Mutual Respect please

Musings from Dennis #34: I am glad when I go around stores these days I see signs imploring customers for mutual respect with their salesstaff and this is good. Even licensing meetings with retailers are much better conducted these days. A decade or two ago it was not the case: My boss wanted to leave because we were made to wait for close to an hour for this supermarket chain senior buyer to meet us. I also waited alone for close to an hour too for one hypermarket buyer to meet me and after 45 minutes, he came up and asked it was really necessary for us to meet (?!!). One of our licensees had it worst: He was chided by the buyer when the trade margin negotiation proved uncomfortable and was reprimanded in the local language “Listen, we are the buyer and you are the supplier. Buyers are like parents and suppliers are like children. So obey your parents”. Licensors, licensees and retailers form a unique triangle of partnership, with all corners equal and mutually benefitting each other. That is how I see things happening today, how wonderful.