Seven Things You Should Know About Your Distributor

In a prior article we touched on the importance of dealing judiciously with one of the most important partners you will ever have in the industry:  your local distributor.  Do they have any issues that you should concern yourself with? The answer it a resounding yes!  

No two distributors are alike although many have joined alliances or are owned by a major holding company that allows them to present a consistent package to their end users like yourself.  Others are standalone operations who are locally owned and maybe deal with a limited market area that includes your operations.  Which is better to deal with? The answer is, “It depends on many factors.”  Lets consider a few:

• The local sales rep is there to make a living by selling you products and services at the best (for his company) price that he can.

• He/she does not get paid extra for providing training or spending endless hours on the phone or in your office discussing side issues.

• He/she may not really be a SME (subject matter expect) on every chemical and piece of equipment his company carries.

• He/she should be able to answer your basic questions and then know the right person within the company who can provide a deeper depth of knowledge than themselves.

• He/she may or may not be pressured to promote a specific product line due to a large purchase the company made or a contest or fulfilling some arbitrary quota.  

• He/she prefers that you buy a lot of stuff and be totally dependent on his company for support.

• He/she needs to focus on providing you with the fewest products that are consistent and easy to train.

Unless you are dealing with a very small company, you will be dealing with an employee who is on a commission pay schedule.  Don’t forget that reality.  We will continue this subject in a future article.

Your comments and questions are always welcome. I hope to hear from you soon. Until then, keep it clean…