Specialists help dealers sell more security hardware

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could use a little help.

hardware is many dealers

Don Bradford, owner of Fairway Supply, Dallas, Tx., decided to go about helping others. And this help has turned into the largest facet of his own building products business.

Story at a Glance

How one dealer began selling his expertise in security hardware sales and ended up with it the biggest part of his business . . . what the program does and why it works.

Bradford visualized adding a new division to his business to service other dealers, reorganizing and controlling their security products sections. To assist in shaping this idea, he contacted George Nelson, an I lyear veteran of Kwikset Locks. The idea took off. Nelson resigned from Kwikset to become Fairway Supply manager of sales and marketing, consumer products division.

In less than three years, the company has grown to service nearly 300 stores and is adding new customers every week. Customers are building products and hardware dealers throughout the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex. This area is now extending to Houston.

The program begins with an initial visit to the new store to determine its strengths and requirements. "The biggest problem is usually in turns," says Nelson. "And normally the dealer is carrying only one line and is losing a lot of replacement business, especially in lock lines."

That's when we step in to get the merchandise turning. "We tear down their gondolas and put in our program," Nelson says. "We create our own displays, usually retaining only the manufacturers' header boards. We match the displays to the needs of the individual store. No two are alike."

Fairway then follows up by adding the store to its regular truck route. Drivers make weekly visits to check the retailer's inventory, keeping in mind the store's gross margins and minimum/maximum levels. They restock short items and clean up the racks. "Dealers don't even have to touch the merchandise. We like to say the only one in their store who touches the products is the cashier," says Nelson.

The firm ensures the dealer has the right amount of stock, so nothing is running out and nothing is backing up, for the maximum number of turns. They send each customer a monthly turns report, listing sales line by line, item by item.

Dealers are given the choice of every major manufacturer and lock line, all packaged for the consumer. And if something doesn't move, Fairway tries something new.

Special ads and a no-questionsasked guarantee help to complete their repertoire of services. Nelson explains, "We'll take back any opened packages. lf they take it back, we take it back. We eliminate an awful lot of problems that way."

And if dealers are running out of stock, there are two solutions: increasing the display area or increasing the number of service trips. Usually, though, dealers are using all the display area they can and Fairway will up the number of visits.

"lf their stock is not turning, they need us," says Nelson. "But we're not cheap. We're strictly selling service. They could buy it more inexpensively from co-ops. But we go in and tell them what they need and need to do." As a result, some dealers who get much of their stock from co-ops like Ace and Cotter & Co. leave the security products section to Fairway.

Bradford finds this no surprise. "l feel like the distributor nowadays who tries to stock everything is rapidly becoming a thing of the past," he says. "lf he offers less, he can do it better."