With all of the changes going on in the market lately, I’ve been ruminating on what this means for our industry and specifically independent manufacturer reps. The market has changed, but I think some things, at their core, remain, or […]
Recently I interviewed three large contractors to find how their business had changed to better understand how distributors, manufacturers and reps might possibly better serve them. Two of the contractors were members of NECA, with the third being nonunion. My […]
The first 40 years of my electrical background was based on a premise that everyone in our industry made more profit through stock. I worked initially for a wire manufacturer who drove our philosophy to support those distributors who supported […]
The comedienne Joan Rivers often began her routine with the question, “Can we talk?” She would then begin discussing more common place occurrences in life as it affected her. (Take a look at this interview where she explains where the […]
Is the relationship between reps and distributors becoming more essential to our industry? I was interviewing an executive of a national electrical distributor recently, and he related to me his company now found partnering with a manufacturer’s representative more significant […]
I have interviewed various manufacturer representatives and how they assess their manufacturers and the state of manufacturer / rep relationships. Let me preface this by saying, all also shared that they have some manufacturers that they have great relationships with […]
It has been stated that certain events in US history can be cited as specifically changing our economic environment. Until a few years ago, every example was a war – Revolutionary, Civil, World War II, and Vietnam – until the […]
Twenty-five years ago, a CEO and President who had created one of the first electrical industry platforms told me manufacturer representatives should be compensated via monthly salaries rather than commissions as it was a more equitable system. What are Salespeople […]
Years ago, I was on a Manufacturer Rep Advisory Board when the President of this conglomerate proudly boasted that their products could now be as much as 11% of a distributor’s total purchases. and even greater, at selected industrial facilities […]
Moments after my last article was published on “throwing strikes in strategy,” I was discussing marketing plans with a distributor to comply with information we had received on their customer’s expectations, and where they might improve. We discussed various issues […]
