Why quote-chasing is like Cardio (and how to stop)

If quote-chasing feels more like cardio than commerce… you’re not alone.
This one’s for the aviation pros burning energy (and margins) in a broken system.

Airplanes are mechanical marvels. They’re built with obsessive precision, engineered by people who lose sleep over nanometers and redundancies, and checked, double-checked and triple-checked until every bolt, bracket and bushing is certifiably overqualified for the job. They don’t fly unless they’re perfect – or as close to perfect as a machine can be.

So why is the aviation aftermarket such a mess?

If the aircraft is a symphony of science and safety, the business of keeping that aircraft in the air is more like a punk rock basement gig at 2 a.m. – loud, chaotic, full of questionable characters and always one snapped cable away from falling apart. Business advantages aren’t earned through fair competition but by exploiting loopholes, hoarding information, and navigating an uneven playing field. Dirty business.

Let’s talk about the aftermarket’s favorite pastime: quote-chasing.

If you’ve been in this industry more than five minutes, you already know the routine. An airline needs a part and gives you a chance. You shoot out RFQs like t-shirts at a football game. You wait. You follow up. You wait some more. You get a quote. It’s vague. You ask for trace and clarification. You wait again. By the time you get what you need, the customer has moved on and the requirement’s vanished.

Congratulations. You just burned 500 calories in the name of… maybe business? Maybe nothing. Meanwhile, your inbox looks like it lost a bar fight, and your CRM is crying in the corner. Quote-chasing has become the new cardio – frantic, exhausting and rarely fulfilling. Your heart rate’s up, your spirit’s down, and your margins are gasping for air. The only six-pack you’re getting is the one you crack open at 7 p.m. after another long day chasing ghosts.

And here’s the kicker: this chaos is often celebrated.

Some players wear their ability to hustle through inefficiency like a badge of honor. They proclaim “world-class service” on websites that haven’t been updated in a decade, signing emails with buzzwords and slogans. Like a seedy motel with a neon “CLEAN ROOMS” sign (because otherwise, no one would dare walk in), some aftermarket players shout about their “profession- alism” so loudly it starts to feel more like a cover-up than a credential.

If you really ran a tight ship, would you need to say it five times in your email signature?

Enter Spaero: the quiet disruptor with the loudest value proposition.

Spaero isn’t another slick platform with empty promises. It’s a rethink. A reengineering. Built by people who’ve lived the trenches – who know that trace isn’t a luxury, it’s a requirement. That availability shouldn’t be a guessing game. That real-time pricing isn’t a fantasy – it’s essential.

Spaero is for buyers sick of brokers who answer an AOG RFQ with “As Removed, As-Is” like that’s good enough. And it’s for sellers ready to drop the spray-and-pray tactics in favor of transparency, accountability, and results.

No drama. No dodging. Just parts, data, and deals – the way it should be.

In short: Spaero is doing for the aftermarket what autopilot did for long-haul flights – making it smoother, safer and far less soul-crushing.

If quote-chasing is your daily workout, maybe it’s time to rethink your fitness plan. Ditch the chaos. Join Spaero. Get your time, your margins and your sanity back.

It’s not just about selling parts. It’s about fixing the system.

– Insights by AV101