We’re all familiar with the phrase from the New York Lottery commercials of the 1980s, “You’ve got to be in it to win it.” Well, this goes equally well for RangeMe subscribers; those that are active on the platform and very responsive to buyer messages and requests are the ones who end up seeing retail wins. 

And for two RangeMe subscribers in particular, this responsiveness resulted in 7-figure deals with KMS Wholesale. Headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, KMS has spent nearly 50 years providing general merchandise to a vast network of independent and regional retailers across the United States.

To maintain its competitive edge, the wholesaler  actively sourced hard goods, electronics, appliances, kitchenware and health and beauty products, passing significant cost savings to their customers.

I met Juan Aguirre, Senior Buyer at KMS, in Chicago last week where he was participating in ECRM’s Hair Care; Household Cleaning, Paper & Disposable Food Storage; and Pet Sessions. And while KMS has long been a staple at in-person ECRM sessions (Juan has participated in more than 70 since 2022), the addition of RangeMe to its sourcing toolkit has yielded massive results.

“RangeMe has been a huge success for us,” says Aguirre. “In the last six to eight months to be exact, I’ve probably closed healthy seven-figure deals with two key vendors that we work with now.”

How KMS Wholesale Buyers Navigate RangeMe

Aguirre’s process on RangeMe is very intentional and search-driven. Rather than waiting for opportunities to come to him, he is on the platform every week and actively searches for key products within the categories they serve.

When asked what specifically caught his eye about the brands that landed these 7-figure deals, Aguirre was blunt: it starts with the visuals. “It was images that they had, to be honest with you,” Aguirre says. “I started searching for specific key items on the digital platform, and when I found the key images, I started clicking onto those products, learning more from the profiles, such as their background, their history, what they do and so forth.”

Beyond the strong profile content, responsiveness was the “make or break” factor that contributed to the two large deals. Aguirre notes that the successful vendors engaged in email conversations almost immediately – often within a day or two of his initial outreach on the platform.

The Hybrid Model: Bridging RangeMe and ECRM

While RangeMe provides the scale for discovery, Aguirre believes it’s the in-person nature of ECRM sessions that solidifies a long-term partnership with a brand. 

“I personally love working in person because of that in-person handshake,” says Aguirre. “You build that bridge and you make it more into a personal level and that’s helped me find super success. Once you start getting to that personal level, you start noticing that there’s more opportunity sometimes than just what you’re being shown.”

He also notes that using RangeMe to evaluate a brand’s full catalog before or after a meeting, can help buyers maximize their time and opportunities for product discovery, as there is only so much a brand can cover during a 10- or 20-minute meeting. 

Aguirre’s Advice for Emerging Brands on RangeMe

To find success with buyers on RangeMe, Aguirre suggests that brands must move beyond a “set it and forget it” mentality. His advice: 

  1. Stay Active: “Always be super active, engaged. Don’t be afraid to reach out to buyers,” he says. “Start challenging yourself to find some new business partners.”
  2. Monitor Regularly: Aguirre visits the platform at least once a week to ensure he doesn’t lose momentum on new trends. Brands should be checking messages just as frequently to ensure they don’t miss out on a potential high-value inquiry.
  3. Leverage Your Portfolio: Use your RangeMe profile as a digital showroom. Even if a buyer meets you in person, your profile allows them to evaluate your best sellers and your full assortment of 50+ products in a way a 10-minute meeting cannot.

For brands ready to scale, the message is clear: a professional digital presence paired with relentless activity is the fastest path to a seven-figure deal.

To learn more about KMS Wholesale, visit kmswholesale.com or connect with Juan Aguirre on LinkedIn. You can also meet with him in-person at these upcoming ECRM Sessions:

Key Takeaways for Brands

  • Success Metric: KMS Wholesale recently closed seven-figure deals with two suppliers discovered exclusively on RangeMe within an eight-month window.
  • Buyer Priorities: High-quality product imagery and rapid response times (within 24–48 hours) are the primary drivers for initial buyer engagement.
  • Sourcing Strategy: Senior Buyer Juan Aguirre uses RangeMe for targeted digital searches and ECRM Sessions for deepening personal business relationships.
  • Target Categories: KMS Wholesale is actively sourcing hard goods, electronics, appliances, kitchenware, and health and beauty products.
Watch my full interview with KMS Wholesale’s Juan Aguirre

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