Dealers and integrators who thoughtfully choose their distributors gain services and benefits that support them as a sidekick supports a superhero.

With this month’s cover story on the importance of finding the right distributor to partner with, it brought to mind a personal experience I had with pet care. Having recently adopted a new dog from a shelter, my family and I had so many things to consider — not only the dog’s health, but also his behavior, eating habits and future boarding care. Behavior was a big issue, as anyone who has ever adopted a pet from a shelter might know. Pets can be very traumatized by the shelter experience and their anxiety manifests in destructive or harmful behavior. Our local animal hospital came to the rescue with advice, resources, products, training, and more. Having our vet and her staff on our side, along with all of the resources they offered, made us a more successful adopter.

Although this experience didn’t necessarily have a financial impact on my life, it clearly was a positive experience that reinforced my decision to use this particular pet care provider, instead of others. As SDM’s senior editor, Heather Klotz-Young, writes in this month’s cover story about how the right distributor can support your efforts for a positive outcome, “Every distributor has a slightly different focus and value proposition to consider. Just like every superhero has a tailor-made sidekick, dealers who thoughtfully choose their distributor(s) gain services and benefits that work best for them — creating a powerful relationship.”

In the article, “SideKick up Your Profits,” which begins on page 48, Klotz-Young goes on to say, “When capitalizing on all of the available benefits and support available from distributors, the job gets done, the end user is happy, lives and property are protected and, perhaps more importantly in today’s economy, money is saved.” Integrator Jim Fairbanks of SiteSecure, featured on this month’s cover, calls that relationship a “workforce multiplier.”

The article details the various resources distributors offer, and gives examples of how distributors have collaborated with integrators on specific jobs with value-added services, such as product programming, testing, kitting, labeling, and much more. I was impressed by what I read, and I give recognition to those distributors who have developed their services to meet the often-complex needs of the market.

If you are reading this in print, then you also received SDM’s annual Buyers Guide along with your June issue. In your search for a distributor who can be just the right sidekick to give you super-heroic results, use the Buyers Guide to identify both distributors and manufacturers that will support your efforts. As my pet care provider supported me during the adoption of my dog and made me feel like a superhero in the adoption process, with the right supplier partner at your side, you can get the same superhero result.

Coming Next Month

The July issue will feature SDM’s Top Systems Integrators Report, a report that ranks companies by their North American systems integration revenue. A lot has changed in the systems integration industry since 2012, including the separation of ADT from Tyco, as well as other acquisitions and mergers. Look for the updated report in print and online in July.

MORE ONLINE

Every issue of SDM now connects you with related content on our website, www.SDMmag.com. In some cases, the website content is a set of articles that relates to the article in print. Other times you will find links to multimedia content such as webinars, videos, podcasts and photo galleries. And in many cases, the content is exclusively published on the website — you won’t find it anywhere in the print edition.

For example, “How Apps Are Evolving,” is a feature article (page 61) that describes how not long ago, simply having an app available for a system was an intriguing add-on for homeowners. Now, as they become acclimated to having apps for everything, their expectations are rising. As manufacturers look to meet their demands, the next generation of apps is evolving to include greater access, increased functionality, and enhanced user experience. At the end of the article, the author cites three related articles with similar subject matter that can be found online at www.SDMmag.com

 We encourage SDM’s subscribers to make a habit of checking the More Online box found throughout each print edition. You can easily locate the box by looking for the blue-and-green circular arrow.  Another advantage of the More Online box is that those links will take you directly to the website pages when clicked on from the pages of our digital edition.