How to Help Dealers and Distributors Sell Your Building Products Faster

The building materials industry is a complex one. Ensuring your dealers and distributors keep your products top of mind can be difficult. Is there a secret sauce out there that can magically get your products sold and selected time and time again? (Spoiler alert: There isn’t.)

The good news is, getting back to basics can be the key to unlocking what your dealers and distributors really need in order to make sales. Building materials brands that are finding new ways to make it easy for dealers and distributors are the ones who are seeing the most success. JKBuild’s Jen Candlish talks about the top ways building materials brands can create effective sales enablement practices to help dealers and distributors move and sell their products more quickly.

What you’ll learn in this episode:

• How building materials brands can get more sales and remain top of mind among dealers and distributors
• How to position your building products to be easier to select and get sold
• How building materials brands can be a go-to resource for dealers and distributors
• What types of resources dealers and distributors can find useful

The ease factor: Where do your building products rank in ease and simplicity?

Going beyond the product level, ask yourselves, “How easy do I make it for my dealers and distributors to promote my products?” Being a brand that is easy to work with, has resources available on hand and has products that can deliver and answer a customer’s need can significantly contribute to successful sales. Here are some key questions to think about when figuring out where your building product ranks on the ease factor.

> Is your product readily available for in-person display?

Samples that distributors can put directly in customers’ hands give your product the edge. If they can see it, feel it and experience it, they’re more likely to have an easier time selling it. Many times, if your dealers and distributors can easily access the product, it can be a driving factor in moving your products forward.

> Do they have the resources to effectively talk about it?

Equip your dealers with clear, accessible product guides and sales tools so they can explain benefits and applications with confidence—and without hesitation.

> Does your product solve a specific customer issue?

A product that tackles a specific issue is an easier sell. Make sure your dealers can easily communicate how your product meets real customer needs with the resources and information to back up that promise.

Make your building materials brand easy to work with too.

One of the best ways to set your building products apart from the competition is to focus on creating a good relationship with your dealers and distributors. And a great first step is to give them the resources they need. Simply put, help them, help you.

> Build up your own brand

If a customer asks for your product by name, you’ve already made it easier for the distributor to sell. That’s what strong brand recognition does. It makes those customer conversations that much easier because they’re already coming to the table with something in mind.

“There’s nothing worse than being caught up in explaining how a product works, or the benefits it provides to the customer, and getting tripped up in that experience”. – Jen Candlish

Let’s be real—no one has time for complicated product messaging. If your product descriptions are hard to follow or understand, your distributors and dealers won’t bother pushing them. They need information that narrows in on the features and benefits that matter to your customers in language that’s easy to understand, straightforward and digestible. It’s important to also talk to your dealers and distributors to see what types of information and resources they need. And in terms of content, be sure to offer both digital and printed resources to ensure you’re meeting customers’ preferences. Again, it’s often the simple things that matter the most. 

“The last thing you want is for your dealers and distributors to turn their customers away to go do their own research. They also want to be the go-to resource for their customers – so let’s help them do that.” – Jen Candlish

> Have the right materials

Yes, you can share all of your product guides, brochures, QR codes, sell sheets, etc. – but which ones do your dealers and distributors use the most? Which resources do they really need in the moment? What types of content are their customers asking for? Simply having a conversation with your dealers and distributors can give you valuable insight into what your audience cares about, especially when it comes to their buying decision process.

“There’s a lot of power in conversations and actually asking your dealers and distributors what they want, what they need and what they’re actually going to use.” – Jen Candlish

Remember that physical samples are an extremely valuable tool for dealers and distributors to have at their disposal. For example, if your product is known for its durability, having access to real product samples can help customers get a sense of its density and strength.

In addition to this, when creating your building product resources, look at how you can expand your offering to dealers and distributors. In addition to product guides, you can also create promotional packages that include social post captions and images, email templates, blog posts and more. These external materials can help your dealers and distributors promote themselves and your products easier.

> Educate to empower

This tip is really around teaching dealers and distributors about more than your product. It’s about extending their learning into product categories as a whole. It’s about arming them with knowledge so they can be that go-to resource, even in product categories they may not be as familiar with. Let’s take smart home products, as an example. If you were a brand in this space, and knowing that this is a newer area to the industry, you could provide additional information on this product category as a whole. By educating your dealers and distributors in this space and the benefits overall, it can help them during their conversations with customers and lets them be seen as a trusted resource.

So yes, there are a lot of different approaches that building materials brands can take in this space when it comes to the sales enablement strategy. Loyalty programs, incentives and other relationship-building strategies are useful tactics for getting your building products selected and sold. But when it comes to finding longevity in success, it’s really about finding ways to make the sales process simple. Ultimately, the easier you can make their job, the better they’re able to sell your products – and the better results you’re going to see.

If you need help simplifying your marketing communications, creating effective sales enablement tools, or you’re looking to strengthen your dealer and distributor relationships – chat with us. We can help.