Home Channel News’ August 11th issue provided insight into the lamp market. With incandescents effectively being banned by 2014, the future appears to belong to CFLs and LEDs. But with LEDs “at $50 for a light bulb”, what is the […]
I was speaking with a distributor last week regarding the opportunity to speak to their salespeople, and probably suppliers, at their upcoming Field Marketing Summit. Their desired topic is “How marketing can help / The role of marketing“. Our conversation […]
Interesting article in this month’s TED magazine entitled “The Myths of Buying Foreign Off-Brands” (article is not online). Interesting for a couple of reasons: The article is in TED, an association publication that includes manufacturers as affiliate members. This is […]
Last week there was a little reported story that mentioned that Haier, a Chinese appliance company, and Blackstone, a private equity firm that the Chinese government made a 10% investment in last year, were considering/bidding for GE Appliances, which includes […]
For distributors who seek to position themselves as information providers and manufacturers who recognize that contractors and end-users are more frequently turning to websites for more comprehensive information, company websites are becoming more important and more robust. The challenge, unfortunately, […]
Monday’s WSJ had an article that discussed the relationship between productivty and recessions. According to the article, productivity during the six recessions since 1970 grew only 0.8%, on average, whereas this year it has estimated to have grown by 2.5%. […]
At one time or another most distributors have used this famous quote when dealing with the tax man. There is a companion statement/plea that also is used: “I don’t care what I paid for it, it is only worth “x”. […]
On the acquisition front that is.Growth can come from multiple ways, even in tough times. While a number of distributors are developing / implementing targeted strategies and some are opening new locations, others are taking advantage of competitor challenges.Given a […]
The competition for your data dollars is increasing. Thanks to our readers, we’ve recently received the latest communications from Trade Service and IDEA, and they appear to be divergent in style.The Trade Service communications appear to be positive and sales-oriented, […]
Received a copy of a letter from a distributor friend, that Trade Service sent to its electrical distribution customers. Interesting how a company begins to reveal itself when it needs to become competitive / visible again.Key points from the letter […]
