You don't want to skip over the purchasing department, he says, but data processing departments can be equally rich sources of clues for clients' needs. While many manufacturing firms have centralized purchasing, distributors say departments within these companies often prefer to handle their own orders. McMath has cultivated Advantage Graphics' clout in the manufacturing niche by developing relationships with several employees inside each of his clients' offices. He keeps track of these employees even if they change jobs or companies, which sometimes leads to new business. Distributors provide bar coded labels, tags, production documents and other items to ensure that each piece of a manufacturer's operations flow smoothly into the next.
Distributors perform a similar service by acting as intermediaries for manufacturers' personnel.
Gone are the days when distributors could maintain a manufacturer's business by simply providing quality forms, Bradburn says. They're just a necessary evil. What you need to do is connect with someone. Become an ally with the person who actually uses the products, such as a production manager. Most manufacturing plants have someone there who is pretty proud of what they're doing.