As my work anniversary quickly draws nearer, I can say that I have learned so much during my first year at ITR Economics. From talking to our economists, who travel across the world to give keynote presentations, to learning about the many benefits of our most popular subscriptions, there has been a lot of information to absorb. Throughout the process of learning so much about ITR Economics and our clients, everything has always come back to representing our Core Values.
We recently completed an interview with Sonia Timmons, Vice President of Financial Planning and Analysis at Vallen Distribution. She was gracious enough to chat with us about her company’s experience as a client of ITR Economics.
Timmons met ITR Economics President Alan Beaulieu at one of his keynote speaking events. Vallen later became a client and received its first EVP report delivery in December 2020.
Core Value 1: Intense Focus on Clients’ Needs and Profits
Once ITR Economics had been providing sales forecasting to Vallen for some time, Timmons was more than happy to see that the forecast accuracy was within 98% for the company’s US data.
She explained to us during the interview just how important it was to Vallen’s leadership team to have this accurate, external view of the potential future macroeconomic impact on the business. She went on to say that the EVP program’s customizability was especially helpful and a must-have for any business.
In how excited she was talking with us, it became obvious that our team never wavered on our intense focus on Vallen’s needs and profits, exemplifying an ITR Economics Core Value.
Another shining example she provided came from more recent events. Even with our accurate foresight into what was beyond the horizon for Vallen, the news headlines often caused the company’s leadership to worry about the future of their business.
Timmons would shift the focus back to the data we provided; our economists prioritize cutting through the media noise. From her, I was able to see firsthand how our intense focus on our clients’ needs and our transparency about the future of the economy help keep our clients on the path to success.
It was so refreshing to see how one of our Core Values, our “intense focus on clients’ needs and profits,” had such a positive impact for one of our clients.
Core Value 2: Transparency and Accountability
While we at ITR Economics pride ourselves on our forecast accuracy, we know we are not the only economic consultant that companies can turn to. How we present ourselves also plays a big role as potential clients make their decision.
During its search for potential consultants, Vallen had a few options to choose from.
Along with our ability to provide Vallen with the services it needed, ITR Economics stood out due to our transparency regarding exactly what we could provide, and because we never tried to upsell any services that the client did not actually need. Our contacts at Vallen told us what they needed, we responded with how we could help them, and that was it.
Our transparency around what we can and cannot provide our clients goes a long way toward building trust. With that trust established, we then help our clients succeed with our accurate forecasts and valuable economic insights.
When I started working at ITR Economics, I quickly learned that our Core Values are one of the most important things to demonstrate as an employee. Although I do not typically interact with clients, it made me extremely proud to see firsthand how our Core Values were demonstrated with Vallen, and I learned how impactful they truly are out there in the world of business.
