Old lessons hold true

Adhering to traditional values is important in maintaining relationships with distributors

By -- Industrial Distribution, 6/1/2000

In order to maintain strong relationships with our professional distributors, at Greenbull Ladders we believe that our traditional values must remain in place.

Remember growing up and being told to mind your P's and Q's? Today's manufacturers and professional distributors would do well to keep that old saying in mind: we must continue to mind our P's (pricing) and Q's (quality), as well as R's (reliability) & S's (service) in order to continue to thrive in today's market. Each of those principles or values is equally important-and it's no coincidence that these are the very principles that the professional distributor must keep in mind when dealing with the end user.

Service -Note that I've used the term 'professional distributor.' Many manufacturers today have turned their attention to distributing their products through do-it-yourself home centers. But I believe that with today's increased emphasis on safety in the workplace, among other things, today's professional end-users are looking to obtain knowledge at the point of purchase. Thus, they're turning towards the professional distributor who knows every product he carries. Knowledge is still king, and quite frankly the more knowledge the manufacturer can share with the professional distributor, the higher the success rate will be for both.

The manufacturer should strive to provide his customers with personal service, just as the professional distributor does with his customers. Every time a customer service phone rings, the manufacturer should anticipate having to share his expertise. The sooner the professional distributor can talk to a live voice, rather than an automated service, the more at ease he will become. This is a very simple, proactive way of saying, "I want your business and I'm here to help as a partner."

Reliability -Today's professional distributor strives to have "just in time" inventory service. If a distributor is accustomed to 3-5 days shipment from date of order, he will continue to rely on this service pattern in the future. Every manufacturer should be considerate of the fact that unreliable service can not only cost the distributor the sale of his product, but may cause the distributor to lose other product sales as well. The manufacturer should not contribute to giving their distributors' customers a reason-even once-to go somewhere else.

Quality -In today's competitive environment, quality is still the key that opens the door. Not only should materials be of the highest quality, so should the workmanship. How many times is the material and workmanship inspected by the manufacturer? Is the inspection process labeled for the distributor and ultimately the end user to see? With more emphasis continuing to be placed on safety, a well-documented quality control program at the factory can only make a distributor's sale much simpler.

Price -The final principle of completing the sale. Cost must be controlled at the manufacturing and distributor level to allow the best quality product be sold with the most professional, reliable service. Remember that time is money and having all other principles properly addressed will allow the product to be sold at the desired price.

As today's manufacturer continues to partner with the professional distributor, it is essential we work together in minding our P's & Q's, and R's and S's.

Christopher J. Prentice is vice president and chief financial officer of Green Bull, Inc.