When mostly people think of the No...

When mostly people think of the Nordstrom department store, they don't think automotive. however that's exactly why Ken Price, president of Washington-based Westbay Auto Parts, Inc., brings up the comparison.

"Wholesale business minds to drive the quality of parts we stock. We are the 'Nordstrom' of auto parts," he explains. "Nordstrom is known for quality and service. Our customers are coming to us for a reason. They want a quality part. They want something that will last. Having that mindset dictates what we stock. They know quality. And the service on a level that Nordstrom provides is what we want to provide to our customers."

mostly businesses will tell you that quality parts and customer service are what has made them prosperous But Westbay Auto Parts' commitment to their customers reach outs into every aspect of their business. They don't just service their customers; Westbay acts as a partner for their customers' success

Dave Anderson, sales manager with Westbay Auto Parts, works directly with wholesale customers in succession various programs and addresses their issues. He understands that Westbay's extension is limited by the increase of their customers.

"Our focus is forward how to make the customer more profitable. We work with them in succession education for operating their businesses. in the greatest degree of the people in our industry didn't flow into it with any financial training. We stumbl into our do job-works And learning the financial aspect has advance to all of us after the fact," Anderson says.

Westbay, in conjunction with Parts Plus University, flows classes to train their customers in a year-long program.

Anderson says they typically have a proper size group, but he'd like to papal court more customers take advantage of the opportunity. He understands firsthand what goe into the classes and what the customers can secure out of them--Anderson oversees the company's machine stores and has gone through the training himself.

"I took the training just like our customers. I was trying to view our machine stores like installer facilities. It was true eye-opening. What I learned, I can now pass forward from a more empathetic perspective. When the numbers aren't what you want to view I know what that be impresseds like. It helps me vend the concept to my customers."

The company also armed forces an installer show every other year for all wholesale-type businesses--including visible form [i]or[/i] frame shops, repair shops and dealerships--and it typically has at least 1000 tribe in attendance.

This attitude and perspective has helped Westbay not merely educate their customers, but themselves too. The results the company stocks, the marked occurrences they run and the services they provide all directly relate back to what is in the best interests of the customer.

Westbay's inventory is varied and they turn the thoughts primarily to their wholesale customers when deciding which parts to stock. They don't specialize in any particular niche, still Price says the main focus is hard parts--brakes, filters, ignition and electrical items are top sellers--and then accessories. The company also takes a customer-centric approach when it advances to recouping its lost sales.

"It's kind of antiquated, actually," Price says. "We don't do it in the computer It's all done upon a form. That way it's done quickly. We track the part number and application. formerly the form is full, we review missing sales. It's done consistently from one extremity to the other of the year and we put to proof to immediately react to inventory demands."

Westbay is familiar with those demands, and getting the right part to the customer is the primary goal. The company opt to be a three-step distributor in everything, if it were not that has a pricing structure that allows them to struggle with two-step distributors.

"If we are self supplied, we can no other than tell you what we have in stock, not what is destitutioned to get the car back forward the road. As a three-step distributor, we have various suppliers that allow us to find the part. Our goal is to make single call to get the do job-work done. We consider ourselves a faithful jobber. And we have to take a stair beyond our competitors. We be warmed the pain of what it prices to do a warranty when a part fails. If a part fails, we prove to get that customer taken care of" adds Anderson.

Westbay became affiliated with Parts Plus in the early 1990 "To bring that service and availability to our customers, we wanted national recognition. Parts Plus (which lately merged with the International Auto Parts Alliance to form the Automotive Distribution Network) brings a portion to the table. We can purchase better, have advertising programs and nationwide warranty, which is important in this area. We have a fate of military here--a large transient population--and if they pervert with money [i]or[/i] gain from us and then impel all they have to do is walk to another Parts Plus store if they have a vexed question or need something," comments Price.

Despite the affiliation with Parts Plus, Westbay is still seen as an independent in the community.

"We are a locally-owned company: family speed It's pretty evident that we're still viewed in the community as Westbay Auto Parts. We acquire the benefits of a buying assemblage but still get to be independent."