Larry,
My opinion is that we, as independent dealers, do not support the sales
efforts of internet sites. Not that some of them are not reputable,
knowledgeable dealers in their own right. Many are, i.e. ablecomm.
My latest dealer agreement with Panasonic specifically requires that we
install every system that we sell. This is obviously impossible for
internet dealers. They cannot provide the same level of service and
customization that I feel is necessary for local dealers to remain
competitive.
What have you missed, you ask? Well, for one thing, you miss a reasonable
markup on the equipment sales. You also miss sales for add-ons, upgrades,
and replacements, if the end user is relying on an internet source. Yes,
you can charge T&M for equipment failures, but realistically,given the
reliablity of Panasonic products, how much can that be?
And maybe most importantly, you are giving up the referral value of that
customer. Wouldn't you rather have them tell their friends what good
service you gave them, as opposed to what a good price they got over the
internet?
Let's face facts: Panasonic is not going to to get tough with internet
dealers, because their main customer is not the dealer, but the
distribution company. Panasonic is not going to risk their relationship
with Graybar, or Sprint/North Supply or Teledymanics because they happen to
be a little lax about who they sell to. Therefore it is incumbent upon
us, the genuine certified dealer, to hold the hard line.
I admit, it is tempting to just cave in and take the installation money
from a customer who seems determined to buy online. I have done it once,
and immediately regretted it. Having to refuse a internet customer's
requests for training and support, even though I pointed out that they had
already paid for support from their internet dealer, went against every
fibre of my customer service ethic.
I believe the opportunity exists for us value-added resellers to compete
effectively with internet resellers. Many a user has forgotten the initial
savings when faced with a business-threatening outage or failure when his
only recourse is a dot-com address.
I invite responsible opposing opinons - this is a large issue for us all.
Pat Thornton
TeleCom Services Co.
Ukiah, CA
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
*********************************************************
* To unsubscribe, e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] *
* The KXT-Digest Home Page: http://kxthelp.com/ *
*********************************************************
