Trust isn’t shipped in a box, it’s built face to face
The King River brand has been rapidly expanding across continents, and in the process, we have had the opportunity to use our learnings to make informed improvements to our offering and service. Regardless of location, the consistent theme across all regions is the power that relationships hold in successful business.
Trust is the foundation of sustainable, ethical, and profitable business practice. Without it, relationships break down, opportunities are lost, and reputations crumble. At King River, we place a huge emphasis on the importance of building relationships with our clients based on trust. We’ve found success in being fully transparent and adaptable and putting the customer first. Here’s how we create trust at King River.
We put the product in front of customers
It’s one thing describing our Wagyu over email or looking at images: it’s a whole other to actually see and hold a cube roll. We avoid doing business over email wherever possible, preferring the process of building richer, more personal interactions over the phone and face to face. This allows us to get our product in front of as many customers as possible, but also fosters better communication and clarity of products and processes, encourages feedback, builds a rapport, and shows our commitment to the customer journey.
Putting principles into practice, our General Manager Josh recently travelled to Mexico to meet with a brand new customer to put in the groundwork, building a relationship and an understanding of the required products. From the client’s perspective, this trip encouraged a broader understanding of King River’s processes and products; on our end, it generated a deeper knowledge of the region and its particular requirements, providing us with insights we can apply to future business in Mexico.
Another example of our commitment to relationship building are our partnerships with chefs. We often collaborate on culinary content showcasing the King River product in all its deliciousness. We’ve found this to increase credibility and connect our product with culinary professionals rather than just wholesalers. People trust the experience and opinions of these notable figures and this familiarity builds a stronger trust in our Wagyu – it has to be experienced!
We manage expectations
Managing expectations is an essential factor in the King River business model. For us, this is about accountability and trust.
When you engage in business with King River, we leave out the guess work. From the start, we build out realistic process timelines with you, creating education around how each stage of production works and what you can expect.
This transparency creates peace of mind and confidence in our product, processes and business. This also means that when things go awry (even though they often don’t!), there’s an open flow of communication and a clear view of next steps, allowing both parties to work together to fix things. The trust in our system allows mistakes to be made with the opportunity to learn, adapt and improve without suffering significant breakdown of relationships or business.
We live by ‘under promise, over deliver’ and find that leading with honesty and realistic expectations means there are no surprises for anyone. At the end of the day, our customers know that we will do what we say we will.
We tailor our approach to you
Another King River mainstay is adaptability. We all speak different languages in the literal sense and in the sense of different communication styles, different understandings and different expectations. We know that different customers require a different approach, so we adapt our offering to their individual needs. This doesn’t mean our consistency slips: in fact, the opposite! We are committed to maintaining consistency across all stages of the customer experience.
For example, having worked closely with customers based in the Middle East, we know they prefer their order to be completed at a landed price for clarity around complete costs. So, in preparation of their invoice, we incorporate freight and insurance costs into their price per kilo. This allows them to determine up front what they will charge their customer, making their own practice more efficient.
This is also why comprehensive communication is so essential. We spend a lot of time talking to our customers to help us understand the different needs for each market and also allow education around products. This operational style opens the door for questions and discussions around product use and preference, opening customers up to products they may not have considered, and opening our eyes to new cuts which may be ideal for other customers, further adding to our ability to tailor.
The common thread: People first, always
Aside from an exceptional service experience, we also prioritise relationship building and the part it plays in an ongoing successful business model. We take the time to build personal relationships, getting to know the individual customer and their region-specific needs before diving in.
How does this translate for our global partners? It means that when you work with King River, you don’t just get exceptional Wagyu, you receive a completely comprehensive service across each step of your order journey and full transparency.
Although separated by oceans and languages, the fundamentals of trust, respect, honesty and quality are universal. We recognise the importance of these and apply them at each step of the way. When you purchase from King River, you become part of the King River family.
