Sysco 2008 Annual Report Download - page 14

Download and view the complete annual report

Please find page 14 of the 2008 Sysco annual report below. You can navigate through the pages in the report by either clicking on the pages listed below, or by using the keyword search tool below to find specific information within the annual report.

Page out of 96

  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • 7
  • 8
  • 9
  • 10
  • 11
  • 12
  • 13
  • 14
  • 15
  • 16
  • 17
  • 18
  • 19
  • 20
  • 21
  • 22
  • 23
  • 24
  • 25
  • 26
  • 27
  • 28
  • 29
  • 30
  • 31
  • 32
  • 33
  • 34
  • 35
  • 36
  • 37
  • 38
  • 39
  • 40
  • 41
  • 42
  • 43
  • 44
  • 45
  • 46
  • 47
  • 48
  • 49
  • 50
  • 51
  • 52
  • 53
  • 54
  • 55
  • 56
  • 57
  • 58
  • 59
  • 60
  • 61
  • 62
  • 63
  • 64
  • 65
  • 66
  • 67
  • 68
  • 69
  • 70
  • 71
  • 72
  • 73
  • 74
  • 75
  • 76
  • 77
  • 78
  • 79
  • 80
  • 81
  • 82
  • 83
  • 84
  • 85
  • 86
  • 87
  • 88
  • 89
  • 90
  • 91
  • 92
  • 93
  • 94
  • 95
  • 96

 
If there is one SYSCO advantage that our
competitors find the most difficult to dupli-
cate, it is the quality of the relationships with
our customers. At SYSCO, we have invested
in building strong customer relationships,
and we see the return in a high level of
customer loyalty and market share that
continues to grow.
At the heart of our customer relationships
is our ability to listen to our customers’
needs and respond with tools that help
them succeed.
We sit down one-on-one with customers
every day in our local operating company
offices to go through a structured Business
Review. The key to the success of this pro-
gram is listening to the customer. We identify
a customer’s points of pain and together we
find solutions. For an independent restaura-
teur who may have to be the human resources
department one minute and the chef and
host the next, SYSCO is a trusted advisor
that can review the situation and offer
knowledge and expertise.
Some recommendations involve SYSCO
products and services; others consist of
professional advice from someone who has
qualified experience in the food business.
Menu planning is an area that customers
have found extremely valuable, especially
in this period of rising food costs. We may
recommend a different cut of meat with less
waste, or a way to rebalance a plate that
offers better nutrition and lower food costs,
or a way to take advantage of seasonal or
less familiar fruits and vegetables. With our
advice, a restaurant owner can maintain
quality and improve profitability.
Business Reviews are an investment we
make in many of our best and most promis-
ing customers – and the return is – as these
customers succeed, we succeed with them.





“Let’slookatyourmenuandwecan
suggestsomedifferentmeatcutsor
seafoodofferingsthatarestillcreative,
butmorecost-effective.Inaddition,we
canfeaturethemoreprofitableitems
inamoreprominentplace
onthemenu.
”
“WhataboutournewBroadleaf
specialtyandgamemeats?
Ourchefherecanshowyou
anexcellentrecipethat
youcoulduse.
”
“Sotellme,howisbusinessatyourrestaurantthese
days?Didtheresultsfromthemarket
analysiswedidlasttimehelpimproveprofitability?”
“Excellent.Speakingofholidays,
nowisagoodtimetoreview
youremployeebenefitsprogram
forthenextyear.SYSCO’siCare
programisagreatwayfor
independentrestaurantstoget
someofthesameservicesthat
largerrestaurantgroupsoffer,
includingemployeebenefitsand
businessinsurance.
”
“Absolutely.Lookingatour
newroutingschedule,
wecoulddeliverat10a.m.
eachFriday.Withournew
deliverysystem,wecan
bemuchmoreconsistent
inthedeliverydays
andtimes.
”
Sharon Culligan
Marketing Associate