Believe it or not, Sweetwater is celebrating its 21st anniversary this year! By now, I think all of you know the story: We started out as a local recording studio, eventually became dealers for the new (at that time) Kurzweil 250, added more products and the rest is history. It’s just amazing that the time has gone by so rapidly. And while we’ve grown almost exponentially, our basic philosophy remains the same today as it was when we first opened our doors: We treat our customers like family, developing a long term one-on-one relationship that will last for many years. We’ve never looked for that quick, one-time sale and never will.

With all that in mind, I want to include something in this issue that has already appeared in our inSync online news daily, but since not everyone reads or receives this, it’s worth repeating here (with a few small changes). I hope you’ll take a few minutes to read it, because it addresses several critical issues.

For the past few years many of you have been watching Sweetwater grow about as rapidly as a company can grow and still continue to function. We thank you all for our astounding success. It has been and will continue to be a great ride. But along with growth comes growing pains, and we’ve certainly had our share in the past five or six years. There have been times when we simply had more business than we could handle. It comes in spurts and there often isn’t an easy way to predict it, so all any company can do is make the best of it. It is a good problem to have, but it’s always been frustrating to us when our customers get frustrated.

Fortunately, those days are now history. In the last two years we’ve taken dramatic steps to improve our responsiveness to all our valued customers. We’ve made a huge investment in a new, high-tech phone system that helps us answer calls much more efficiently, as well as new e-mail systems, a new Web site, new shipping systems, and we’ve hired a ton of expert people to help us do everything better and faster.

Our service department is completely on top of all repairs (many other music retailers don’t even have a service department). Most items arriving for service are actually looked at the same day we receive them. Our Technical Support staff (again, most retailers don’t even have real Technical Support) is taking most calls in real time, and returning calls within hours instead of the next day (most manufacturers take at least two days to return calls). Virtually every order ships out to you the same day you place that order. Our whole focus is on doing it now and doing it well.

Systems are in place all over our facility to double and triple check things and keep us in a position to respond quickly. Many of you report that we are the only major retailer to actually respond to your e-mails and inquiries. Everywhere we can think of doing something to help keep you on top and making music, we are trying very hard to do it.

We’re pretty sure we are doing our jobs better than anyone else in the industry. Not without the occasional glitch (after all, nobody is perfect), but we’re responding to all challenges. So our challenge to you is to “bring it on.” Go ahead and push us. We will respond. If you have equipment that needs to be repaired we can probably help — and quickly. Send your ADAT in for a checkup. In most cases we can ship them back to you the same day we receive them.

If you tried us a few years ago and were in any way discouraged with our response time we’re asking for another chance. We feel we are ready for just about anything anyone can throw at us now. And more importantly, in the long run, you are better off building a relationship with a company that is as committed as we are to service over the long haul.

Sure, lots of people sell stuff, but they simply don’t offer the overall value we bring to the table. Our Sales Engineers are not simply “order takers” — they are all pros and they really know their stuff. Even when you order something on our Web site, we hand it off to one of our sales people to handle so they can be sure you get properly taken care of it. It’s not the typical cold, mechanized e-commerce service it looks like from the outside. If you have friends who need a good, reliable source for equipment, send them our way. We’ll make you look like a hero to them. That’s a promise!

Finally, if there are any problems that you need to elevate to a "management" level, rest assured we will respond quickly and dramatically. Just call or send us an e-mail to any of our major addresses and we will respond. You can use sales@sweetwater.com, inSync @sweetwater.com (yes, your inSync editor really will jump in on your behalf), service@sweetwater.com or technicalsupport@sweetwater.com. Don’t worry about sending the right message to the right place. We just want you to communicate with us. We’ll take care of the rest.

With all the exciting new technologies coming down the pike, you’re going to need a retailer that knows what this equipment will do and, more importantly, if it is the right equipment for your needs. After all, there’s no bigger hassle than purchasing equipment that doesn’t do the job. A single call to Sweetwater will save you both time and money. You’ll end up with gear that does exactly what you need it to and a company that backs up your purchase with the very best after-the-sale service and Product Support available anywhere!

Last issue I asked that you update us with all the latest information on your address, phone number and even the correct spelling of your name. The response has been amazing and is sincerely appreciated by all of us here. This is one of those simple things that ultimately makes a big difference in our level of service, so many thanks for the updates.

And speaking of updates, I hope you enjoy our coverage of the Summer NAMM Show in this issue. Our team has again outdone themselves. If it’s new and exciting, you’ll read about it here first!