Taking Advantage Of Vendor Training Resources

Vendor provided training resources can be like hiring your own in-house trainer at little or no cost to your bottom line. The key is to identify a quality chemical or equipment line and then standardize to those systems.  

This approach flies in the face of shopping for a chemical or piece of equipment by price alone which at best, may save a few dollars per contract. The approach I am suggesting is to purchase products based on overall value while taking into account support after the sale, productivity and of course overall competitive pricing.

Most manufacturers’ today work through local distributors who may carry more than one line of chemical or equipment. The local distributor may have a loyalty program in place that encourages them to promote a given product line or they may rely on the advertising campaign of the product manufacturer to help bring in additional business.  

Many distributors also have their own private label brand that gives them their own identity, as well as a low cost (yet high profit margin) line of chemicals (and sometimes equipment and tools) if a customer comes in looking for a cheaper alternative. Many of these private label products are fine and get the job done but do not have any well thought out support behind them.  They usually do not have the additional overhead of advertising and support that the name brands carry as a cost of doing business.  

If you, the end user, can develop (perhaps jointly with the distributor) a standardized training process that includes color coding, numbering system and safe effective use of each item, you probably do not need to purchase the higher price brands.  Such development should include laminated cards, a manual and possibly hands on videos to supplement the trainer experience.  The key is to track your hidden costs in developing these training aids, updating them regularly and having either the distributor or your staff conduct certification level training on these systems.  

Of course, at the end of the day, it might be cost effective to buy the name brand products and use the manufacturer and distributor to support their product lines by providing training that was developed for these specific items.  

The old saying: “Pay me now or pay me later” comes to mind.  Where is your time and resources best spent for the dollars you expend?  

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.