Pro-Link, a jansan-focused marketing and buying group, has recently released the first edition of its BSC Resource Book, a guide of nearly 150 pages designed specifically for Pro-Link distributors. The book covers a variety of subjects related to the building service contractor (BSC) segment.
The book, nearly a year in the making, discusses such things as the size of the BSC market segment – they are the largest single market segment for jansan distributors – the expected growth of the BSC sector, their buying habits, purchasing concerns and the problems they face in their daily business operations.
“Our first goal was to present detailed information on the many business challenges facing a BSC,” said Mike Nelson, vice president of marketing for Pro-Link. “Our premise is that the better distributors know and understand this (BSC) market, the better they can address their needs.”
Along with a business overview, the BSC Resource Book also includes tools, ideas and training that Pro-Link distributors can use to better service contract cleaners. Some of the specifics included in the material include:
• Bidding forms and a new account start-up kit distributors can share with their BSC customers.
• Detailed product order pads to expedite product selection and re-ordering.
• A budget tracker designed to keep track of expenses on an account-by-account basis.
• A newsletter series called the “BSC Advisor” that provide articles addressing business issues that BSCs commonly face.
• Ten PowerPoint training presentations covering such cleaning tasks as floor scrubbing, restroom maintenance and carpet extraction.
• Information and preferred purchasing terms on software programs designed specifically to help BSCs run their businesses more efficiently and effectively.
“Understanding the business of being a BSC is one thing,” said Nelson. “But this understanding also builds trust. It helps the BSC and distributor become ‘partners,’ working to help the BSC meet their business and customer needs.”
It has been Nelson’s experience that this “partnership” is something BSCs want and that it can open new doors and business opportunities for both the BSC and distributor.
“We discuss in the BSC Resource Book how important value-added services are to BSCs,” he said. “It’s hard to become a business partner with a big-box store. BSCs know this, and this is why they value their business relationships – and partnerships – with their distributors.”
Pro-Link has made the contents of the BSC Resource Book available in hard copy, CD ROM and on their web site.
For more information, contact Mike Nelson, vice president of marketing at Pro-Link at
