Distributor vs. Jobber Part 2: Value-Added Services Make the Difference

In Part 1 of this blog series, we discussed the difference between jobbers and distributors and why it matters for your business. In Part 2, we’re going to dive deeper into the areas where these differences have the biggest impact.

1. Product Footprint

When it comes to product offerings, working with a distributor means working from a multiple choice test instead of fill-in-the-blanks. Distributors offer you the most likely solutions to your problem and help you make the choice that is the best fit for you.

We sell a streamlined list of products that match our customers’ needs in efficiency and profitability.  This creates value between FinishMaster and our customers.

By working with each customer, we are able to determine the best products available for their needs, making us more than a middleman: we are your partner in these decisions.

We work diligently to ensure the products we offer are the highest quality and most cost-effective option in the industry. As a distributor, we see it as our responsibility to select limited lines of products that meet our standard so you have the most desirable products available for purchase.

2. Adapting Services to Meet Customer Need

Distributors view it as part of their role to be industry experts. By investing in continuous training and constantly honing our knowledge of the automotive aftermarket, a distributor goes beyond selling products – it provides value-added services, too.

At FinishMaster, value-added services are more than delivering product and helping with paint matching. We are consultants to the shops, we provide technical support, and we help them manage their inventories. As the industry evolves, many of these value-added services will become essential for all collision centers to thrive in today’s market.

But don’t get us wrong, delivery is still part of our service model and is one way our difference as a distributor shows. By delivering on a schedule instead of hot shot deliveries like a jobber, we keep customers’ costs low and expectations met.

You get what you need when you expect it.

3. Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

Distributors establish Service Level Agreements (SLAs) with each customer from the beginning of their partnership. These agreements outline the customer’s specific needs and the services the distributor will provide in order to meet those needs.

SLAs are one way to ensure expectations are always met, providing dependability and, ultimately, money savings and profit growth for the customer’s business.

Simply put, a distributor wants to partner with their customer and make their business better.

4. Customized vs. General Relationship

Distributors make it a priority to be a key factor in their customer’s success by providing products, services, and support necessary for sustained growth. A jobber will try to function as “everything for everyone,” a distributor tailors their offerings to match customer’s unique needs.

A distributor helps customers identify what they need to be successful, like new product information, techniques, procedures, environmental requisitions, and many more concerns the customers recognize as valuable in this industry. A jobber fills the customer’s wants, not their needs.

By working directly with customers and building a relationship based on mutual trust and satisfaction, a distributor becomes a highly valued partner in the business model.

So what’s best for you?

Figuring out the kind of business you want to be and evaluating the partner who will best help you achieve your goal is one of the most important decisions you’ll make. Understanding what sets a distributor apart can impact your business’s growth and success for decades down the road.

At FinishMaster, we value each customer as a partner and believe our role as a distributor allows us to continue to thrive in an industry of rapid change. We welcome the chance to show you the FinishMaster Way as your partner in business should you choose us for your team.