There is no doubt that the main reason to choose one distributor over another is their ability to get you the product you need within the time that you need it. All distributors work very hard to do this. Most succeed in one way or another. Those that don't typically go out of business. However, what you also want to check out are the added services that distributors provide their customers. Many can make your life a lot easier.
As Ben Smith, brand manager at Hardware Suppliers (HCI), headquartered in Greenville, SC says, "We all work very hard to differentiate ourselves from our competitors. In many cases, it's just outperforming the other companies on a day to day basis. But, sometimes, customers really appreciate the special services we provide."
Bill Smoyer, West Coast regional sales manager of Access Hardware Supply, headquartered in San Leandro, Calif., whose sales representatives cover the western United States, agrees. "Everything all of us sell is readily available, even from e-Bay. Therefore, our people and our services have to be our differentiators."
Jonathon Tafarella, social media and public relations manager of ADI Global Distribution headquartered in Melville, New York, relates, "With 103 branches and an 800-person field sales force, ADI can connect the customer with the right solution within a vast portfolio of offerings/solutions.
"We try to gear our entire business around being a better partner," states Travis Howell, marketing manager for H.L. Flake in Houston. "We like to make it easier for locksmiths to do business with us."
When you start analyzing the types of services they provide, you will find five main categories - product breadth, fast delivery, access to information, technical support and those that are unique to them. Each distributor works on making themselves tops and it is interesting to see the different methods they use.
Does the distributor have the products you need?
"We like to emphasize that we carry both residential and commercial products from every manufacturer that a locksmith would want," reports HCI's Smith. "Whether a locksmith specializes in commercial or residential markets, we've got his product and we can handle all of them in one transaction."
"We stock and supply complementary items beyond the door hardware including wire, power, credentials, access panels, metal detection, patient wandering, biometrics, Z-WAVE, video badging and door entry/intercom," adds ADI's Tafarella. "In short, ADI offers everything needed to offer customers a complete full access solution. ADI also stocks and supplies CCTV, fire, intrusion, structured cabling, AV, wire, communications and networking solutions."
"We feature 20,000 line items in our catalog," says, H.L. Flake's Howell. "We also provide the best possible prices. One of the things we're told by locksmiths that they like is that we put the list price and locksmith price right in the catalog. Our customers don't need to call for prices or calculate what their price is."
"To assure that customers can quickly view the wide range of products we sell, we have heavily invested in our website," emphasizes Access Hardware's Smoyer. "When they click on our Manufacturers section, not only can they see the products we carry by manufacturer but they can also quickly get information such as specification sheets, installation sheets and price lists. Customers can also direct themselves to the manufacturers' own websites. We like to think of ourselves as the Google of wholesale door hardware manufacturers."
Can the distributor get the products to you quickly?
"With five distribution centers nationwide, from Phoenix to Philadelphia, HSI is able to service 90 percent of the U.S. population in less than two days and 38 percent in just one business day via FedEx Ground," Smith avows. "But it isn't simply about the number of locations; it's about having the right products stocked in those locations. We pay special attention to our inventory levels at each distribution center to ensure we're stocking the products our customers demand to service their region. For instance, Baldwin residential products are especially strong in the Northeast. Therefore, inventory in the Philadelphia location has a higher percentage of that equipment than do the others."
"We'll also drop ship to the locksmith's customer," adds H.L. Flake's Howell. "When we do so, none of our logos or information appears on the box or on papers inside."
According to Access Hardware's Smoyer, most orders ship the same day and the distributor replaces defective or damaged goods with overnight replacement. He especially likes to tout his organization's 24-Hour Call Center and Estimating Department.
"For extra convenience, customers who place an order before 5 p.m. can pick it up anytime, even in the dead of night," Smoyer explains. "We give them a code to automatically open our door, go in and pick up their order.”
"ADI likes to work with manufacturers to secure project registration for large jobs which results in reduced costs that locksmiths can then pass onto their customers," reports Tafarella. "Locksmiths should also know about the ADI Systems Team that is available to help them build a bill of materials. ADI also has 41 Regional Account Specialists that will assist customers in the field to spec large projects and build a bill of materials to complete the install. ADI Regional Account Specialists also act as a conduit to the manufacturer ensuring our customers find everything they need to complete end-to-end solutions."
How easy is it to get information?
If, when you call your distributor, you seem to be put on hold for eons, only to be switched to another person who can only answer part of your questions, that gets very old. Some distributors are working to make that function easier.
"We are constantly training the people that man our phones," H.L. Flake's Howell reports. "We need them to be a good source for product recommendations and information, not just order takers. Likewise, we want our website to be very useable, making it easy to order. Locksmiths can generate their own returns by checking invoices online or make a list of their most popular products for easy ordering in the future."
"Our Web Warehouse was designed to make doing business with HSI online as straightforward as doing business over the phone," says Smith. "Web Warehouse lets users check price and availability, place orders and manage their account whenever it’s the most convenient for them. Users can shop by product type, manufacturer or through an advanced criteria search - whichever way works best for them. They can even create lists for those products they buy over and over for easy ordering the next time."
"We want our customers to think of us as the YouTube of door hardware videos," relates Access Hardware's Smoyer. "Instead of offering up the usual 'salesy' type product videos, we dig down deep and produce or procure stuff you can actually use – like a wide range of instructional, installation and 'how-to' videos for access control products from leading manufacturers.”
" ADI branches feature training rooms in which customers can meet with manufacturers to learn about new solutions and receive learning credits, for example CEU’s," affirms Tarafella.
Can you get your questions answered?
Sometimes you can't figure out everything yourself. Who can you call? All the major distributors would suggest that you contact them for excellent tech support.
"We will only let knowledgeable technical personnel answer our customer door hardware technical question," says HSI's Smith. "How many years of training our people have had isn't nearly as important to us as whether or not they can answer our customers' questions. Besides the phone, we also encourage customers to use our online contact form."
"ADI offers a dedicated Systems Engineering group to assist customers in building a bill of materials to complete an install," adds Tarafella.
"We have outside representatives whose sole job is to make our customers' lives simpler," says Access Hardware's Smoyer. "From facilitating product training to creating marketing and business development programs for our customers, they are available to take care of whatever is needed. They typically hold around six classes per year, more if requested."
What Unique Services are offered?
To enable customers to perform large projects, ADI offers the ADI Pro Select card," emphasizes Tarafella. "The Pro Select card offers 6-month special financing to increase lines of credit and purchasing power in a case where our customer may not get paid for 90-120 days."
"We feel that we have redefined estimating," exclaims Access Hardware's Smoyer. "We are using software that expedites complete quotes that customers will receive on or before their due date. The Protech software quotes are broken down by hardware set, including the number of openings. After the order, we will provide free detailed, highlighted cut sheets for all hardware items purchased. Lastly, we'll stage orders, holding the products in our warehouse until they are needed. Only then do payment terms begin."
On their website, H.L. Flake advertises that ordering online is a great way to save with them. When customers order online, they instantly save 1 percent. And, if they break the free freight minimum, the order gets shipped at no cost.
"Same day shipping isn’t just a goal we aim for, it’s the standard, HSI's Smith emphasizes. "Every order placed by 5 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday, will ship the same day."
Many Choices - Much Help
In talking with the distributors, it is important to note that just because one distributor is quoted as having a certain service does not mean others don't. Of course, it also might mean that others don't. We were trying to ascertain as many different services ‑ or ways of providing them - that we could so you would know what was available.
There’s one thing they all agreed on: Their jobs were to make doing business easier for you.
