When it comes to making the executive decision on a capital investment, what helps you make that decision? Is it a particular manufacture? Is it the bottom dollar? Is it based off of value?
All too often when making a decision about a large purchase I often hear “The others are cheaper!” or I hear “We didn’t plan to spend that much money!” Some are “We can wait another few years” or “I can’t justify that kind of money right now.”
When I hear those comments or when I find myself speaking the same type of comments, I always break down the equipment function and cost, and what sets it a part from other types of equipment. I look for cheaper equipment and the history of the manufacturers and distributors of each and that typically leads into the value of the piece of equipment in question. The equipment price may be higher than expected, but “What’s the value after the purchase?”, is my quest to answer just that.
The support after the sale is very important to me and my organization. Usually when we purchase a large piece of equipment we will need it for years, and reliability of the equipment is a must in my job. I will express how important the support after the sale is, not only to job duties, but the team I manage, the person operating the piece of equipment, that all are factors when making a decision to buy equipment.
To me, the support after any sale means more than the bottom dollar. However, if there is no value in the equipment, chances are the distributor I purchase it from won’t be 100% behind it anyways. But once that equipment is delivered, trained and put into operation, that’s where the true justification begins! When I can confidently contact the distributor with a question, a concern or a service call, and I receive the follow up call or visit within a realistic time frame, that is all the justification I need.
Sincerely,
A long time customer of A&H Equipment (Bradford County, PA)
E.J. Weber, Territory Manager
“Solutions You Trust Since 1963”