Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/264715
2014 Exceptional Manufacturers Support Dealer-Based Distribution Brad Wasserstrom, President The Wasserstrom Co. BradW@wasserstrom.com continued on page 12 The President's Message S o what makes a manufacturer exceptional? To recap, dealer scor- ing was based on five important criteria: FEDA Support: Does the manufac- turer contribute to FEDA's overall goals? Brand Attributes: Does the manu- facturer offer quality products at com- petitive prices that give dealers profit potential? Sales Support: Is the manufacturer engaged with the dealers' sales teams? Do they provide timely product infor- mation and on-going training? Are their sales representatives (whether direct or independent) professional and well- trained? Manufacturer Trustworthiness: The manufacturer must never under- mine the dealer with the end user and handle dealer information (including pricing) with confidentiality. Does the manufacturer consistently work to improve their relationship with dealers? Relationship Attributes: How well does the manufacturer c o m m u n i c a t e with the deal- er? Is there t w o - w a y d i a l o g u e amongst s e n i o r manage- m e n t and is there an understanding of the dealer's business needs? It is important to note that while creat- ing this list, we had no specific number in mind in regards to the companies that would get the top ranking or make the Honorable Mention list. We simply took the average scores for each manufac- turer, and those that scored above X are being recognized as exceptional. Those that scored between X and Y are being recognized on the Honorable Mention list. Both cutoffs became a natural break point with separation from the group directly underneath. So in other words, the way we did this, it was not impos- sible (although highly unlikely) for every company considered to be designated as exceptional. The manufacturers that are rated as "Exceptional" help to make each of us more profitable as dealers. They have well trained staffs that also help to train our teams to sell their product. These manufacturers have high-quality items that don't cause dealers to spend exces- sive time or money on sales support after the sale. These manufacturers communicate and plan with dealers and allow dealers to make good margins that are also protected from "inquisitive and demanding" end users. I would hypoth- esize that the manufacturers rated as the best on this survey are also some of the most profitable in the industry. As I stated in my previous article, everyone's perceptions are guided by their own experiences. We've all had great experiences and relationships with many companies left off each list and we've had difficult issues with compa- nies that made the lists. The point isn't whether everyone is going to agree with every name. Instead, our hope is that the focus will rest on its intent: to rec- ognize those manufacturers who tend to do the best job with dealers and encour- age discussion. For example, what can those who are not recognized do better to align themselves with dealer-based distribution? And if they did, wouldn't business be easier for both the dealer and manufacturer? Could you possibly imagine how terrific your industry rela- tionships would be? Do you think the dealers and manufacturers of our indus- try would be healthier and more profit- able? We welcome the opportunity to talk with those manufacturers that were not rated as exceptional about these and other thoughts. It may be a dream but wouldn't it be great if someday every manufacturer you do business with did get rated as exceptional? FEDA congratulates the Exceptional manufacturers and congrat- ulations to those that received an honor- able mention. We are appreciative of your efforts to support the channel and the efforts you are making that allow all of us to run profitable businesses. See Page 12 for the 2014 list of "Exceptional Manufacturers."