When you choose to be a regular customer of an independent electrical wholesaler, a whole lot more than price comes into the equation.

Of course, that price has to be competitive, but if the dollars add up, then the other bits become increasingly important.

That warm glow, knowing you’re supporting another local business, is one thing, but the consistent friendly faces, expert product knowledge and the banter that comes with familiarity are other aspects that contribute to you paying yet another visit to your regular electrical wholesaler – or not.

One thing that really is a ‘rubber meets the road’ moment, though, is when you’re in a bit of a bind. Maybe there’s something unforeseen that you need urgent help with. Maybe it’s a difficult customer who’s shifted a deadline forward and has only just had the decency to tell you.

Whatever the situation, it’s these moments that really bring home the value of working with an independent electrical wholesaler. Those occasions when they don’t hesitate in going the distance, be that literally or metaphorically.

Distance? For electrical wholesalers, it’s part of the job!

For the team at Myelec, which has nine stores across Western Australia and works with a number of mines in the area, covering significant distances is part and parcel of the job – as is responding quickly in an emergency.

“We have customers all around the state,” says Brad Rzemek, General Manager.

“We service the North West and Pilbara regions, WA’s mining regions. So, if there’s a shutdown, they need parts pretty much straight away because these sites simply cannot shut down for long.”

Part of the Myelec offer for those customers is next-day delivery for orders received by 2pm, and when you’re dealing with sites in the remote WA mining regions, for example, there’s the small matter of 1500km to negotiate.

“For those national electrical wholesalers, they can’t move that quickly, and the customer could be waiting for a few days.”

Fellow WA-based Gemcell wholesaler MIW tells a similar story.

“A lot of our work is in the Pilbara area, the Kimberley or in the Goldfields and Kalgoorlie areas – anywhere between 600km and 1500km away,” explains Joe Settineri, Managing Director.

“Often, customers organise their own freight, so we need to get products to their freight company quickly. Other times we’ll organise that part to try to get what they need to them, when they need it.

“We’ve got our own utes and trucks for more local deliveries, and if there’s an emergency or a shutdown, we’ll fight to get everything there on time.

Putting the customer first

That dedication to going the distance for customers is an inherent value for every Gemcell wholesaler, even those whose regular client base is far more local.

For POPES Electrical & Data Supplies in Canberra, doing that bit extra is a key part of the offering for customers.

“Every branch has a dedicated delivery van, and they’re out every day delivering items to our contractors,” explains Daryl Read, Managing Director.

“Our managers all have vehicles they use to do ad-hoc runs too, if all the vans are out.

“We’ll always do whatever we can for a customer. For example, we’d ordered something in that a customer needed for the weekend, and by Friday morning it hadn’t arrived, so we drove up to Sydney that afternoon to pick up the gear and get it back here so the contractor had it for the weekend.

Electrical wholesalers go the extra mile

It’s not just about the physical distance, though. Brad says that on countless occasions, store managers have opened up on a weekend for contractors who’ve reached out because they need products urgently.

“We’ll open up for them, or if they need it delivered, we’ll deliver it. It’s all part of that value proposition.”

Going that extra mile can bring some unexpected benefits, too.

“We got a call late on a Friday afternoon from a customer in Lancelin, a holiday town about an hour and a half away. It was a long weekend, and the power in the local pub had gone out. One of our blokes drove up there with the parts – they were able to get everything fixed, and he headed back on Saturday. I think he was rewarded with a beer or two!”