It's a people thing

by Clair Urbain

Who do you buy from? Any stranger who walks onto your jobsite? Through the catalog? Or from trusted professionals who work for local companies and will be there if something goes wrong?

The heat generated from all the excitement over electronic commerce has cooled to a chill in the last six months. Many of the start-up companies heralding the new era of e-commerce are licking some very painful wounds as suppliers because users have not flocked to make purchases in cyberville. Many have joined forces for survival while others have gone out of business altogether.

Andy Ball, president of Webcor Builders, puts it best: “When the business-to-business e-commerce sites started springing up, they forgot how people do business. E-commerce couldn’t replace the relationships subcontractors have with distributors and suppliers who have helped them get the tools and supplies they needed quickly or help them solve a problem on the construction site.”

Most tools and supplies that contractors buy are “considered purchases”. The tool, hanger, fastener or other item must meet or exceed specifications and meet the demanding needs of contractors without breaking the bank. Because of complexity, cost or value, contractors tend to look first to local suppliers.

For example, the distributor that sends you this magazine (check out their ads on the back cover and in the center of the magazine, in most editions) has salespeople who have cut their teeth in construction. They can help you get out of tight predicaments with their knowledge and ability to deliver on demanding deadlines.

I’ll never say never when it comes to e-commerce. But until e-sellers can figure out a way to provide top-notch service with the tap of a few computer keys, people will still be the preferred sales and service resource.

Published in the March/April 2001 issue of Contractor Tools and Supplies magazine.

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