The Distributor with a Dealer
Mentality
By Jamie Hamilton
Looking for a distributor that
understands dealers’ needs? Call CBEO—not only are they family owned
and operated, but they have dealer roots.
Some 16 ½ years ago CBEO was a retail
dealer, but when the business concept changed the company went
wholesale. Its knowledge of the dealer market and a long history in
the industry offers dealers an experienced alternative for office
machines that will meet customers’ needs while focusing on a high
profit return.
“Our specialty is finding products
that dealers can make money on—meaning a machine that has been
discontinued or closed-out,” says CBEO co-founder Elaine
Wiener. “We will purchase from the
manufacturer an entire model number. We offer something that
wouldn’t be found in a superstore and will give a competitive edge
to our dealers.”
CBEO Products
CBEO offers new and refurbished
copiers, printers, fax machines, shredders and writing boards from
every area of the market. Brands include but are not limited to HP,
Canon, Panafax, Sharp, Xerox and Copystar. They also provide toner
solutions, both OEM and aftermarket cartridges, to complete your
office machine order at this one-stop shop.
With a niche market to profit
dealers, CBEO customizes each order to meet customer standards.
Small dealers will find their expertise refreshingly lucrative,
because they can match a customer’s needs to a machine that
guarantees a profit or find a specific machine that a customer
requests.
“We cater to the smaller type of
dealer,” Wiener explains. “A dealer can call us up and say he has a
customer that needs to have a scanning, printing, and copying at
45ppm machine, and we can marry them to a machine that can give them
that at a good profit margin.”
“They can tell us the machine
features or the specific machine, and we will find out what the best
profit margin will be for them,” she adds. “Our specialty is really
finding a niche where our dealers can make money.”
CBEO’s knowledgeable staff can
provide the most up-to-date information on each order, as well as
what the industry can offer dealers to meet customers’ needs. But
not only are CBEO employees experienced in the industry—they are
ready to provide each customer with equipment solutions personally.
There’s no voice message system for
calls coming in to CBEO—friendly customer service representatives
are standing by to take orders. They are also equipped to “hold your
hand” through any technical assistance needed with their machines or
toners.
There is no minimum order at CBEO, and those made before 6 p.m. EST
go out the same day (Friday orders have a 4 p.m. EST same-day
deadline). And CBEO offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee on all
their products.
QC Standards
Quality control is as important to
CBEO as it is to dealers. That’s why Wiener says employees
spot-check every refurbished machine order that comes into their
facility. They take out random selections of each pallet and put the
machines through rigorous testing.
Afterwards, they list any
imperfections in each machine so that customers will be informed
about their purchases. They give the machines different quality
grades according to appearance that will help dealers make decisions
regarding their order. And CBEO doesn’t sell machines that do not
perform to standard.
“We are very up front about quality,”
Wiener says. “We don’t really sell used machines, we sell
refurbished. But, if the front cover is a little yellowed or if
there is something missing, we list that for our customers. For
instance, we will give it a “C” as far as appearance or describe the
specific problem, or if it has all the manuals and cables that come
with it.
“We’re still under the idea that we
need to service our dealers, and you don’t service your dealer if
you’re just selling boxes,” she adds. “It’s easy to sell a box and
make a percentage, but it’s something else to service your customer.
What distinguishes us is the fact that we still care about the
dealer. Our philosophy is that you make customers, not sales.”
Dealer Mentality
Being up-front with dealers is
important to CBEO. Since it used to be a dealer, the staff knows
that sometimes small dealers need a little more technical assistance
or help in finding the right product at the right budget.
This dealer mentality is what sets
CBEO apart from the rest. They strive to provide services that will
not only impress customers, but create lasting relationships. They
will help customers through the process of finding the right machine
at the right price.
“We
come from the roots of being a dealer ourselves,” Wiener says.
“That’s why we felt that it was so important that we understood the
needs of dealers more so than other companies out there.
“In
other words, we understand the problems that people encounter. We
understand that people need technical support or some handholding.
That’s what we’ve learned to excel at, the hand-holding.”
Beyond customer service, CBEO simply
wants to do what’s right. Wiener’s staffers are up-front when in
comes to the quality of their machines and their business practices.
Their philosophy is to treat every customer with respect and
honesty.
“We would rather make less profit and
buy from somebody that we know is honest than take a chance knowing
that things may go the other way,” she says. “We want to make our
profit, treat everybody right, and be able to sleep at night.”
CBEO History
CBEO started out as a retail office
machine store. Marty Wiener, co-founder of the wholesale division in
1988, was the buyer for the stores. He became accustomed to buying
large quantities of various models to keep the store in stock.
At the time, the business was a
retail outlet for the Panasonic distributor in Long Island. The
Panasonic distributor approached Elaine and Marty about becoming the
ground level of an operation that would unite CBEO stores into a
franchise and provide co-op advertising for their product.
They had ads in the New York Times
and various area papers, and there was a following. But the
franchisees mishandled the financing, taking on high salaries and
other expenditures that made the business idea collapse.
“From that experience, we saw how we
didn’t want to run our business,” Elaine says. “That
bait-and-switch idea, and all of that, just made us sick. We just
wanted to do things up-front.”
Then the Wieners took things into
their own hands. Since Marty was used to buying in large quantities,
they decided to go into the wholesale market and sell to the other
stores that were franchised. The idea was an instant hit.
Their business didn’t stop with the
other stores; they began branching out in the dealer market around
New York. In the 16 1/2 years since its inception as a wholesaler in
1988, CBEO has become a national seller. The Wieners’ knowledge of
the dealer market and business tactics were a formula for success.
Future- Become a CBEO Dealer
Today CBEO—operating from a new
25,000-sq.-ft. facility, which the Wieners may have to expand—is
looking at future opportunities. Competition with the superstores
has developed a niche market for offering products comparable to the
features that new, more popular items offer but at a greatly reduced
price for the end-user—and a greatly increased profit margin for
dealers.
As sales increase, CBEO has come up
with a new market strategy. The Wieners are scoping out the New York
market for candidates to become CBEO dealers. Re-configuring a plan
to offer co-op advertising and sales quantity discounts, CBEO
dealers may eventually gain a national presence.
Contact:
CBEO 1-800-422-3632
by Jamie Hamilton— in
addition to writing business profiles in ENX, Jamie writes and
designs ads, brochures, catalogs, newsletters, and technical manuals
for companies in the imaging industry. She can be contacted at:
Tel/ Fax 502-896-1051 or e-mail her at:
jamiewriter@hotmail.com.
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