internet prices, but Mark and Richard believe that a majority of customers still like to handle the tools before they buy, and face-to-face service is often more likely to result in a satisfied customer. While the light and airy premises and friendly but businesslike and
knowledgeable staff I noticed at Taylors are a good start, continuing in business needs some way of measuring customer experience and getting to know customers and their needs better. Taylor’s primary customer base is trade, being a broad mixture of industrial, manufacturing, construction and automotive in nature. The recent move has meant a change in that the company is just more visible – in a good way. This is helping grow the active customer base tremendously and construction is the now the main growth sector in the business.
The foundation
of Taylors business model is customer service. They try to offer a very broad range of product ex-stock, nearly 20,000 lines. It endeavours to offer the options of good, better and best, thereby offering the right product for most needs and budgets.
To support the stock offering, the company relies on a number of suppliers that guarantee next day delivery on a genuinely huge range of products. As with many independents, Taylors embraces supplying what the customer wants and therefore focuses buying support to allow the placing of purchase orders same day for next day delivery. Lastly, Taylors tries to respond to ongoing customer need and want. Our stock
profile is flexible and responsive. We do listen to what our customers ask of us and wherever practical build these needs in to our stock profile. Flexibility is a very important part of delivering service that is genuinely relevant to the customer. As I always do, I asked Richard and Mark about the THS connection and what it has done to help the business. They both responded very positively, and I get the
feeling that they are good and pro-active members of THS – just the kind of members that THS wants in fact. For Taylors, THS has proved a stalwart ally in what have been challenging trading times. Additionally, THS has provided excellent support in the lead up to the recent move to the new and much larger premises. Prior to the move, but in preparation to setting out the new stall, THS played a vital part in helping Taylors to capitalize on old and new relationships with suppliers in order to maximize the potential of introductory stock deals, marketing support and the inevitable merchandising needs of a much larger self selection showroom. THS played the role of facilitator in this process and proved to be very supportive without being intrusive. Potential suppliers were asked to set out their stalls at Taylors in what Richard called a “speed dating” process. Apparently it led to a few “fascinating business days” at the new premises and it certainly helped to crystallize some purchasing decisions. Richard and Mark were keen to single out John Evans and Chris Thornton of THS for special thanks. Perhaps because of their place in Devon and the new premises, both Richard
and Mark are optimistic about the future of independent suppliers. Taylors seems to have cracked the conundrum of providing excellent and expert service on the right range of products. They also acknowledge that things don’t stand still. Continued success means constantly analyzing and changing to suit the market conditions. In Mark’s words, being in the tool trade is “not a single killing”, you rely on return trade that will return to you if you continue to meet the customers’ needs.
Richard Taylor and Mark Gosney with Anne Hall
telephone 01444 440188
ToolBUSINESS+HIRE 13
Reply No. 205
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