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President's Blog
About Jeff Lem
Jeff Lem is the President and co-founder of QDATA. Since 1993, he has worked on hundreds of data collection projects ranging from small five person operations to Fortune 500 companies. He has written extensively on this topic for the media and has presented at trade shows and industry events. Jeff has a MBA with a specialization in technology management and an undergraduate degree in accounting. He currently sits on the Toronto Alumni Chapter Board for the Schulich School of Business and the Motorola Partner Advisory Council for North America. |
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May 2, 2008
A major sticking point in any customer–vendor relationship is extra charges. Vendors routinely access additional charges for items that are not in scope, while customers argue that they are part of the project. Before I start any project I have a discussion with my customer and provide these four points when it comes to extra charges. These points have saved more than one relationship and certainly allows me to charge extra while maintaining trusted and respectful relations on both sides.
1. Semantics. You may say ‘tomodo’ and I say ‘tomayto’. In these situations I will absorb the extra ...Full Article
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April 25, 2008
So you’ve decided to move forward with a new bar coding system – congratulations! The excitement level with the company has risen quite dramatically and all of a sudden everyone can’t wait for the new baby to come home. But maybe you should take a little time out…
In my fifteen plus years of implementing bar coding systems, the best projects are the ones where a study or review has been done prior to implementing bar coding. The reasons are simple: a review of your current business processes will pinpoint other areas that are bottlenecks, labour intensive, or error prone – not just the ...Full Article
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April 8, 2008
On April 5, I received the Award of Merit from the Association of Chinese Canadian Entrepreneurs along with six other category winners. This was the 12th year of the event and was well attended by 800 people including politicians and the media. In the past I've shunned such events as gigantic acts of self promotion, thinking I don't need an award to prove my self worth. But a funny thing happenned on the way to the award show; they can be an opportunity to really thank those that made it possible and to inspire someone to start living their dreams today.
So let me start with the ...Full Article
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April 1, 2008
Internet bar code equipment brokers are considered the scourge of our industry for driving down prices. However internet brokers do have their place. Generally you should consider buying from an internet broker if:
a. you know exactly what you’re looking for – make, model, configuration
b. you have the ability or know someone who can setup and support the unit
c. you don’t need demo or trial equipment to test out an application
d. you’re not a first time bar code user
e. you don’t need to return the equipment for refund or exchange
If your answer is yes to all of the above, ...Full Article
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March 26, 2008
As part of our 15th year anniversary, I am pleased to launch this new web site containing a lot more information about qdata, our people, product, and services. In my view we have never done a great job of telling the qdata story and there has been some amazing work. So it is high time we told the world because I suspect quite a few other people could use a similar solution. I look forward to your comments and feedback. I can be reached at jlem@qdata.com. ...Full Article
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March 23, 2008
Good relations is the lubricant of commerce. While the title may sound a tad manipulative it's really about establishing and maintaining respect, trust, and open communications with your vendor. These points will help reinforce these principles.
1. Understand your vendor’s strengths (see last week’s blog entry). Don’t ask your vendor to provide something that is outside of their experience/skill set. And if it is essential – maybe it’s time to consider other vendors. Play to their strengths and you’ll reap the benefit of their wisdom and experience.
2. Set measurable milestones and tie ...Full Article
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March 17, 2008
Figuring out who’s the winner in your beauty contest is not just choosing the best price or best product/service. Here’s my spin; I guarantee you won’t be finding these on any ‘how to buy’ guides:
1. Understand a vendor’s true strength(s). Is it marketing, customer service, software development, product knowledge, experience, or process re-design. Hint check out what they tout the most when you ask them “why should I buy from you” or “what is your competitive differentiation?” Talking to their customers also helps. For example qdata’ strengths are process re-design and best ...Full Article
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