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, I'm glad you like candy corn.
Speaker 2:Thank you, it means a lot.
Speaker 1:All right, well, thank you joining us today.
Speaker 2:Thanks for having me. This has been a blast.
Speaker 1:I can't wait to do it again.
Speaker 2:Be nice on the editing where I messed up.
Speaker 1:Maybe See y'all later. For more inspiration, follow our social media at W3Sales. Please like, comment and subscribe. You know all the things we would love to connect with you.