I just finished reading a great article in The Electrical Distributor online called “ BOOSTING YOUR DISTRIBUTOR'S VALUE-ADDED PROPOSITION ”. As I started to read, I was attracted to a distributor comment which stated, “(Our) company knows that it may not always be able to compete on price, so it focuses on helping customers run their businesses better.” I liked the message, step away from pricing and instead work on providing the kinds of services customers value. The article went forward with a number of great examples of the non-product services provided by distributors in the electrical segment. Here’s the deal: Since Tom Reilly’s ground breaking book by the same title back in 1985, distributors have embraced the concept of Value-Added Selling. They have let their creative juices run wild with new and innovative ways to help customers. In the process they have further endeared their product offerings to customers throughout their territories. But we have a problem...