Johnny Wetzel was barely through the front door of the business, one of his many prospecting visits for the day, when he noticed water was gushing across the entire office floor.
The veteran Sulphur Springs Business Process Consultant noted where the water was coming from, and told the receptionist that if she’d get a mop, he’d get to helping clean up the mess. He rolled up the soaked rug, mopped up the floor, and set a fan on the wet area, all before even introducing himself.
“I’ll never forget, that woman said, ‘thank you for doing all this. Now WHO are you?’” Johnny recalls.
Not to pose the perception that his act of kindness was a mere ploy to drum up business, Johnny simply offered to leave his card. But the woman wanted to “talk now.” More than a decade later, he’s still got that organization’s business.
“It’s about the customer and the needs they convey - not about us or assumptions of what we think they need.” Perhaps nothing builds trust and confidence in our abilities more than this line from The Little Blue Book. And perhaps no one knows better this better than Johnny. It’s all about the customer. All the time.
“I love what I do. I love the sales part of it, but really I love to help people out,” Johnny said. “The ability to make everyone feel like they are somebody in this big world of ours, that’s what we should be to everybody. It’s not about the machine. It’s not about the sale. It’s about people.”
Johnny's always been 'Full Throttle,' 'Full Service.'
Growing up in nearby Winnsboro, Johnny’s father owned two full-service gas stations and three tire shops. By age 12, his first gig was working at one of the stations to “help the family out.” When a customer pulled in, Johnny would wash the windshield, pump the gas, and check the oil and tire pressure. The interactions opened up conversations and eventual relationships with all his customers.
“Simple things, like are you headed out on a trip, today? It came down to, what little gesture can I do to bring this person’s day?” Johnny said.
At age 18, Johnny entered the ministry and served as Youth Minister for First Baptist Church in Quitman. Meanwhile, while studying electronics at DeVry University, he worked at Sears in the tire shop. Over the years, Johnny worked in the oil field before being severely injured, and later as a dispatcher (and eventual salesperson) in the dairy industry. That is, until the industry crashed in Hopkins County approximately 20 years ago.
“I had to find work. I told the Lord ‘I’ve got to have some help.' That’s when (then Advantage Copy Systems President Greg Walker) hired me,” Johnny said.
Johnny puts Relationships before Revenue.
He claims that his days start around 5 a.m. and don’t end until after midnight. At one point, by his count, Johnny served 11 different positions at one time, ranging from the President of the Winnsboro Chamber of Commerce, leader of a Ministry team, and the President of a local gun club.
“I remember a doctor asking me, now how many jobs do you have??” Johnny says.
But these roles don’t just keep Johnny going, they’re a conduit to connecting with people in Northeast Texas. If you live in Hopkins County, you probably know someone who knows Johnny Wetzel, if you’re not on a first-name basis with him already. This attitude applies wholly at Datamax.
“When I walk through a door and introduce myself, I look around that person’s desk. I look around the room for hints at their lifestyle. You might find an Aggie fan, a Baylor fan, or someone with kids or grandkids. I like to open that conversation on the personal side,” Johnny says. “If I walk into a business and they’re setting up for something, I’ll ask ‘what are you all getting ready to have here? Is there any way Datamax can help? Can I come volunteer?... Sometimes they look at me funny like you don’t even have my business yet. But that’s what it’s about. Relationships and rapport.”
Johnny puts Service over Sales.
Johnny has a two-decades-long account at a local East Texas school, and this relationship has blossomed into something that goes way beyond business. When there’s a scholarship opportunity, Johnny and/or Datamax are involved. When there’s an awards ceremony, Johnny attends. When there are block parties, Johnny makes it a point to stop by.
When the district’s Business Manager was hospitalized with health issues, Johnny visited him two or three times a week.
Just recently, a competitor began knocking on the doors of this school, and to his surprise, the Superintendent entertained the offer. Johnny immediately set up a meeting.
“I sat down with him and said ‘let’s not talk about whether or not I’d lose your business. Let’s look at what you value the most. What are the pain points? We can address those,’” Johnny said. “And then I went over everything else that we’ve done beyond office equipment, the donations, the banquets, the events, and the relationships that have been built over time. I told him, ‘I don’t believe you can put a dollar sign on the value that we provide.”
The superintendent looked at Johnny and told him he was exactly right, and that’s why they do business with him and Datamax. It’s not about just a copier. It goes deeper than that. At the School Board meeting a few weeks later, the competitor’s offer was left off the table.
For Johnny, it was, it is, and will always be all about the customer.
