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Meet Kenneth Hsu, A Many of Many Shoes |
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Meet Kenneth Hsu, Sales Director, Avnet Taiwan, an effective leader and avid jogger, who always puts himself in his customers’ shoes and dons his running shoes every day.
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Kenneth Hsu, running the Sales department in Avnet Taiwan
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Ascent at Avnet
Since joining the company in 1997, Kenneth has filled the roles of Sales Manager, Strategic Planning Manager, Associate Marketing Manager, and Sales and Strategic Planning Director, before stepping up to his current role.
Recalling the considerable challenges he faced when tasked with growing the business in Central and Southern Taiwan, Kenneth shared how local manufacturers typically preferred dealing with small and medium-sized local businesses rather than large global players like Avnet.
In particular, Kenneth vividly recalls visiting a local automotive manufacturer and being told by its procurement department that despite Avnet’s well-known reputation for technical support and service, they disliked dealing with Avnet because of its inflexible credit terms and contracts.
After returning to the office, Kenneth reflected on his dilemma. “I felt that if we wanted to achieve breakthrough growth, we must first break through the barriers at the top level of management,” recalled Kenneth.
Kenneth focused on transposition thinking – or putting himself in his customer’s shoes. He picked up the phone and called the factory manager direct. Long story short, he convinced the key decision-maker that Avnet could not only fulfil their needs but value-add with the full weight of its global resources.
Walking the Talk
“The factory manager emphasized that he hoped that we would be a true partner and demonstrate our ability to help his company grow, not just talk ‘sales talk’,” shared Kenneth.
“Over the years, that particular customer enjoyed great success and expanded into neighboring countries. Thanks to the continuous and collective efforts of many departments, from Sales and Customer Service (CS) to Field Application Engineering (FAE) and Supplier & Product Management (SPM), its business with Avnet grew by 500%. We reached – and went – a whole lot further together.”
Racing Against the Clock and Running…
Kenneth freely admits that his role can be stressful. There is a constant sense of urgency to deliver customers’ orders on time or ahead of schedule, which is especially challenging during these uncertain times. Hence when Kenneth is not putting himself in his customers’ shoes and strategizing with the Sales team on how to grow the business or solve problems, he’s often in his running shoes.
“I run 5 kilometers every day. It relieves stress and clears my mind,” shared Kenneth. “I recommend jogging to everyone – for mental and physical health and personal happiness.”
Congrats to Kenneth for running the Sales department while keeping up his rigorous running regime. His commitment to customer service has seen us overtake – and outrun – the competition, year after year.
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Kenneth, working up a sweat with his running buddies
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| Meet Kenneth Hsu, A Many of Many Shoes ► |
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