The Power of a Partnership: Going Beyond the Sell Sheet

In today’s fast-paced world, you need partners that go beyond simply providing a range of products and solutions. You need partners invested in your success, who actively look for opportunities to enhance your position and relationship with your customers.

Partnership in Action

To see what true partnership looks like, let’s look at how we worked with Convergint to enhance their overall safety offerings. At the time, Convergint had hundreds of locations ordering PPE and other safety gear independently. These orders often included custom-branded gear – such as hardhats and safety vests – to meet their customers’ needs. Not only did this create an inconsistent and inefficient ordering process across the organization, it often led to friction and frustration.

Wesco and Convergint recognized an opportunity to streamline the ordering process, create greater consistency and help control costs. The end result was a three-part solution that included:

1. Solution playbook: The playbook offered an “easy button” way to provide Convergint colleagues with the products their customers needed. It created a consistent, standardized approach to ordering customized safety gear from top manufacturers, and eventually expanded to include non-custom items like safety goggles and fall-protection solutions. By streamlining the product offerings, the playbook also helped Convergint control costs.
2. Product vending machines: Convergint colleagues often ran into situations where they had very little notice on what products their customers needed, which created inventory management challenges. In order to meet their customers’ needs, colleagues often had to visit retailers to purchase products – typically at a much higher price – that weren’t available internally. To solve this challenge, Wesco and Convergint installed product vending machines that offered convenient access to the safety gear they needed. This provided an easy way to control costs and better manage inventory.
3. Training: Wesco and Convergint also recognized an opportunity to deliver safety training and other services centrally and more efficiently. At the time, Convergint colleagues each sourced safety training independently. By building those services into the solutions playbook, Wesco was able to enhance the overall process. This ensured that trainings were conducted by OSHA-certified CSPs, and it often allowed them to be delivered more efficiently. Multiple locations could participate simultaneously, and multiple trainings could be offered on the same day, if needed.

Ultimately, this allowed Convergint to drive growth, provide greater value to their customers and continue to demonstrate their safety expertise.

The Difference Between a Strategic Partner and Vendor

At a high level, the relationship with a vendor is purely transactional. They provide a list of available products and services, along with pricing, and you can select from that menu based on your needs. A partner, however, takes a much more involved approach. Partners take time to understand your business and unique challenges, and actively collaborate with you to solve them. They approach opportunities strategically, and work towards mutual success and growth.

The best way to explain the difference might be with a practical example. Say you have a customer who needs safety gloves. Many gloves may have the same cut rating, for example, but not all of them will be as effective in the same applications. Your customer’s workers might need gloves with greater dexterity. A partner will take the time to understand their unique challenges, and provide a curated list of gloves that meets their needs.

If you’re in charge of your workers’ safety, you understand how important this extra step can be. One of the most common reasons workers remove their safety gloves is because they lack the proper dexterity. Being able to provide your customer with the right gloves for the right application can help reduce cuts and other associated injuries.

A strategic partner will delve deeper. They’ll offer valuable training if needed, often from the manufacturers themselves. They’ll identify adjacent opportunities that could help grow your business or deepen the relationships you have with your customers. And they’ll leverage their industry expertise to help you spot trends that could impact your business and stay ahead of the competition.

Driving Customer Value

If you want to multiply the impact you have on your customers, look for a trusted, strategic partner who can help you provide even greater value to them. Together, you can go beyond merely providing a range of products by leveraging your collective expertise, empowering progress and supporting your customers’ safety goals.

To learn more about Wesco's approach to strategic partnership in safety, contact your Wesco representative or complete a contact form here.