"Throughout our business we try to differentiate ourselves by going the extra mile and providing an additional level of value," Barklow says. "This is just one example of how we're doing that every day."
Investing in value
"Reinvesting in the business is another of the ways we stand out," Brown adds. "That includes inventory, technology, vehicles, facilities and people.
"For example, we have a lot of unique tools on the shelves, tools that might be considered "D" items. They might only turn once or twice a year, but we want to have them when a customer comes in and asks. More than once we've turned that ability to provide something uncommon into a long-standing relationship because we were able to save a customer time and money.
"We invest deep and wide in inventory. That might not always be the most economical thing, but it's been justified by the results. Sooner or later somebody will come in and ask for one of the longer, larger diameter bits, for example, and we'll land a new customer."
Building the business is an ongoing thing throughout the organization as Brown reminds his staff to look for deeper penetration with existing customers and to never overlook an opportunity.
"When you walk on a jobsite, you have multiple levels of opportunity from the people digging in the gravel all the way through a high-rise to the people putting lightning protection on the roof," adds Barklow. "And we have a competitor trying to sell to everybody in between, too, but we have an abundance or products and an abundance of opportunities."
Not about price
"Sometimes we're perceived as being the most expensive," Brown continues. "But just because we have the most inventory, the most trucks and the most knowledgeable people doesn't mean we have the highest prices — value doesn't mean higher cost.
