Tony the Tiger
Connections with customers make this distributor gr-r-r-r-r-eat
Who would have thought Tony D’Avanzo could launch a dental products distributorship from candy and soda pop? It certainly never occurred to D’Avanzo as he made his early morning runs to supply vending machines with cola and chocolate.
Following college graduation, D’Avanzo tried a traditional office job. He lasted for about a year, but never took to it. "Then I bought a vending machine," he says. At first, he focused on soda and candy. Later, he added some school-based vending machines and added coffee, water and cleaning supplies. "I would leave for Manhattan at 4:00 a.m. and be home by 10 a.m. (the height of traffic)," he recalls. But, this left him with too much free time, and after a while, D’Avanzo took a part-time telesales position with Henry Schein’s dental division. From there, he eventually moved to Darby Dental Supply. The hours were perfect, he recalls: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. And, while he enjoyed telesales, D’Avanzo later joined Darby’s purchasing/marketing department.
Out of nothing
"After a while, I began to run out of steam," says D’Avanzo. "I needed to support my family and [started to] think about selling dental products myself." The problem was, after working in purchasing and marketing for seven years, he had lost touch with his dental customers. Nevertheless, he decided to move forward and in 1999, he opened the doors to Tiger Supply Inc. (Farmingdale, N.Y.). And, as the company name suggests, he did so with purpose and confidence. "When I worked in telesales, [customers] called me Tony the Tiger as a joke," says D’Avanzo. He thought the name would be easy to market, and decided to use it for his business. Indeed, as his website states, the name Tiger suggests "the strength to meet all of the needs of [a dental] practice, the flexibility to offer unmatched customer service." And, that’s what makes Tiger Supply stand apart, notes D’Avanzo.
That said, launching his business presented many of the same challenges facing most entrepreneurs. "I started with nothing," he recalls. [So], I opened the yellow pages and cold-called dentists in my neighborhood. I would take their orders, pick up the supplies and deliver them," he says, emphasizing that he worked alone in the early days.
"Originally, my mission was to make money and support my family," D’Avanzo admits. But, more than 10 years later, the now $2.5 million-company takes a much different approach. "Tiger Supply now has six employees," he says. "Today, our mission is to do the very best we can and provide the best service with only a few product lines." Indeed, when he opened his business, it was much easier to procure product lines, notes D’Avanzo. Large national distributors were known to sell products to smaller companies, he says. But, the industry has since changed, and "our greatest challenge has been to get the product lines," he says.
Furthermore, pricing has gotten increasingly competitive, particularly as dental practices have greater access to Internet sales, D’Avanzo continues. "Our margins are much tighter today," he points out. "For small independent distributors, connections to the customer are the key." Relationships are everything, he adds. So, it helps that, in the early years, he hand-delivered every product to his customers. It gave him an opportunity to meet his dental customers, he points out. "After a while, you become you customers’ personal friend," he says. "You begin to take an interest in their families and their lives. You become their sounding board. It comes down to making that personal connection."
Indeed, Tiger Supply’s strong personal connection to its customers is what often sets it apart from other companies, notes D’Avanzo. "When a customer calls, [he or she] either speaks with me or my very capable assistant, Michelle Bennett," he says. Bennett really is much more than an assistant, he points out. "Michelle handles every [aspect] of the company, from customer service, warehouse, purchasing and more. She has done this [from the beginning] and knows Tiger Supply inside out.
"This is what keeps the little guys in business," he continues. We are very hands-on, he points out. "We physically handle our products and are always learning about them, so we know them well." This makes it easier to locate alternative solutions on the rare occasion the original product is unavailable, he adds. And, a thorough product knowledge and strong connection with customers has paid off. Today, Tiger Supply services customers across the United States as well as in Europe. Still, 75 percent of the company’s customers are based in New York City, Long Island and parts of New Jersey, enabling D’Avanzo to provide same-day or overnight service and maintain his strong customer connections.
From good to great
D’Avanzo attributes much of his company’s success to his staff’s diligence and dedication. "The most important thing is for me to focus on the people I work with," he says. "They are the key to the success of our business." And, while he works hard to train his sales reps well, D’Avanzo says that much of their talent comes from within. "Our sales reps, such as Daenene Nelson, must know how to sell themselves to their customers," he says. "They must get themselves from good to great by telling themselves they are great, and by staying focused."
In fact, everyone at Tiger Supply must be focused, as is apparent in the company being awarded National Distribution & Contracting Inc.’s warehouse performance award for two consecutive years. "By focusing on house brands, I [am able to keep] retail prices lower and achieve a higher margin," says D’Avanzo. "In the end, both the customer and I are happy. I think this is the future for small businesses."
When pressed, D’Avanzo admits it might have been a good idea to take advantage of Internet ordering early on. "This gives you greater opportunity to reach more customers," he points out, adding that the company is working to refine its website. In addition, "If I was just starting out today, I might focus on [a smaller number of] product lines," he says. "Who knows? By staying focused on five lines, and knowing these products inside and out, I might have been able to accomplish even more with less."
But, D’Avanzo is not looking back, so much as he has his eye on Tiger Supply’s future. "Today, I’m much more realistic [about running a business]," he says. "In the beginning, [it was all about] growth, growth, growth." Now, he’s happy to continue doing great business and providing excellent service to his customers, he notes. "My wife, Debra, handles accounting for the company. Every day, we come to work together. And, I work with great people, and I love what I do.
"Who could ask for more than this," he continues. "If I continue doing what I do now for the next 10 years, I’ll be thrilled!"
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