With manufacturers now investing heavily in point of sale products, it’s important to ask: “Does the manufacturer have my back?” Timeguard explains what truly effective point of sale material is.

Once upon a time, a wholesaler’s stock was a bit of a mystery, and everything was brought out from the hidden shelves behind the counter in a plain brown box.

Now manufacturers are fighting to win space on your walls and investing in interactive displays and colourful charts to promote their goods.

Giving them this valuable platform for promotion must work for you as well, of course.

Yes, displays can make your walls look prettier but if you also make sure the display is showing something new and innovative, they can prompt sales that might otherwise not have happened.

Selling new ideas and products with features can take a lot longer and counter staff time is expensive.

A wall display may prompt installers to look at a product or application they’ve not planned to pick up, or to think about trading up to a new specification or brand.

However, it can also place demands on your staff as installers look for more information, detailed specifications and reassurance. So, before you stock the latest ideas, and start promoting and displaying them, check that the manufacturer has your back all the way.

Do they have a catalogue you can use for reference? And a decent website with easily-found tech spec details? Are there instructions to download and videos to view? Many installers will have a tablet with them and can look stuff up on the spot if necessary.

Ideally, though, all the information will also be clearly on the product box with colour illustrations. Hand it to them to have a look at, and you can get on with serving the next customer while they decide.

For more information on Timeguard products and point of sale material, visit: www.timeguard.com