GE Supply

I recently had the pleasure of speaking with GE Supply Vice President of Marketing Jim Bracken. This was a very informative discussion with a leading distributor who is emerging as a major player in the voice/data field.

GE Supply has annual sales of $2.5 billion; while electrical products are its main source of business, voice/data and structured cabling products are its fastest growing segment. Our discussion centered around a very simple question, namely why should a contractor or large end user buy from GE Supply? The answers were clear and straightforward:

- Project Management Support and Productivity Gains. Their staff works with its customers before (surveying jobs sites), during (matching deliveries to the completion of certain tasks) and after (is the installation serving your needs?) the sale to ensure that the project is completed on-time and on-budget. This relationship-based approach tied to project management capabilities goes a long way towards building repeat business.

- Digital and e-commerce capabilities. Incredibly, 40% of their orders are now received electronically. They have invested significantly in technology, have deep links with manufacturers and allow customers to view purchase orders on a real-time basis.

- National Sales Center: GE provides national accounts with a single point-of-contact at its national sales center in Indianapolis. An in-house GE Supply person then manages all internal relationships, such as coordinating local deliveries with individual branches. The customer doesn’t have to worry about contacting GE Supply people in each city, which is a major productivity gain.

- GE Relationship: GE Supply is owned by the world’s largest industrial firm, which provides them with unmatched resources and expertise. Their strategy of relying upon GE’s electrical products, which are the leading brands in their respective categories, has served them well.

- Competitive Pricing: In today’s market, every distributor must offer competitive prices and GE Supply is no exception.

With the majority of their business being done through on-line and phone/fax orders, GE Supply nonetheless recognizes that direct, face-to-face contact with customers is critical, and perhaps even more important in today’s business climate. Towards that end the company has a large outside sales group that meets regularly with its accounts and holds a number of seminars at local branches.

Installers of structured cabling and voice/data products should consider calling GE Supply before you place your next order. They offer a broad range of telecommunications products, have a strong emphasis on service and a top-management commitment to the low-voltage sector.