Someone recently asked us about the distributor’s role in today’s business environment, essentially asking if it has diminished. Initially, I didn’t understand the question because we live it daily and see how the ecosystem works. However, the more I thought about it, the more I understood the origin of the question.

The world is changing; every day, there is a new start-up or social media channel, and it’s easy to get distracted by the bright, shiny objects. It’s commonplace to purchase products on our phones and have them delivered the next day, or even shop by asking Alexa.

In any business, especially distribution, it is essential to continue evolving to remain relevant. It has been part of our DNA to focus on providing value to manufacturers and their customers. So, despite any trends or technology innovations, we’ve never had to take a breath and figure out our next steps; we’ve just continuously looked at where we could offer value and provided it.

Adding Value

If you’re a manufacturer or business owner, there are certain areas where you excel and want to focus on. You work with strategic partners to fill in the gaps, allowing you to focus where you need to be. The equipment we sell is now much larger and more expensive in the amusement business. This means we need to invest in better ways to deliver it to the market.

Over the past decade, we have invested substantially in our infrastructure. This includes our distribution facilities, parts inventory, and financial services. As distributors, we make those investments so our partners don’t have to. People are accustomed to buying things online, so we added a 24/7 online parts ordering website, allowing our customers to get what they need quickly.

Creating Success

Focusing on the success of your strategic partners and customers is key to your own success in the distribution model. You need to invest in areas and do things better than they can do themselves. It’s not complicated, but it’s also not easy. Upon examining how we conduct business, we’ve built an organization as comprehensive as any in the industry. Yet, we haven’t lost sight of the family tradition that brought us here.

As we have grown as a company, we continue to strive to act like a startup. We aim to be quick enough to provide our customers with what they need or stay ahead of industry trends.

Despite all the innovations in the world and the latest technological trends, it’s easy to overlook the human factor; relationships do matter in business. If you continue to provide value and deliver on your word, your vendors and customers will return.

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