Frontline thinking, coupled with a deep commitment to dealers, customers and staff, creates winning results at Rational Canada
Ask Louis-Philippe Audette why he thinks Rational Canada is racking up kudos for its supplier relationships, and he’ll tell you it’s “out-of-the-box thinking” that is winning the day.
It’s been a banner year for the supplier, but, for years, it’s been pushing full combi-steam ahead in Canada with a value proposition that delivers on product, performance and service. According to Audette, who joined Rational Canada as president nearly two years ago, the approach is pretty simple. “Sales are not our end goal; it’s creating solutions that solve culinary challenges.”
The Canadian subsidiary of the German company was founded in 2002, just two years before its flagship SelfCooking Center fully automated combi-steamer was introduced to the market. The single self-cleaning, self-descaling unit allows chefs to bake, roast, grill, steam, braise, blanch, poach and more at the touch of a button. Rational argues it can replace up to 50 per cent of conventional cooking appliances such as hot-air ovens, stoves, tilting pans, boilers, steamers and deep fryers.
One need only look at the numbers to see customers are buying into the value proposition. Starting with only two sales staff covering Canada, and a mere handful of dealers, Rational Canada racked up $7.5 million in sales in the first year of the product’s introduction. It’s been a whirlwind journey ever since, with the company posting double-digit growth most years, with the exception of high single-digit growth in 2009. In 2010, it recorded its best year, achieving $17.1 million and keeping the company on track to reach its sales goal of $20 million for 2011.
The speed of acceleration for Rational in Canada was largely due to the fact that the market was untapped. “At first it was about five-percent penetration for combi-steamers in North America overall, while in Europe it’s more like 80 per cent, with the majority being Rational products,” says Audette. “There we’re considered the Kleenex of combi-steamers.”
Today, the technology has a 10-per-cent share in Canada’s marketplace, with more room to grow. “Every type of equipment has its life cycle. Many in use today are nearing the end of theirs. We’re just beginning ours,” adds the president.
But Audette isn’t competing with other combi-steamer suppliers. “It’s the equipment that’s 30- or 40-year-old technology. When chefs cook with those, it will dictate how profitable their company will be, how good the food will taste and their stress levels. Our main goal is to alleviate stresses in the kitchen, make food taste better and bring costs savings. And, because it has a zero learning curve, you gain the benefits as soon as you hook it up.”
Vincent Stufano, executive chef at Chateau Whistler, is thankful his two Rational combi-steamers are easy to operate. “Once I saw a demo at a college. I was sold,” he says. “They’re so precise and onsistent, anyone can work with them…. I’m always a bit cautious with touch panels, because they tend to be fragile and break down, but these two ovens haven’t let us down.”
Perhaps that’s why, while other suppliers suffered in recent years, the recession boosted Rational’s appeal as buyers searched for ways to reduce costs without compromising food quality and staffing. “Cutting down food quality or laying off people is just a one-way street to a wrong end,” explains Audette. “So they’re turning to technology to assist them in streamlining their operations.”
However, the road to success is not just about having a cool, one-of-a-kind product technology. It’s the relationships between the Rational sales force and its dealers that are at the heart of the company’s success in Canada and abroad.
The sales approach is a particular point of distinction. “Our entire outside sales team is culinary-trained chefs — with the possible exception of one who worked in inside sales for five years and is a pretty good cook,” explains Audette. “They put on their chef ’s jackets to visit customers, look at their kitchens and see how their equipment works, while showing them the benefits Rational can bring to their operations. Who better than a chef to resolve another chef ’s culinary challenges?”
Michel Grenier, president of Mauvalin Equipment in Quebec City, agrees. “If you have a chef speaking about quality, you gain credibility from the operator right away,” confirms the dealer. “It’s a unique approach — and a successful one. Even after the sale, the Rational chef goes on site with the person working in the kitchen; they will even go in to do refresher training if a new person takes over the kitchen.”
Audette estimates the Rational sales team works with at least 150 dealers spanning all sectors, from fine-dining to institutional. “We are always very present. Our role is to assist with pre-sales functions at the marketing level to show customers a better way of cooking. When the customer decides to purchase, our team coordinates the sale with the dealer and follows up with the chef/customer to do cost calculations for return on investment. Others may do mass marketing, price dumping and discounting. We see our primary role as providing culinary solutions first.”
The equipment purveyor also hosts Academy Rational events, where end users can learn more about the product, with tips on sous-vide cooking and plated banquets. The full-day course is free for users. “This amount of support for dealers is unheard of,” says Audette. “Most sell equipment and look for the next sale. We make sure every customer’s culinary needs are met. That’s a tremendous benefit to the dealer.”
Performance is also fuelled by the fact that the chefs themselves are treated as entrepreneurs — a precept based on the company founder’s “Entrepreneur-within-the-Company” philosophy. “It unlocks all sorts of potential for people to drive themselves and work to a higher level,” Audette explains. “When employees own their relationships, they put their hearts and souls into finding culinary solutions. They can make the decisions first and ask later for permission. If anyone says they have to get back to their boss, it’s probably the number-1 wrong answer. No one wants to hear that.”
That type of thinking is what convinced Jean Louis Martin, now director of Sales for Eastern Canada for the equipment company, to end his 18-year career with a U.S. appliance manufacturer in 2004 and join Rational. “I felt I could do much more with a company that would allow me to develop my own plans. The challenge is there, but so is the excitement, because we are selling a unique piece of equipment.”
Martin works with up to 75 dealer/distributors a month, creating events for customers and spreading the word about Rational’s unique selling proposition. “The dealers say it’s fantastic, because we do all the work — the budgets, the presentations, the cooking. They just have to bring the piece of paper for signing.”
Dealer sales and service is bolstered by continuous value propositions such as the free CareControl upgrade introduced a couple years ago and a recent extension from a one- to a two-year warranty. As an innovator in the market, the company is constantly redefining itself to bring more solutions. “We have 60 people working in R&D for one product,” Audette says. “No other manufacturer is that focused.”
Other support offerings from Rational include a 24-hour Chef Line for cooks who have questions about the SelfCooking Center; start-up training upon installation; free one-day training seminars at Academy Rational using an operator’s personal recipes, products and accessories; and ClubRational, an online portal for product owners to exchange information and get updates.
The supplier also helps its community by supporting culinary training initiatives that champion “chefs of the future” and by offering equipment and food bank donations.
So, what’s next? Nowadays, the company is focused on its latest innovation, the SelfCookingCenter whiteefficiency, a new product redesign that applies what Audette calls “a whole new holistic approach to business,” the details of which were sparse at press time.
Meanwhile, Rational’s supplier support record recently garnered two industry awards: the 2010 Partnership Award from the Restaurant Equipment Distributors of Canada Ltd. and the 2010 Supplier of the Year Award: Equipment Category by the Equipment & Supply International (ESI) Marketing Group.
The ESI awards speak to its reputation as a supplier, since winners are selected based on dealer votes, says Chris Ainsworth, director of Marketing for ESI in Newmarket, Ont. “It has nothing to do with sales. It’s based on their equipment, service, relationships with sales representatives and responsiveness. The [purpose is to] keep its dealers up to date and educated so they know how to sell their product. It’s a huge recognition.”
As a dealer, Grenier would agree. “No other manufacturer does what Rational does, because they take care of our customers, and they take care of their dealers, too.”
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MAY TRUONG
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