Types of Customers:
Electrical Contractors
• Installed lighting and electrical
systems for construction projects
• $17.9 B market with $ 465 M
WESCO’s sales in 1996
• Primary customer base for WESCO
• Bid and Quote business
• Contractors required quotes from
EES distributors
• Placed the order with the
distributor quoting the lowest
amount
• Possess project mentality and their
needs differ from project to project
Industrial Customers
• Ongoing need for EES products in
Maintenance, Repair and Operations
• $ 1 B WESCO’s sales in 1996
• WESCO pursues customers in
industries like utility, manufactured
structures, pulp and paper, lumber,
petrochemical, mining and metals
etc.
• NA program was designed to serve
high potential industrial customers
• Require steady flow of EES products
and prefer long-term contracts
• Requires satisfactory service and
education about new products
CIG Customers
• Substantially smaller than the
other businesses
• $ 5.9 B market, WESCO’s sales
147 M in 1996
• Commercial customers: hotels
and motels.
• Institutional customers:
hospitals, universities
• These are relatively stable and
low potential customers
• Government was a source of
concentrated and very large
demand
• The one with the lowest bid gets
the order
Wesco: The Selling Story