If you are a distributor of floor cleaning machines, you don’t need another article telling you to “focus on value, not price.”

You’ve heard that line too many times.

What you actually want to know is this:

Why do price wars keep happening in our industry, even when everyone knows they’re destructive?
And more importantly—how do you protect your margins without burning relationships or losing market share?

I’m writing this from the manufacturer side, but I want to be very clear about one thing from the beginning:

I’m not here to talk about our products.
I’m here to talk about your reality—the uncomfortable, often unspoken parts of being a distributor in the floor scrubber and sweeper market.

Because after working with distributors across North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, I’ve learned one hard truth:

Price wars are rarely caused by “bad distributors.”
They are caused by weak channel structures.

Let’s talk about what actually works—and what doesn’t.

The Hidden Cost of Price Wars (That No One Likes to Admit)

On paper, price wars look simple.

Someone drops the price.
Others follow.
Volume goes up—for a while.

But in real life, here’s what I see happen again and again:

• Your gross margin shrinks faster than your sales grow
• Your sales team stops believing in pricing discipline
• End users begin to anchor on the lowest price, not the brand
• After-sales service gets compromised because no one can afford it
• The distributor who “won” the price war eventually exits the market anyway

I’ve had distributors tell me, very honestly:

“We sold more machines this year, but somehow made less money.”

If that sounds familiar, this article is for you.

Why Price Wars Are Especially Brutal in the Floor Cleaning Machine Industry

Price wars happen in many industries, but floor cleaning equipment has a few characteristics that make them worse:

1. Products look similar on the surface
   To an untrained buyer, one walk-behind scrubber looks like another.
2. End users compare prices before they compare lifecycle cost
   Especially in tenders and facility management contracts.
3. Multiple distributors often overlap in the same territory
   Without clear boundaries, competition turns internal very fast.
4. Manufacturers are tempted to chase volume
   And that’s where things start breaking.

When a manufacturer doesn’t actively protect the channel, distributors are forced to protect themselves—usually with price cuts.

And that’s when the race to the bottom begins.

Lesson #1: Clear Market Protection Rules Are Not “Nice to Have”

Let me be direct:

If a manufacturer cannot clearly define who sells where and to whom, they are silently encouraging price wars.

From a distributor’s perspective, nothing creates panic faster than uncertainty.

You start asking questions like:

• “Is another distributor quoting my customer?”
• “Will the factory support them instead of us?”
• “Should I lower my price now before someone else does?”

That mindset doesn’t come from greed.
It comes from lack of protection.

What actually works

In the most stable markets we’ve seen, distributors operate under:

• Clearly defined territories or account types
• Transparent rules about cross-region sales
• Written commitments—not verbal promises

This doesn’t eliminate competition.
It channels competition outward, toward winning end users—not fighting each other.

Lesson #2: Project Registration Is One of the Most Underrated Tools

I’ll be honest:
When distributors first hear about a project registration system, many are skeptical.

They think it’s bureaucracy.

But when implemented correctly, it becomes one of the strongest anti-price-war mechanisms in the industry.

Why project registration works

From your perspective as a distributor:

• You invest time educating the customer
• You do site visits, demos, technical discussions
• You build trust long before a purchase order exists

Without project registration, someone else can walk in at the last minute and undercut you by 5%.

That’s not competition. That’s exploitation.

A good system should:

• Be first-come, first-protected
• Have clear validity periods
• Be enforced by the manufacturer—not optional
• Apply to both direct sales and other distributors

When distributors know their effort is protected, they stop leading with price—and start leading with solutions.

Lesson #3: Distributor-Exclusive Pricing Is About Stability, Not Favoritism

This is a sensitive topic, so let me say this carefully.

Distributor-exclusive pricing does not mean every distributor gets a different secret deal.

It means pricing is aligned with:

• Market responsibility
• Service capability
• Inventory commitment
• Long-term cooperation

When everyone buys at wildly different prices without structure, rumors spread. Trust breaks down.

I’ve seen distributors leave strong brands simply because they believed others were being treated better—whether it was true or not.

What distributors actually want

Not the lowest price.
They want predictable margins.

They want to quote a project today without worrying that tomorrow’s factory promotion will destroy it.

Consistency builds confidence.
Confidence builds brand loyalty.

Lesson #4: Manufacturer Commitment to a Channel-First Strategy Changes Everything

This is where many manufacturers fail—and distributors pay the price.

If a manufacturer says “we support distributors” but also:

• Sells directly to end users
• Undercuts distributor pricing for volume
• Makes exceptions “just this once”

Then no policy will ever truly work.

From your side of the table, actions matter more than PDFs.

A channel-first manufacturer does three things consistently:

1. They don’t compete with their own distributors
2. They think long-term market health, not monthly shipments
3. They say no—even when a quick deal looks tempting

This kind of discipline is rare.
But when you find it, it’s worth more than a cheaper ex-works price.

Lesson #5: Transparent Communication Prevents More Conflicts Than Any Contract

Here’s something I’ve learned the hard way:

Most distributor conflicts don’t start with bad intentions.
They start with silence.

When distributors don’t know:

• Why pricing changed
• Why another distributor got approved
• Why a deal was lost

They fill the gaps with assumptions.

And assumptions destroy trust.

What transparency looks like in practice

• Regular market updates—not only sales pushes
• Clear explanations when policies are enforced
• Willingness to listen, not just announce

You don’t need perfection.
You need predictability and honesty.

The Real Question Distributors Should Be Asking

At some point, every distributor reaches a crossroads.

You ask yourself:

“Am I partnering with a manufacturer who helps me build a market—or one who just ships machines?”

This isn’t about emotion.
It’s about survival.

In a market where floor scrubbers and sweepers are becoming more competitive every year, your advantage is not just product—it’s structure.

Why This Matters More Than Ever Right Now

Margins are under pressure.
Customers are more informed.
Online comparisons are brutal.

If price is the only thing holding your business together, it won’t hold for long.

But distributors who work within clear rules, protected projects, and aligned pricing don’t just survive—they grow steadily.

They sleep better at night.
They invest more confidently.
They build real brands in their markets.

A Thought I’ll Leave You With

I won’t tell you to “contact us now.”

Instead, I’ll say this:

This is exactly why choosing the right floor cleaning machine manufacturer matters more than choosing the cheapest one.

The right partner doesn’t just help you sell machines.
They help you avoid the fights you shouldn’t have to fight.

And in an industry as competitive as ours, that might be the biggest advantage of all.