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Customer First, Autonomy, And Creating Smiles Together (with Terry Brei) | Ep. 16


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Customer Smile Champion in a LinkedIn bio stopped Kyler Nixon while he was scrolling and turned into a practical conversation with Terry Brei, president of Sure Controls. Customer first sits as a key cultural pillar, with manufacturers literally lined down and production back up and running when components and parts arrive at the right time.

Terry shares how autonomy, customer first, and creating smiles together shape decisions like overnight shipping, internal healthy tension between sales, finance, marketing and service, and a constant journey to meet customers where they are. From plant automation to make you smile to Sure University, internship programs, and very consultative support with web handling, thermal and fluid process control, autonomous mobile robots and micro automation, this conversation stays practical, people focused, and centered on working together as a team.

👤 Guest Bio

Terry Brei serves as president at Sure Controls and proudly carries the Customer Smile Champion title in his LinkedIn bio. Customer first functions as a key cultural pillar, with Terry focused on empowering team members with autonomy to do what is best with the information they have so a customer is smiling at the end of doing business. He emphasizes creating smiles together through plant automation to make you smile, consultative service, and continual development through tools like Sure University and an internship program inside a very team oriented environment.

📌 What We Cover
  • Customer first as a key cultural pillar at Sure Controls and what it means when manufacturers are literally lined down
  • Autonomy that empowers team members to pick overnight shipping, resolve situations, learn, and avoid punitive responses when customers are taken care of
  • Hiring for team players, service oriented people and using small signals like garbage on the floor alongside continual investment in EQ, negotiations training and customer service
  • Extending service to every area of the business so accounting, finance, marketing, sales, operations and executives all serve internal and external customers
  • Healthy tension between sales, finance, marketing and service and how working together, rowing the boat in the same direction, leads to the best results
  • Meeting customers where they are with zero touch e-store buyers and highly relational customers who want sales team members in their facilities and plants
  • Evaluating AI, ERP upgrades and customer relationship management systems to connect data, enable proactive communication and enhance customer care and order fulfillment
  • Very consultative support in web handling, thermal and fluid process control, robotics, autonomous mobile robots and micro automation so customers feel like they finally got the right person on the phone
  • Sure University, training hardware, a slitter packed with drive platforms and PLC platforms, plus internship programs that help grow people professionally and personally over time

🔗 Resources Mentioned
  • Sure Controls
  • Terry Brei on LinkedIn
  • Kyler Nixon on LinkedIn
  • Sure University (internal training and development at Sure Controls)
  • E-store channel for zero touch customers at Sure Controls
  • ERP system and customer relationship management system upgrades at Sure Controls

...more
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Darn Good DistributorsBy Forward Studios