The market, or more specifically, the customer, always decides where "the bar" resides. If a business has gotten far enough along to become a distributor in our industry, they have likely been competent enough to get through the various requirements to form a legal business entity. If they should enter our industry with minimal knowledge of custom promotional products, which I did in 1993, they will either sink or swim in a fairly short amount of time. The customer will either order from the distributor based on their ability to meet their needs or look elsewhere for a better option. The incentive to learn is immediate, which is why I spent the better part of my first two years absorbing all the information I could regarding suppliers, promotional products of all kinds (with an emphasis on the ones most common within my target markets), the competition, factors affecting pricing, and the list goes on. And, yes, I relied heavily on suppliers to educate me on their company, their products and services, special pricing programs, their competitors, etc. Those suppliers that invested the time in me have reaped the rewards of my loyalty these past 26 years! Whether it's an internal customer service rep or an outside sales rep, suppliers must absolutely be willing to develop their distributor partners because we are their sales force! By the way Dave, the education can work the other way too. I can assure you that I have encountered a myriad of instances with supplier reps that didn't foresee issues with their own products, printing capabilities, competitive pricing, production timelines, shipping considerations and other scenarios that I brought to their attention, saving us both time and money. Believe me, there are plenty of inept people working for suppliers whether it is due to a lack of training or otherwise. Again, I set the bar because I am their customer. A multitude of suppliers have come and gone since 1993, some good and many not so good. It's the nature of the free market. Likewise, the number of distributors has greatly fluctuated and will continue to do so. As for me and my clients, I say bring it on! Andy wins!

Chad distributer vs virgin scalper.

Distributors are gateways to the manufacturer; as a Distri you sometimes need skills to work with suppliers

I 2000% agree with Cohen.

Dave is gatekeeping.