Thread: No more "Special Orders" for Triton or GMC at the BigB!..

Originally Posted by dai sensei

Just to add to the rumour saga. I was talking to a rep from Glenfords today and he told me GMC was going under . I asked on what basis he made his remark, and he told me from discussions with Makita, Dewalt and other reps.

Sounds like a classic case of FUD - Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt.

Which is what salespeople use when they have nothing true to say.

As you said, the source of the "information" makes it highly suspect. But I suppose the theory is that if enough people start thinking it might be true, it may well come true.

With due respect to my friend Dai Sensai. I do not think anything that Glenfords would say about GMC would register very high on my believability scale. The reason I say this is that I think Glenfords business plan which had excluded Ryobi a long time ago would not really have much faith in the GMC range of products because their target market is the tradesmen and serious hobby woodworker and handyman.

As business people they might be in a quandry because they have pitched their business model at the mid market, but a significant amount of tradespeople are finding the lower entry tools, especially those that are needed but only used every couple of weeks meet their needs adequately.

Also, the opposition brand reps would be the last to know officialy what GMC true position is, but the first to try to get some below belt points that might help their cause.

Like them or love them, GMC were one of the first tool suppliers, with higher quality, then the Dollar stores imiatation of a power tool. They have caused the price of the professional tools to drop by nearly half.

No wonder they other reps would try to score a few points if they coud hopefully add to the demise of a real potential threat.

I for one hope GMC live to fight another day, as I suspect losing the Bunnings account will cause some prob lems initially mainly because their business plan would include the expected sale of products to the Bunnings group and the loss may be causing some out of alignment with their incoming revenue but eventually that fact will be pencelled in and expenses matched to revenue.

Long live GMC.

Carbatec Perth have always carried a range of triton and triton spares. When I have needed spares they are allways happy to order it in no matter what. The problem is that GMC/Triton's ability to supply is so woeful(particularly for spares) that sometimes you totally forget what you have on order till carbatec ring u when the order arrives. Talk to the staff at Carbatec in Perth and you will be told that GMC's ability to supply and keep contact with a retailer that sells Triton is absoultley hopeless. If (as some people imply) GMC goes under thus draging Triton with it then there is no one to blame than GMC with their percieved inability to maintain supply and a realationship with the stockists of Triton. Just out of curiosity how many of the retaillers who sell Triton product have had a visit from a triton/gmc rep since gmc bought triton. Perhaps our esteemed formum member eagle can enlighten us as he claims to have an inside track with triton. One classic example is the release of new triton lines, it is not uncommon for the retailer to find out about new releases from customers(this from staff at carbatec)
Safe routering
SSGT

Originally Posted by ssgt

Carbatec Perth have always carried a range of triton and triton spares. When I have needed spares they are allways happy to order it in no matter what. The problem is that GMC/Triton's ability to supply is so woeful(particularly for spares) that sometimes you totally forget what you have on order till carbatec ring u when the order arrives. Talk to the staff at Carbatec in Perth and you will be told that GMC's ability to supply and keep contact with a retailer that sells Triton is absoultley hopeless. If (as some people imply) GMC goes under thus draging Triton with it then there is no one to blame than GMC with their percieved inability to maintain supply and a realationship with the stockists of Triton. Just out of curiosity how many of the retaillers who sell Triton product have had a visit from a triton/gmc rep since gmc bought triton. Perhaps our esteemed formum member eagle can enlighten us as he claims to have an inside track with triton. One classic example is the release of new triton lines, it is not uncommon for the retailer to find out about new releases from customers(this from staff at carbatec)
Safe routering
SSGT

our sales team calls on all stores THAT BUY FROM US every 4 - 6 weeks. Triton Preferred Dealers get a definate call every 4 weeks. Pretty standard stuff really.

We treat Triton and the retailer as an unbalanced playing field - if you arent supporting the Triton brand in store then we dont support the store - simple business really.

WE DONT CALL ON STORES THAT BUY A $50 PART ONCE A YEAR

Originally Posted by Eagle

WE DON'T CALL ON STORES THAT BUY A $50 PART ONCE A YEAR

No wonder the brand is in trouble.

Unless you service ALL your customers, reputation and sales WILL fall off.

Jeez, what an attitude!

Ray.

Originally Posted by rayintheuk

No wonder the brand is in trouble.

Unless you service ALL your customers, reputation and sales WILL fall off.

Jeez, what an attitude!

Ray.

Not especially wanting to get into this cat fight but the ex-marketer (retired) in me feels compelled to comment that whilst ensuring that all customers get the service that they pay for, servicing every little hardware store that turns over negligible sales per year is a sure-fire way to go broke, and in a hurry too!

Most corporates will structure a tiered way of dealing with their best customers . By customers in this context, we are talking about their dealers and agents. ie the the most productive ones will get brilliant service, including invitations to corporate boxes to see the Aussies beat the Poms in cricket and weekly merchandising services that restock and tidy up store displays. At the other extreme, small resellers will get a telemarketing call every now and then and brochures in the mail on request.

There is nothing cheap nor nasty in this approach. Cost-of-sales is a major factor in anyone's profitability. Targeted marketing is the name of the game, especially in the internet age.


(PS I have zilch affiliation with Triton nor GMC other than owning a few of their products alongside my Makita's, Ryobi's, and others.)

Originally Posted by rayintheuk

Jeez, what an attitude!
Ray.

You mean exactly the same attitude normal hardware stores demonstrate to general consumers (low volume) vs tradie customers (high volume)? :lol:

No one is going to go broke with this attitude because that's how everyone plays the game. Go to a small hardware store as a weekend renovator and see how much attention/info you get from sales staff and how quickly they'll put you on hold when a tradie walks in. At best it'll be the bare minimum which is why I just head to Bunnings these days. It's almost like the sale doesn't even matter from non-pro's in small hardware stores. The attitude always surprises me.

Originally Posted by montiee

You mean exactly the same attitude normal hardware stores demonstrate to general consumers (low volume) vs tradie customers (high volume)? :lol:

What I meant was that shouting (all upper case is accepted everywhere on the Internet as "shouting") about the sort of practice described as though it was something to be proud of is appalling, crass and arrogant. E-mail, telephone, mailshots don't exist over there? Clients aren't worth an e-mail?

Thinking more about it, I shouldn't have been surprised, really - management is dead, bullying has taken over.

You did ask.

Ray.

Originally Posted by Eagle

our sales team calls on all stores THAT BUY FROM US every 4 - 6 weeks. Triton Preferred Dealers get a definate call every 4 weeks. Pretty standard stuff really.

We treat Triton and the retailer as an unbalanced playing field - if you arent supporting the Triton brand in store then we dont support the store - simple business really.

WE DONT CALL ON STORES THAT BUY A $50 PART ONCE A YEAR

Why should any store support your brand when you don't seem interested in selling it to them? There are a million other company reps out there who do visit even small stores and believe me it makes a difference to both sides. No wonder people are predicting GMC's downfall.

If Lehmann Brothers can turn up its toes,why not?If the Yanks sneeze we catch a cold.

Eagle, I understand that you don't want an expensive sales force servicing low-volume customers, but that is why you need an effective eCommerce solution.

You must have seen complaint after complaint about how hard it is to obtain spare parts and other small items. Let these customers buy directly from you, over the internet, and you'll achieve the double-act of satisfying your customers while increasing your margins on these products.

Originally Posted by Ron Dunn

Eagle, I understand that you don't want an expensive sales force servicing low-volume customers, but that is why you need an effective eCommerce solution.

You must have seen complaint after complaint about how hard it is to obtain spare parts and other small items. Let these customers buy directly from you, over the internet, and you'll achieve the double-act of satisfying your customers while increasing your margins on these products.

Hear, Hear!!!

If people could effectively deal with Triton or GMC over the web for spares (or even just dealers/resellers), and parts were delivered effectively then it would be a lot easier to have confidence in buying orange and green tools over the coming months/years...

cheers,
Dave

Like many on this forum I have had good experiences with GMC and Triton tools. For example, I had a GMC cordless drill that lasted several years and, among other uses, was used extensively when I built our house recently. The SCMC I bought when I started building similarly gave good service. My Triton MK3 that I bought over 10 years ago has, until recently, been flawless for the hobby use I have.

But, in the last year or so I have needed parts. My SCMC dropped off the stand and I broke the guard. I ordered a replacement through Bunnings, and several months later was told that the part was unobtainable. Through this woodwok forum I thought I could get a part through a firm in Melbourne. The catch was I would have to go into the store to see exactly which model and part I needed. The thought of a $300 plus round trip ruled that out! Since I intend to keep my hands attached to my arms I wasn't prepared to use the saw, and it has now gone to the tip.

Similarly with the Triton. The table is showing its age. I inquired about a replacement, to be told no, one was not available, but now would be a good time to buy a new model.

Frankly, with that kind of experience I have vowed never to buy another GMC or Triton product. So, when my GMC drill died recently, I bought an Ozito. It's working brilliantly, and unless I use it non stop for a while I can't seem to drain the battery.

Sorry if this post is a bit long, but I suspect that there are an awful lot of other people like me so disgruntled that we will never buy GMC again. In response to some of the comments that if the romour of GMC's demise is repeated often enough it will go under, the truth is that if enough repeat business is lost the demand for products will dry up.

Joe

Originally Posted by rayintheuk

What I meant was that shouting (all upper case is accepted everywhere on the Internet as "shouting") about the sort of practice
.

Ray, I think you're a little harsh. It's true that ALLCAPS can signify shouting, but it's not necessarily so.

I think it reasonable to imagine Eagle speaking a little more forcefully, so as to emphasise the point.

People might wish to consider _underscoring_ instead.