Progressive Distributor - Customers vote with their dollars

Customers vote with their dollars

by Rich Vurva

Have you decided who will get your vote to be the next president of the United States? By the time this issue went to press, we knew the winners of the earliest presidential caucuses and primaries. Before summer arrives, voters will have determined which candidates will represent their political parties in the fall general election.

When listening to a political debate or stump speech, it’s often difficult for the average voter to separate fact from fiction, substance from spin. Some candidates are great orators and know how to excite a crowd. Others have impressive records of public service or leadership skills. As voters, we must decide what qualities are most important to us.

Running a distribution company is similar to running a political campaign. Except instead of casting their vote in a polling place, customers decide which distributor to support with their dollars.

Like presidential candidates, some distributors are better than others at selling themselves to prospects. They know how to say the right thing to get a prospect’s attention. But when they get the job, they sometimes fail to deliver on what they promised.

Other distributors lack flashy campaign skills. They’re not good at giving a presentation that excites executives in a board room, but they know how to get things done on the plant floor or on the job site.

Some distributors also know how to play dirty politics and sling mud. They drop negative comments about competitors whenever an opportunity presents itself.

Regardless of which type campaign you run, you’re in a battle to capture your customer’s attention. It’s important for you to understand the type of campaigns your opponents run, so you’re better able to contrast and compare your abilities with theirs when customers choose between you and them. More importantly, you need to know the criteria your customers use before deciding to cast their vote. Your goal is to help the customer make an informed decision based on facts and sound business practices, not on empty promises and slogans.