Topic: Consultative selling made simple. The systematic approach of Workplace Solutions reveals both revenue potential and the possibility of long-term customer relationships for our distribution partners.
Reading time: 3 minutes
Dr. Christian von Toll
Executive Vice President Global Key Account & Channel Management
I spend most of my time showing customers how partnering with Weidmüller benefits their business, for example, with systematic Workplace Solutions that give them valuable insights on how to decrease their Total Cost of Ownership (TCO). It’s what I’m passionate about and it’s one of the best parts of being responsible for Global Distribution and Global Key Accounts at Weidmüller.
The global distribution team and I go to great lengths to ensure our distributors understand the value of Weidmüller’s systematic portfolio. Developed specifically to make our customers' work easier. More efficient. Future-proof.
We provide valuable insights on the work processes and challenges of customers in a wide range of industries. Because we know that these insights together with our systematic approach help our distribution partners better satisfy the needs of their customers. To us this approach is what distinguishes a good partner.
This is a YouTube video. By clicking on this video, you agree to Google/YouTube's Privacy Policy & Terms of Use . You also agree to our Privacy Policy.
Being a supplier means offering a broad portfolio, ensuring availability and providing good prices and incentives. We do all this. And much more!
For us, being a partner means knowing each other and tackling challenges together. I always look forward to new challenges our partners present to us. For me, this is a sign of trust. And trust is the foundation on which all good partnerships are built.
The global distribution team shares their expertise on customer-focused consultation. This ensures our distribution partners stand out to their customers. We all benefit when we can help your sales teams better understand customers’ needs, provide them with coherent selling stories and the right solutions.
Our Workplace Solutions are an example of this. They help our distribution partners better fulfil the needs of panel builders.
This is a YouTube video. By clicking on this video, you agree to Google/YouTube's Privacy Policy & Terms of Use . You also agree to our Privacy Policy.
Understanding the customer. That is the key to success. All of us in sales know this. With Workplace Solutions Weidmüller has taken this concept to the next level. Our engineers, product managers and Connectivity Consulting team used their know-how and LEAN methods to identify the critical time-guzzlers along the entire value chain of panel building.
The results are Workplace Solutions for standardisation, automation and digitalisation, where each work step perfectly combines with the next. They significantly reduce errors and costs, save time and increase manufacturing efficiency by up to 80%.
I recommend the use of Workplace Solutions to our distribution partners because they reveal both revenue potential and the possibility of long-term customer relationships. As a partner, we equip you with the knowledge to identify this potential for individual customers and supply them with the right solutions to optimise their business. Our Connectivity Consulting experts will even join you on site to support your customer consultation. They can show you how something as small as a marker can have a big effect on efficiency in panel building.
This is a YouTube video. By clicking on this video, you agree to Google/YouTube's Privacy Policy & Terms of Use . You also agree to our Privacy Policy.
Of course, it is not about one individual marker. The printing and installation of a single marker only takes seconds. But a well-organised machinery panel has several hundred markers. Multiply that by the components, the cabling and the many changes that occur during planning or even installation. It all adds up in terms of time and costs!
So, what's the Workplace Solution? Very simple: 100% planning reliability through data consistency. Using software such as the Weidmüller Configurator or M-Print® PRO simplifies engineering processes. Plausibility checks and digital data continuity from start to finish prevent errors that cost panel builders time and money. Finally, a clearly marked panel and comprehensive documentation speed up commissioning and maintenance work.
With these smart digitalisation and automation solutions, panel builders are more efficient and productive than ever before. By using Workplace Solutions, some have been able to reduce their marking costs alone by up to 60%.
In my experience, the ability to demonstrate such massive time and money savings is a decisive advantage for our distribution partners. Especially for those who want to differentiate themselves in a highly competitive market. My recommendation: Become a valuable partner and ensure long-term customer relationships by offering your customers a solution to optimise their TCO and help them set the right course for the future. For those customers who already have digital workflows, the Workplace Solutions tool chest is a highly effective example of how to save time through standardisation.
This is a YouTube video. By clicking on this video, you agree to Google/YouTube's Privacy Policy & Terms of Use . You also agree to our Privacy Policy.
The Workplace Solutions tool chest is a simple solution that benefits an extremely wide customer base. Designed according to 5S and LEAN principles, all tools, whether frequently or rarely used, are sorted into functional groups, with foam recesses and labels that clearly mark their intended position. Thanks to these standardisations, the time required to find, remove, clean and inspect the tools is reduced by an average of 40 minutes per day. Compared to non-optimised workplaces, efficiency increases by 10%.
The tool chest is ideal for distributors who want to use Workplace Solutions to provide first-class consultation to their customers. Show your customers that you really understand them. Offer them simple and effective ways to make their work easier and their work processes more efficient.
This is a YouTube video. By clicking on this video, you agree to Google/YouTube's Privacy Policy & Terms of Use . You also agree to our Privacy Policy.
As the examples show, by considering the impact of each individual work step on the TCO the systematic approach of Workplace Solutions provides our distribution partners with many possibilities to increase their customers’ production efficiency.
From personal experience, I know that Workplace Solutions consulting yields the best results when you have a holistic understanding of the entire value chain. The greatest effects are achieved when considering the optimisation potential between the individual work steps. With this knowledge in mind, you can truly focus on what the customer is looking for and what his pain points are. By showing them that you understand their work processes and challenges, you stand out as a trusted partner.