Move up a rung with safety
Building distributor relationships can increase sales and safety awareness
By John Wojcik -- Industrial Distribution, 10/1/1998
In today's highly competitive world, distributors and manufacturers must team together to provide more than just product to the end user. Value added services build stronger relationships, brand loyalty and increase overall sales.Through working relationships with distributors, our company, like many other manufacturers, looks to identify ways to provide key resources to help the end user. To help their distributors stand out, manufacturers may offer an array of support programs. Product selection guidance and training on the proper use of tools are two tangible value-added services that separate industrial distributors apart from their competitors. Being an expert in these areas increases a distributor's sales and appeals to the actual user of the tool. Manufacturers may also provide in-store product signage, premium programs such as t-shirts and other giveaways, catalogs and other sales literature.
Purchasing managers profit from the product selection and training services in particular because they are under pressure to purchase the correct tools and provide a safe work environment. Many manufacturers are equipped to service their distributors in these two arenas.
Our company trains distributor sales representatives about product options, the applications of these products, and how to sell more of them. Materials such as our award-winning full color product catalog, a complete line art catalog, and high impact in-store merchandising, helps distributors convey key information to customers. Increased visibility for the distributor enhances sales results for the manufacturer. As the distributor sells more product, the manufacturer's production needs rise. It's simply that manufacturers who support and promote their distributors inevitably increase their own company's revenue.
Perhaps some of the best tools available, yet often overlooked, are the safety programs offered by manufacturers. These programs make the home and workplace safer by teaching the proper way to use tools sold at distributorships. When tied in with a tool inspection, they may offer a unique sales opportunity. Replacing unsafe tools benefits everyone involved. For example, our ladder safety program is a perfect example of a helpful service distributors can provide to keep their customer's ladder use safer while making their workplace OSHA compliant.
Every year people get injured in accidents involving falls that could have been avoided if the victims had followed the basic rules of ladder safety. Teaching your customers ladder safety provides a tangible service and the net result is a safer workplace.
Our safety program includes a training video, printed materials and an actual test on the subject matter. It is conducted jointly by the distributor and a local manufacturer's sales representative, offered free of charge and typically taught to groups of five to 40 employees. The people who request the program are usually a customer's purchasing manager or safety director. Everyone who uses a ladder benefits from taking the test. Likewise, everyone who uses a power tool can benefit from similar training.
The sessions educate on various areas of ladder safety including choosing the right ladder for the job, inspecting and transporting ladders, evaluating the job site, proper set-up, securing a ladder, climbing techniques and working on a ladder. Specific tips are provided on topics such as knowing the difference between the materials used in ladders and materials preferable for certain applications, the meaning of specific labels and ANSI ratings
After the training program, an on-site physical inspection of the contractor's ladders is recommended. This step is a final precaution in determining whether the company is operating a safe ladder environment. By pointing out the dangers with the equipment, quite frequently, the distributor has an opportunity to recommend product purchases to the attendees, which is how this training session becomes a unique marketing tool.
Safety programs have been a key tool for distributors that want to instill goodwill and demonstrate concern for their clients' safety.
It's well worth contacting your manufacturers for information about available training programs.
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