TED Magazine - February 2017

BUSINESS / FROM THE TOP
the customer select the right products.” The EPEC content on lighting was a major takeaway for Engel as well. He had worked for an electrician before joining Hite but had little expe- rience with lighting. He said, “I cer- tainly learned a lot in EPEC about Kelvin and the color index and how different color temperatures can affect a person’s mood. I’ve shared this information with customers at the counter. If the lighting is in a house, go with a lower Kelvin because it’s warmer and more comforting. If it’s in a factory, the customer needs a higher Kelvin because it’s brighter and more detail can be seen.” Engel recalled another occasion when EPEC provided the exact solu- tion he needed: “The customer, a veneer manufacturer, called looking for a communication device that would provide feedback—some sort of signal—when the machines were done. At that time, the company had a buzzer, but the environment was loud, and the sound of the buzzer could get lost. I suggested to go with a strobe and quoted three of them, and the company placed a purchase order. I had recently finished an EPEC assign- ment where I recommended the exact same strobe. EPEC offers practice that’s very similar to real-life cus- tomer situations.”
Practical, Hands-On Learning The practical application of EPEC concepts is one of the curriculum’s major strengths, as Dobson explained: “We all learn by doing. The nice thing about EPEC is that it’s more hands-on training than anything. The projects in EPEC force the students to go to the manufacturer catalog or website to find the solutions”—just like in the real world. Although he completed EPEC 18 years ago, Dobson still remembers one of the lessons he learned while looking for products in the paper catalogs that were used at that time. “Back then we were forced to look at
the keynotes and footnotes about the products at the bottom of the page,” he recalled. “I learned from a footnote that even though a certain disconnect box was rated 70A, it couldn’t be used with anything larger than a 30A GFI. I learned this while doing an EPEC assignment, and later I needed that exact information with a customer.” Because of his prior electrical work, Engel already knew quite a lot about electrical products. “EPEC was mostly a refresher in my case,” he explained. “When I give a product to a customer, I already know what he or she is going to do with it. But in this course, I learned the ‘EPEC triangle,’ and it helps me think through the entire process. If the customer wants to buy a receptacle, he or she might also need a box to put the receptacle in and wire and staples and straps and couplings to run back to the panel. Is the panel needed as well? I can suggest prod- ucts he or she hadn’t thought about. It’s a win for both Hite and the cus-
tomer. We gain sales that we might not have gotten otherwise, and the customer leaves with all the materials he or she needs to complete the job without making a second trip.” Dobson relied on this talent of Engel’s when a customer called him on his private cell phone at 10:00 p.m. one Saturday. “We have an emergency number, but the customer felt more comfortable calling me,” said Dob- son, who was scheduled for neck surgery the following week and wasn’t feeling 100%. “I called Shane and asked whether he could come in and give me a hand. He came in right away, and we met with the customer. Shane actually completed the order, and I was able to go back home. Working through the EPEC triangle, he found components and accessories that the customer hadn’t thought of. He went the extra mile to make sure the order was complete.” “I highly recommend EPEC, espe- cially for newcomers to electrical dis- tribution,” Engel said. “It’s a very good overview of all of the pieces that go into the industry: It gives them a boost and gets them up to speed.” Dobson couldn’t agree more or be any happier with his EPEC-educated team: His branch in Williamsport, Pa., has six salespeople and a driver. “Three of my people have completed EPEC Bronze, one completed EPEC Gold with a previous employer, and another has completed EPEC Light- ing,” Dobson said. In addition to product knowledge, which is what EPEC is all about, EPEC improves his employees’ confidence level. Dobson said, “We’re not guess- ing. We know the answers, and cus- tomers have more confidence in us when we have more confidence in ourselves.” ;
Niehaus, LEED GA, is the president
and founder of Communication by
Design ( communicationbydesign.net).
She can be reached at 314-644-4135 or
Jan@CommunicationByDesign.net.
EPEC students learn
about the color index
and how different color
temperatures can
affect a person’s mood.