According to DISC, the electrical distribution industry grew 4.2% last year. Sounds “good” in the sense that this would represent the historical midpoint of growth for the industry, however … consider the impact of data centers (we estimate it is […]
Lots of conversations regarding AI for distribution. Lots of application-specific initiatives, which is an approach. There are some more “comprehensive” systems, which is a different approach. What the right solution is is a company-specific conversation based upon goals, however, the […]
Channel friction inevitably occurs when money is involved. While the flow of money is always good, administering and reporting on it is where the friction comes about. This gets to the issue of “is the information accurate.” Achieving accuracy requires […]
An unfortunate trend within the electrical distribution market is that gross margins either stay flat or the have been eroded. Reasons range from chasing business to “it’s what the market bears.” From selling more commodities or a change in business […]
Customer service is one of the services that differentiate distributors. In fact, it is the most critical one as it is the essence of what is delivered to customers … and delivered by your people. Your branch managers are at […]
In the electrical distribution industry, we often talk about “backside dollars”, or rebates, as a necessary part of the business. But are they a strategic asset or just a “tax” on doing business? Last year we (Channel Marketing Group) conducted […]
Earlier this month, Hammond Power Solutions shared a press release that reinforced the need for distributors to heed the advice offered from pricing expert Scott Sinning to build strong pricing system methodology to allow for ongoing price changes. As Scott […]
Mary Derrick (Schneider Electric), Danna Stone (Graybar), Brian DiBella (Legrand), Larry Stern (Standard Electric Supply), Tessa Myers (Rockwell), George Vorwick (United Electric Supply), Martina Schubert (Van Meter) … are all key business people in the industry. We’ll respected by senior […]
Distributors, one thing is certain this year, in a year of uncertainty. Your margins are under attack! The complexity of tariffs ensures that there will be lost margin as well as lost opportunity to improve margin. Yes, a bold statement, […]
If you know Mark McGready you know he can be “provocative.” When he wrote the below article on AI, I asked for a title. He shared “AI is like sex in High School. Most people are talking about it. A […]
David Gordon
Channel Marketing Group
919-488-8635
