The World Of Product Distribution - All Comments

re: Sales Training

thomkatt — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:11:01 GMT

I have just started a company to do just what your friend needs. I have been selling jan-san supplies for over 20 years with two companies and got exactly the same as he did. I am changing that now.

Nick, please get hold of me directly so we can talk.

re: A Non-glamorous Industry?

cferling — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 02:52:21 GMT

I own a commercial cleaning company and i currently have friends running to me to learn how and what i am doing...Alot of the big money jobs are falling by the way side and commercial cleaning is a residual based business for the most part...

re: A Non-glamorous Industry?

Michael — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 12:02:00 GMT

Having been in the Foodservice/ Jansan Supply business for over 20 years I believe we are in the best business in the world. During the California Gold Rush the people who made the most money were the ones who sold the pans! We are in the pan business and I am am proud to be part of it. The opportunities in our business are vast especially for young people.

Mike Mirarchi (A proud Toilet Paper Salesman)

re: A Non-glamorous Industry?

MikeSawchuk — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 19:54:42 GMT

I’ve been in the professional cleaning industry for more than 15 years. I live and breathe the industry and am as excited about it today as I was 15 years ago.

However, I agree with many young people and would not call it a glamorous industry. But with the downturn in the economy, that actually may be one of its strongest features. Consider:

• The residential real estate industry is often viewed as a glamorous industry, yet it’s now very unhealthy all over the United States.

• Fancy, expensive cars may turn lots of heads, but right now most of those cars are sitting in showrooms where they have been for months waiting for buyers.

• Travel certainly can be glamorous. But Las Vegas hotels are begging for visitors, projects already being constructed there have been put on hold, and this problem is repeated around the world right now.

I believe, economically, the professional cleaning industry will continue to improve over the next few months and although our industry was impacted when the stock market crashed last year, I think overall, we have done better than many other industries. This is our strong suit. We don’t offer a lot of glamour but a lot more stability, and I think young people may choose to put aside glamour for stability right now.

In addition, in the years to come, our industry will likely be seen in a much more positive light because we are becoming “health care contributors.” Cleaning for health and the impact of proper cleaning on health will become more important. When there is a pandemic or threat of one, who (else) will they call to deal with the threat at their facility?

Mike Sawchuk, vice president and general manager of Enviro-Solutions, Inc.

re: A Non-glamorous Industry?

Bob Croft — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:51:40 GMT

I try to present myself as a useful resource to my clients, discussing or providing copes of articles on prevention of cross contamination, strategies for dealing with swine flu and other potential illnesses (what we do, and what the customer can do, i. e. privide disinfectant wipes to employees - that we cah sell to the client), Indoor Air Quality (what we do and how it helps the clients employees and his bottom line).

re: A Non-glamorous Industry?

Nick Bragg — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 13:57:27 GMT

I thought I’d share this blog post from Modern Distribution Management, which one of my colleagues brought to my attention.

www.mdm.com/.../Work_Environment_Attracts_Young_Workers__6605-1.html

What I found most interesting is the fact that new distribution recruits find the environment most important when looking at potential employers.

re: Wholesale Or Direct?

vacman — Tue, 05 May 2009 00:55:44 GMT

Some good points Nickk. Also important in making the very best use of stock and cash flow is to use a just-in-time ordering policy. Far too many businesss waste money carrying huge amounts of unnecessary stock. Only hold what you need and you'll save space aw well a dollars

re: Cash Flow

vacman — Tue, 05 May 2009 00:51:12 GMT

I don't know if this faility is available in the USA but in the UK having a finance company provide a Factoring service for invoices or invoice discounting can also help with cash flow. Up to 90% of the invoice value can be paid out immeidately and the rest is paid, minus the finance companies charge whenm paymnet is received from the customer

re: Daycleaning

Rob Godlewski — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 14:28:15 GMT

It appears the jury is still out regarding Day Cleaning because many facilities, especially multitenant office buildings, prefer all cleaning and maintenance to be performed after typical business hours.

However, with the ever-growing interest in environmental issues and the fact that building owners do save energy when their facilities are shut down in the evening, we will likely see more facilities cleaned during the day in the future.

As to equipment, two of the big concerns managers have when their facilities are cleaned during the day are, as you mentioned, safety and noise.

A big safety concern is the fact that some floor machines and vacuums need to be hooked to electrical outlets in order to operate. Fortunately, cleaning equipment with battery technology continues to advance. Machines are now available that can burnish as much as 25,000 square feet per hour and have a three- to four-hour run time on one battery charge. These machines are comparable to conventional burnishers, but the cord safety problem has been eliminated.

Noise is another issue. Many cleaning workers prefer to use backpack vacuum cleaners in Day Cleaning because they offer greater versatility. Unlike older backpacks, which tended to be heavy and loud, newer equipment is light, easier to use, and quiet. The quiet, reduced noise level is important because it helps improve worker productivity in a Day Cleaning setting and helps eliminate stopping cleaning work to avoid interrupting building occupants.

Rob Godlewski, Vice President of Marketing for Powr-Flite

www.powrflite.com

re: The Value Of E-newsletters

Lopie — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:36:00 GMT

It is quite right: designed to be a quick read. Thus, distributors should only show glimpses of what they have to offer

re: A Matting Horror Story

vkb — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 07:56:04 GMT

People, you have to sell your customers on the fact that "mats aren't mats."

There are $21 Costco specials, that 3x5 that poorly resembles a high end scraper mat with blocks, only to see the fiberous border edge separating from the backing, creating even more of a tripping hazard.

I hope Christopher won't take offense. There are the highest end mats such as those from the Andersen Company. Then there's 3M, Americo, Crown, Cactus. I think Andersen spends more on design and a more expensive backing. BUT, is it worth the 30% or larger premium for the equivalent mat? I think not.

One of my rep groups--Blackrock Sales--is introducing me to Crown Mats. They seem to have a nice selection.

To me, effective entry matting is an essential part of hard floor care as is spray buff compound.

Von

re: Promoting Distribution's Value

MikeNelson — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 16:30:09 GMT

I believe one key reason many young people do not seek careers in distribution is because they believe it just means being a salesperson. Certainly there is nothing wrong with being a salesperson, for they make the wheels of commerce turn, but some young people believe it has a derogatory connotation. Plays such as Death of a Salesman don’t help the image.

Although one of the key roles distributors play is that of selling goods and products, the profession has evolved dramatically, especially in recent years. It is my experience that successful distributors today are now advisers, business consultants, technical engineers, cleaning specialists—even confidants. Astute facility managers understand that cleaning and maintenance have become much more complex today, and they turn to distributors to help make their buildings work, ensuring that they are clean and healthy.

So how do we get the word out about the “new” distributors and how the industry has changed? Your publication is doing a fine job of promoting the value of entering the field of distribution. We need more publications—not just in the professional cleaning industry but in all industries—doing the same.

Further, every industry has one or more key associations. They can also help by explaining the valuable and complex role distributors play in making their industry successful. Ultimately, it comes down to education. We need to find ways to educate young people that becoming a distributor is valuable, honorable, lucrative, and necessary for our economy to succeed.

~~~Mike Nelson, vice president of marketing for Pro-Link, Inc.

re: A Matting Horror Story

ChrisTricozzi — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 19:53:38 GMT

In response to “A Matting Horror Story,” matting is sometimes referred to as “the forgotten cousin” in the realm of effective cleaning, building maintenance, and accident prevention. Many facility managers and cleaning professionals - and, in this case, restaurant owners - are just not aware of how important a high-performance matting system is in keeping facilities clean and healthy.

When I see glaring examples in which an effective mating system would benefit a facility (as with the restaurant mentioned earlier), I will actually mention it to the business owner or manager. The primary reason why I make the effort to do so is because inadequate (or nonexistent) matting systems pose an obvious safety risk. Allowing customers to walk on cardboard rather than installing an effective matting system is an accident waiting to happen.

But beyond the safety issue, there is also the cleanliness factor. Without effective matting, virtually none of the soil, moisture, or contaminants found on shoe bottoms will be trapped and captured. Instead, it will just be passed from one shoe bottom to the next, possibly even becoming airborne and impacting the health of the entire facility.

One of the best things that ever happened to the matting industry was the U.S. Green Building Council’s announcement that facilities can earn one LEED program credit just by installing an effective high-performance matting system. My suggestion to our distributors when meeting with clients or prospective clients is to always come armed with information about this credit program and about the health and safety values of matting systems in general. A little education on our part will help transform the cleaning industry’s “forgotten cousin” into the favorite cousin.

—Christopher Tricozzi, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Crown Mats and Matting

re: Walk The Walk

Nick Bragg — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:38:34 GMT

Posted by B Zeitlin on 6/24/2008 7:02:24 PM

Considering the vastness of our industry, you are doing a fine job sharing what you are doing. Me??? Fifty Seven years in the Sanitary Supply Industry. Distributor. Edmer Sanitary Supply Co. Inc. East Meadow, N.Y.

re: Steering Clear Of Your Customer's Spam Folder

Nick Bragg — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:37:34 GMT

Posted by Tre on 6/20/2008 8:37:18 PM

Great article! I linked your article on my carpet cleaning discussion board: www.truckmountforums.com/showthread.php Take care and keep up the good work!