As an electrical wholesaler, offering excellent customer service and a consultative approach to your customers will set you apart from your competition. What’s the key to excellence? Really knowing your products’ features and benefits so that you can support and educate your customers.
With the latest smart technologies such as programmable lighting controls and integrated home automation systems entering the market, wholesalers have the important job of promoting these new fantastic products to their customers. Having a knowledgeable sales team who are able to provide customers with key product information, therefore, should be a priority in any electrical wholesale business.
Manufacturers have a key role to play here if they want to successfully launch new products to market. It’s important that they offer support and provide detailed datasheets and instruction manuals for wholesalers.
Wholesalers should then decide how to make this information readily available for their own customers. For example, you may want to make user manuals available to view and download on your website. You could create your own how-to videos that are easy for customers to access and follow.
Having strong relationships with your manufacturers and having key contacts who can give guidance on product selection, installation and aftercare is also extremely valuable.
Product knowledge isn’t only crucial during the product selection process, you should also be able to support your customers after they’ve made a purchase. You may want to set up a specific phone number that deals with customer aftercare to ensure you can efficiently handle enquiries.
Alternatively, you could offer an online support service either with a ticketing system or a live chat. This will enable customers to attach photos/videos and to get in touch outside of regular opening hours.
Face-to-face interactions are still an important element for manufacturers and electrical wholesalers. Make the most of your manufacturers by getting their support and welcoming visits from their salespeople. They’ll be able to help you with things like merchandising units and display boards and you’ll be able to provide them with valuable customer feedback.
Sharing knowledge should be a two-way process between manufacturers and wholesalers and both will benefit greatly from open communication. It’s important for electrical wholesalers to be gathering feedback from their customers so that you can improve your service and manufacturers can improve the products on offer.
Electrical wholesalers who want to deliver excellent customer service must ensure that they have a knowledgeable team who stay up-to-date with product features and benefits. To do this, you’ll need to work closely with manufacturers and help each other to boost both your sales and reputation.
Bridgewater Professionals specialise in recruitment for jobs within the wholesale, distribution and manufacturing industries, recruiting highly skilled individuals at all levels across the UK and Ireland.
If you’re an electrical wholesale, distribution or manufacturing professional interested in developing your career, get in touch with us today.
