contractor success Fewer Characters, But A BIGGER ROLE To Play By: Michael Wilson The idea that the role of the facility maintenance distributor has been marginalized is far from accurate. M Many facility maintenance distributors first began to notice that their industry was changing some time during the early 1990s. Big box retailers began to spread across the country, selling many of the same jani-torial and cleaning-related products that had been the domain of distributors alone for decades. While these retail stores typically offered no customer service or sales advice, their big draw was that they often sold these products at a much lower cost. An even bigger whammy — the rise of the Internet — hit not long after, although it took a while for its true impact to be felt. As more and more building service con-tractors (BSCs) realized they already knew exactly which cleaning-related products and equipment they wanted to purchase, their only focus became where they could select them most cost effectively or with the greatest of convenience. Very often, purchasing products over the Internet accomplished both goals. With these two sea changes sweeping the industry, many distributors felt left out in the cold. Their entire business model — sell-ing cleaning paper products, equipment, chemicals and scores of other products related to building operations — had been taken over by a combination of a new type of retail industry and totally new technologies. How were they to survive? The truth of the matter is that many did not. The role of the distributor is ever evolving, but those that are able to stay on top of, or ahead of, the constantly changing landscape will be able to thrive. 38 CM/Cleaning & Maintenance Management ® • February 2014 Image courtesy of Catherine Yeulet/iStock/ThinkStock
CMM – Archives February 2014: 38
