The results of ASA’s first Voice of the Contractor survey were released in early November, and one key question asked of more than 30,000 plumbing and mechanical and industrial/mechanical PVF contractors was what they feel are the most important factors when selecting a distributor to purchase products from.

Product availability/inventory levels was the top response, while pricing was second and inside sales service and support ranked third.

Farmington Consulting, which executed the survey for ASA, notes younger-aged contractors (less than 45 years old) feel inside sales service and support is the most important factor when selecting a distributor to purchase from.

5 More Key Findings From the Report

• On average, 38% of a contractor’s total purchases with wholesalers are made through call-in phone ordering, while 29% are made through walk-ins at the counter — or 57% of respondents rely on long-established phone/counter ordering methods.
• Younger-aged contractors (less than 45 years old), rank inside sales service and support as the most important factor when selecting a distributor to purchase from.
• Almost two-thirds of contractors do not have a formal succession plan for their business.
• Only 6 % of contractors that took the survey fall into the 20-34 age-range category.
• The average contractor is holding 30% more inventory now than they were prior to 2020.

How Do I Get A Copy of the Survey?The survey is available free of charge to all ASA member distributors that provided customer contact lists, otherwise it can be purchased by contacting Bri Baresel at bbaresel@asa.net.

All ASA member companies — wholesalers, master distributors, manufacturers and reps are eligible to receive the report.