In a previous article, I wrote about the importance of distributors taking the time necessary to understand all the challenges facing their end user customers. In that piece, I mentioned the difficulty BSCs have with identifying quality accounts and holding onto accounts once they come on board. I provided suggestions distributors could use to answer these questions, but struggles don’t stop there. Other challenges BSCs face are:

How to standardize equipment in an effort to gain efficiencies and simplify training. If you can lead them to purchasing a brand of equipment that allows them to have few parts on hand (such as bags, belts, etc.) you can save them money in the long run. Some distributors have forms/surveys or electronic spreadsheets that can compare productivity of various pieces of equipment. An extreme example is to compare a 14” floor machine (175 RPM) to a 20” burnisher (2,500 RPM) and decide which is more appropriate for a certain size job. The 14” side by side would be great for a small account with a small break room but would certainly be inadequate for a twenty story building with thousands of feet of VCT (vinyl composite tile) in need of regular polishing.

How to standardize chemicals and tools to simplify training and reduce the possibility of errors.

If you, as a distributor rep, can provide the end user with color coded chemicals, matching microfiber (or cotton) cloths, as well as product specific training, your value to the company just went up exponentially. I know of one company that their labels be changed to add a color photo of the cloth to use for that particular product. Their chemical manufacturer said no so they kept looking until they found a company that said yes and moved all their business to them.

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

Mickey Crowe has been involved in the industry for over 35 years. He is a trainer, speaker and consultant. You can reach Mickey at 678-314-2171 or CTCG50@comcast.net


posted on 4/11/2016