Improving how business people relate to their customers will be the topic of regional Closing the Gap seminars hosted by the National Truck Equipment Association (NTEA).
A series of meetings will be offered in support
of the association's newest program, Closing the Gap: How to Win (and Keep) Customers Through Competitive Differentiation.
The schedule includes:

Oct. 23, 2007 Baltimore, Md.

Nov. 13, 2007 Atlanta, Ga.

Dec. 4, 2007 Las Vegas, Nev.

Closing the Gap is a training tool to help business owners better understand, measure, manage and improve customer service across their entire operation. Attendees will be better equipped to identify existing opportunities to improve their positions in the distribution channel, more successfully meet the needs of their fleet and dealer customers, and ultimately, achieve higher profits.
"The biggest thing is that we have to get closer to the customer to find out what they need," said seminar attendee, Don Jones, owner and vice president of EAB Truck Service (Valley View, Ohio).
Each seminar runs from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and includes lunch. Registration fees for each seminar are $249 for NTEA members and $349 for nonmembers. Visit www.NTEA.com for more information, or call (800) 441-NTEA (6832).
Seminar attendees will receive a copy of "Closing the Gap: How to Win (and Keep) Customers Through Competitive Differentiation," which includes a workbook, survey results and data explanation, an educational CD-ROM, and a survey tool to obtain customer feedback specifically about an individual company and its products and services. An action steps document assist attendees in following through with various tactics following the seminar.