 Celebrating
20 Years:
A Candid Q&A with Bonnie V.
"It's a bit noisy out here," Bonnie Vanderbrink says almost in a whisper. "Let me try to grab a conference room."
A door shuts, a chair shuffles about, and then--silence. "There you go," she lets out with a sigh over the phone. "Much better." It's been a busy but typical morning for Vanderbrink--best known by her colleagues as "Bonnie V."--who seems to be ever caught between a customer call, a sales meeting, or an impromptu pow wow with a colleague.
Luckily she has found a few minutes to sit down and talk to us about her 20 year career at Glasswerks, her best advice for salesmen and women, and what we actually did right to deserve her loyal service.
Q. What year did you begin working at Glasswerks. 1991. It's been 20 years!
Q. How did you first learn about, and then start working for, Glasswerks? I was working for another glass company at the time and we did a lot of business with Randy [Steinberg, President of Glasswerks Inc.] a lot--we bought things from him, and he bought from us. Then the company I worked for closed its business. I wanted to see if i could get a job with Randy, so I called him, and soon enough I got a job at Glasswerks. Believe it or not, I owe it all to Randy. It means a lot, what he did, and it turned out great.
Q. What are your main duties as a sales associate? As an Inside Sales Associate, I primarily provide customer service and account management: handle open orders, new orders, and quotes for our glass. If something is wrong with the paper work or the measurements for a quote, I call the customer back for clarification to make sure we get the job done right the first time. Basically, I try to make our customers feel comfortable.
Glass is changing all the time;
it's the nature of our business.
Q. What is one thing you wished Glasswerks customers and potential customers knew about our products/company/culture that they may not know already? I get a lot of questions about our glass products--what is the difference between tempered and laminated, what the best glass for a given application, etcetera. I'm happy to help answer the questions, but usually what we end up talking about is already found on our website. But I do understand why people would feel more comfortable talking through the more technical details of our products. Glass is changing all the time; it's the nature of our business. There's always a different kind coming out with different names. So I try my best to answer customer questions, and if I don't know the answer, I get them someone who does.
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Bonnie V. won 1st Place with this sharp costume at our Halloween 2010 party.
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Q. Aside from inquiries about our glass, what's the most common question you receive on a daily basis from customers? What time is our delivery coming? When's my shipment coming? (laughs) Without a doubt the most popular question. Actually, the MyGlasswerks program we launched is helping our customers and our staff a lot. With MyGlasswerks, the shipping staff makes a manifest everyday which updates the ETA of each shipment electronically. It's faster to learn the ETA through MyGlasswerks than through calling me. This is because when customers call, we have to call the driver and sometimes interrupt them while they are driving. It's a much safer, more efficient way to check ETA. I highly recommend MyGlasswerks to all our customers who aren't signed up already.
Q. With over 20 years of experience, what is the best advice for fellow salesmen and women like yourself? I keep it simple: Be friendly with customers and help them the best way I can. Sure there are complaints and misunderstandings sometimes, but it's about working with customers and helping them as much as I can.
I try my best to answer customer questions, and if I don't know the answer, I get them someone who does.
Q. What is it about Glasswerks that has deserved your loyal service and dedication? Fellow workers. Good people. The Bosses. Everybody helps; everybody pitches in. We all try to work together. It's like a team. It's like family.
Q. What do you love most about your job? Believe it or not, I come in at 6:30 a.m. and leave at 5:30 p.m. I like working. The way I see it, "Keep on working; keep on moving." The guys in the shop are great people too, the drivers are great. Everyone's great. I really like it here--it's comfortable, it's like home. I come in, eat my breakfast, and when people need my help--I help them.
"Keep on working; keep on moving."
Q. What's your favorite hobby/interest/pastime? You'll never guess what it is--swap meets! I go to one every Saturday and Sunday, specifically Santa Fe Springs and Paramount. I've actually met a couple of current Glasswerks customers at Santa Fe Springs. It's fun, and you never know whom you'll meet or what you'll find.
You can reach Bonnie V. at bonniev@glasswerks.com.
By the way, did you know we're hiring?
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