Felicia Muniz, Manning Brothers
Felicia Muniz is an outside sales representative for Manning Brothers, based in Athens, Ga. She has been with the company for four years and prior to that, spent five years as a grocery manager for the Publix grocery chain. She found her way to Manning Brothers as her mother-in-law, Margie Secor, was retiring from the company. Muniz shadowed Secor before her retirement and eventually took over her mother-in-law’s sales territory.
Muniz’ client base includes school foodservice operators, independent restaurants and a large local chain.
Q: Coming from the grocery industry, what steps did you take to learn the foodservice industry?
A: A lot of webinars, conferences and factory tours. I want to learn the equipment, network a little bit and establish connections. We also went to the SEFA (Supply & Equipment Foodservice Alliance) Academy and picked the brands we wanted to focus on for more in-depth training.
Q: School foodservice makes up a large portion of your customers. What are the key attributes they seek when purchasing foodservice equipment?
A: These operators seek versatility and durability. They want something that will last for years to come. Schools sometime stick with certain brands. It can be hit or miss because people are used to one brand, but with the technology we have today, it’s amazing what you can accomplish with one piece of equipment. I’ve been able to sell combi ovens into school systems that have a lot of bells and whistles. It’s hard to convince people sometimes to switch, but when they do, they’re very happy because they can do so much with one piece of equipment.
Q: When researching solutions for your customers, what steps do you take to ensure you have found the right item?
A: I like to get the reps involved because I can learn a lot from them. They’re honest and I rely on the knowledge of my reps because you can’t know what every piece of equipment does. If I don’t have the answer, I will find someone who does and come up with a solution to my customer’s problem. At the end of the day, we’re all there to serve the customer. When you work together, you get more accomplished.
Q: Your mother-in-law worked at Manning Brothers before you joined the company. What type of advice did she give you about coming into the industry?
A: She was very involved with the customers and she made the human connection. She was very good at that. She added that personal touch at the end of the day. You want to not only care about them as customers, but you also want to care about them as people. You want them to be happy at the end of the day.
Q: How would you complete this thought? A project is successful when …
A: … the customer becomes a repeat customer. My main goal is to make sure that they’re taken care of. Customer service is a big part of it. You want to look at it from their point of view. We have to have that added value of customer service.
DSR 3-2-1
Felicia Muniz, Manning Brothers, sits down with Jason Wange, Foodservice Powerplant Network, to talk about being named an FE&S DSR of the Month.
Find more episodes of DSR 3-2-1 here.
Foodservice Equipment & Supplies Presents DSR 3-2-1 is sponsored by Salvajor.
