Distributor vs. Jobber Part 1: What’s the Difference and Why It Matters

What kind of business are you? What kind of business do you want to be? What support do you need to achieve your goals?

No matter the size of your operation, chances are, long-term success will require you to establish business partnerships. When evaluating potential business partners, it’s necessary to define what you’re looking for in those relationships. In the automotive aftermarket, you can select from companies who function as jobbers and companies who are considered distributors.

You may wonder: what’s the difference and why does it matter? Let’s start by outlining the key differences between the two you will need to consider as you make your selection.

JOBBER	DISTRIBUTOR
Offers every product to any person who asks  for  it	Offers pre-vetted products by preferred  vendors  and helps customer select products  best fit to  their needs
On demand or “hot shot” delivery	Scheduled delivery at predetermined intervals
No defined SLA* with customer	Delivers per SLA* with customer
General service	Customized service

*Service Level Agreement (SLA): When establishing a business partnership, distributors will set up a Service Level Agreement to outline their commitment to serving and fulfilling the customers’ specified needs. This written agreement serves as a guarantee for maximum and most efficient benefit for both parties.

The chart above gives a basic breakdown of the differences between jobbers and distributors. Depending on the partner you choose, your growth can be enhanced or hindered. Knowing your goals and the type of service needed to support those goals is critical for long-term success. In an industry of rapid change with a lot of consolidation into national accounts and increasing pressure on low-cost operations, it has never been more important to identify the key factors for your success.

FinishMaster has committed to operating as a distributor. We’ve found it makes a meaningful difference when we are able to work with each individual customer and customize our service to best help their business. We match your needs, product purchases, and shop setup to our services. Sometimes that means coming up with an alternate solution to requests or saying no, but we always keep the customers’ best interest in mind and work diligently to find a cost-effective and high quality solution for the long run.