Play it safe
By educating their own sales force, distributors can show customers how safety-health improvements pay off
By Staff -- Industrial Distribution, 10/1/1998
More distributors' salespeople are becoming safety-hygiene technicians to help prevent expensive problems for customers and carve out a competitive edge.In recent years there's been fewer regulations issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and few major changes to the nation's safety laws, which were once a key driver of safety equipment sales. But that doesn't mean safety equipment distributors aren't focusing on ways to help end users comply with safety rules. Besides keeping up with product improvements and revised ANSI standards, many salespeople seek to distinguish themselves by training on OSHA standards and injury prevention.
"With the advent of national contracts and consolidation of vendors and alliances across many customer locations, you've got a whole new set of challenges you're facing," says Richard Crannell, president of Safety Equipment Co. in Tampa, Fla. "With the competition always trying to offer something different, we believe in education for not only our outside but inside sales folks, our telemarketing reps."
Through training and the company's investments in new technology information systems, he says about 45 salespeople at SEC have gained expertise in product applications, regulations and overall industry knowledge.
"You've got to continue to differentiate yourself from a new type of competitor who might be in your business but a lot of other businesses," says Crannell.
Some distributors also stand out by adding value with unique safety services. SEC, which has branches in the Southeast and Puerto Rico, rolled out a mobile unit to service customers' breathing apparatus and gas detection equipment earlier this year. A truck equipped with a compressor, its own power supply and other gear cost about $100,000. But Crannell, whose firm reached $42 million in sales last year, says driving it to customers' sites saves them time and a hassle.
Other firms invest in technical training to stand out. One program that enables salespeople to be designated as Qualified Safety Sales Professionals is sponsored by the Safety Equipment Distributors Assn. and two other trade groups, the Industrial Equipment Safety Assn. and the Safety Equipment Manufacturers Agents Assn.
Conducted by Rick Fulwiler, former head of Procter & Gamble's worldwide safety and health department, the week-long course is offered twice a year and has attracted about 180 attendees since it was introduced in 1996. Fulwiler says that for the first time, demand for the course may exceed the number of available spots during the next scheduled session, Nov. 9-13 in Louisville, Ky.
Salespeople who want to add value should build a knowledge base on the technical aspects of industrial hygiene-safety and its regulations, says Fulwiler, president of Technology Leadership Associates in Cincinnati, Ohio.
"Not all distributors see it that way, some are just peddling products," he says. "But there are a large number who are committed to sell performance and solutions.'' Delivering the message that health and safety improvements pay off also remains a hard sell to some manufacturer customers. "But there are strong linkages that can be made when the health-safety output is expressed as business output, linked to the costs of production and quality," he says.
Only a few minor changes were made to safety laws this year, says Bruce Clash, public affairs director at the ISEA. Small reforms include formalizing OSHA's voluntary consultation program for companies and abolishing OSHA's quota system for inspectors issuing violations. Perhaps the most significant change was last year's revised respiratory protection standards.
The safety equipment industry is already eyeing revisions for next year, Clash and others say. Among those, the American National Standards Institute is preparing an upgrade in reflective apparel and new standards for industrial glove permeability. An OSHA reform bill that allows consultants to certify workplaces is also anticipated, Clash says.
This year new ANSI standards were issued for diffusive air sampling devices, workplace first aid kits, emergency eyewash and shower equipment and other items.
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