Out in CA, it’s difficult enough to justify NIB these days, but a good relationship can help.
I’m curious what distributors (out of state or in state) are doing to earn your continued pin business in 2019 and beyond?
(Topic ID: 243766)
My distributors all have incredible relationships with myself and my employees. They have made the high prices more bearable with the support they all offer. My Stern distributor is so good, he changed out the lower playfield window on my Munsters LE when I was out of town then play tested all our games at the brewery to be sure they were set up right. I can't say enough about these guys. I am very fortunate.
Smithville, MO
Quoted from cjmjmm2006:My Stern distributor is so good, he changed out the lower playfield window on my Munsters LE when I was out of town then play tested all our games at the brewery to be sure they were set up right.
Great to hear!
What happens post sale matters.
Quoted from Vino:I’m curious what distributors (out of state or in state) are doing to earn your continued pin business in 2019 and beyond?
Good customer service and local.
Quoted from chuckwurt:Good customer service and local.
Quoted from LTG:Best to shop for the distributor that gives you the best service and help
Agree, and the tax re-enforcement has certainly leveled playfield as well.
Curious how relationships with larger national distributors may or may not be impacted.
As a distributor, I truly believe it is how you handle things, before during and after the sale. I try to keep my customers informed, send messages after the sale to see if they are happy. Try to solve anything before even having to get a manufacturer involved.
Most of all, I treat my buyers the way that I want to be treated. With MAP pricing, you can get the same price anywhere, so its how you handle yourself. I cant tell you how many times I have had conversations with customers well after midnight. If I get an email and I see it right away, I answer right away. I have several times received replies that they didn't expect me to answer in the middle of the night. I then tell them that im up, and if they want, they are welcome to call me right then instead of having to wait for email replies. I have also met up with customers at 2am as they needed that to work with a get together they were having or that is when they would be driving trough.
COMMUNICATION is the best asset that I can offer since the pricing is out of my control
Troy
Quoted from Coz:You need to talk to zmeny . I hear “once you go Zach, you never go back......”
This. The guy is down to earth and will tell you exactly how he feels about a pin. He wont feed me a line just for a sale, if he doesn’t care for a pin he will tell me. I have ordered a pin from him 3pm and he gets it shipped that night. He also contacts manufacturers on my behalf for warranty issues.
Zach at Flip N Out Pinball is awesome!
Maple Ridge, BC
Service and warranty. I’ve bought several pins from tommy at nitro pinball and every small concern I’ve had has been immediately been taken care of. Can’t say enough good things about nitro pinball.
Quoted from extraballingtmc:I’ve bought several pins from tommy at nitro pinball and every small concern I’ve had has been immediately been taken care of. Can’t say enough good things about nitro pinball.
I can vouch for Tommy. He cares, even after the sale.
LTG : )
Quoted from mountaingamer:JJ is always good for a back rub
Well there you go, a distributor with a local touch. 
Quoted from Tilt:COMMUNICATION is the best asset that I can offer since the pricing is out of my control
Troy
You often hear stories about radio silence on a games status after an initial deposit.
Very true, thanks for the input.
My distributor is Hemispheres Amusements (Mark and Kurt). They are stellar guys and super responsive to me. I wouldn't give anyone else my business. They deliver, they are guys of their word. They love what they do. They treat customers with the most respect. I don't have anything negative to say about these guys. I would give them my business without thinking twice.
Story time about another distributor:
I tried testing the waters with another Chicago area distributor to spread the wealth among distributors. I drove about an hour to talk about a deal. The guy went on vacation and his employee couldn't make a deal. I wasn't warned of this despite reaching out prior to my trip. I tried making a deal over email and phone with the guy and I decided I needed to stop in for a face to face. I drove out to visit when he knew I was coming. I tried calling and texted him that I was at the shop and he told me I needed to wait around half a day for him to get some sleep. I wasted an hour one way drive to his store. He did not want my business for some reason. He then tried selling me a used machine (his personal machine) for NIB prices and didn't want to state that he would do anything other than a curb drop. He stopped responding to emails and I finally had to tell him I wouldn't sign the contract to purchase. So after driving 4 hours round trip total to try to give this guy my money, I had to call it quits.
I called Hemispheres right away and within a day I had a deal made at a better price with delivery and setup and a shaker motor. So, that's how Hemispheres keeps my business without me going anywhere else.
Quoted from nowakster:My distributor is Hemispheres Amusements (Mark and Kurt). They are stellar guys and super responsive to me. I wouldn't give anyone else my business. They deliver, they are guys of their word. They love what they do. They treat customers with the most respect. I don't have anything negative to say about these guys. I would give them my business without thinking twice.
Ditto. These guys are great! Total straight shooters and don’t feed you lines of bullshit. They are very easy to communicate with and if for some reason you don’t get a hold of them immediately they will get back to you very quickly. Every time! As far as I’m concerned, there are no other distros in my area that I would consider working with.
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