Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/624379
4 FEDA News & Views Brad Pierce President Restaurant Equipment World brad.pierce@rewonline.com The President's Message I 'm honored to present the most recent FEDA Exceptional Manufacturers rec- ognition listing in this issue of News & Views. The companies who made the list are amongst the best of the best in our industry and we applaud their support of dealer-based distribution. The formulation and scoring criteria for this list was created by current FEDA Chairman Brad Wasserstrom. During his presidency, Brad presented the idea to the FEDA Executive Committee and it was an instant hit. When the inaugural listing came to life, it was greeted with applause by both our membership and our valued manufacturers. As I took over the reins nearly two years ago, I was asked if this was something I wanted to continue and without a moment of hesitation my answer was a resounding "YES." I strongly feel there's great value in giving positive recognition to manu- facturers that are aligned with how we feel good partners should operate in the channel. So, what makes for an exceptional manufacturer partner? Here's the criteria we used during the evaluation process. Of most importance is how each vendor supports FEDA. This is weighed heavily as we feel that true partners bring value to the table and understand our mem- bers' needs better as they become active within FEDA and its activities. This includes attending the convention, spon- sorships, advertising and other support of the organization. It also includes sup- port of initiatives such as the FEDA Data Interchange (FDI). We applaud all com- panies that have agreed to participate in the FDI, but those that are publishing order status updates to AutoQuotes are viewed most favorably. Next, we considered brand attributes. Does a manufacturer have better than average quality products and product innovation? Can the products be sold at prices in which there's profit poten- tial for the dealership? Lastly, does the manufacturer provide quality after sales service? This is a biggie in my eyes; it's easy to sell something and run, it takes a great brand to back up products with quality support long after the check has cleared. We then evaluated the level of sup- port extended throughout the sales process. This includes whether a manu- facturer has a MAP/MRP pricing poli- cy—and more importantly, do they actu- ally enforce it? We look at whether a vendor's products enhance a dealer's ability to improve their valued-added service offerings to the end-user cus- tomer. Speaking of the customer, does the manufacturer or their representa- tives engage in joint sales planning or sales calls with their dealers? Does the manufacturer maintain trained and professional sales represen- tatives, representatives who are expect- ed to not only serve the end user, but also to provide product training and information to DSR's in a timely manner. Also of importance: manufacturer sup- port of dealer marketing efforts. Trust is a key factor in any relation- ship, so it's fitting that this is another part of our scoring criteria. We value manufacturers that consistently work to improve their relationships with dealers and avoid undermining the dealer with customers, service agents or other inter- ested parties. Lastly, in terms of trust scoring, does a manufacturer handle dealer information with confidentiality? The final scoring criteria involves What Makes a Great Partner? Companies on the 2016 Exceptional Manufacturers List Lead the Way continued on page 12 I strongly feel there's great value in giving positive recognition to manufacturers that are aligned with how we feel good partners should operate in the channel.