Channel Strategies Archives

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Drive for Data

David Gordon Posted On April 15, 2016

Over the past month or so Allen and I have had a number of calls for data. Some are from owners / senior management, some from marketing personnel and some from operational staff. The calls are from manufacturers and distributors. […]

Channel Strategies / Distributors / Lighting / Lighting2 / Manufacturers / More Insights

Differing Paths to Lighting Success

David Gordon Posted On April 11, 2016

Last week both Acuity and Cree shared calendar Q1 lighting success (defined as sales performance). So, let’s look at what they said and what it could mean. Acuity quarterly report (their Q2 fiscal year) Overall “outstanding results” Net sales increased […]

Channel Strategies / Distributors / eBusiness / More Insights / Productivity / Profitability / Technology

Ready for Growth?

David Gordon Posted On March 21, 2016

As you sit around your corporate boardroom and and make decisions that impact growth either via acquisition or generating incremental sales, many don’t give consideration to PRODUCTIVITY (in the back office). Why is that? Well, many assume, albeit incorrectly, that all the […]

Channel Strategies / Customer Segments / Distributors / Industrial Market / Industry News / Manufacturers / More Insights / Sales Channel

Houston Wire & Cable Earnings

David Gordon Posted On March 13, 2016

Last week Houston Wire & Cable held it’s Q4 / 2015 annual earnings call. As many in the industry know, Houston Wire and Cable, while categorized as a manufacturer, is, in reality, more of a master distributor given that they […]

Channel Strategies / Lighting / Lighting2 / More Insights / Supplier / Products / Technology

The Coming LiFi Opportunity?

David Gordon Posted On March 13, 2016

As we’ve seen over the past couple of months with the entry of Cisco into the lighting space and emergence of PoE, the lighting space is changing. By virtue of the technology is there a significant risk that a percentage […]

Associations / Channel Strategies / Distributors / Industrial Market / Marketing Groups / More Insights

Selected IMARK Distributors Enter National Accounts Arena

David Gordon Posted On March 8, 2016

Ever since Mayer Electric left AD and joined IMARK it has been rumored that IMARK, and its distributors, were going to enter into the national account arena and essentially compete with national chains as well as consortium such as SupplyForce […]

Branding / Channel Strategies / Customer Segments / Growth Strategies / Industrial Market / Industry News / Lighting / Lighting2 / Manufacturers / Marketing / More Insights / Sales Channel / Technology

Lighting Opportunities, Round-Up and Relevancy

David Gordon Posted On March 6, 2016

The lighting market continues to represent some of the greatest opportunities for distributors. At the recent NAED South-Central, every lighting manufacturer reported minimum 2015 sales increases of 20%. Goals for 2016 are the same, if not higher. The market is […]

Channel Strategies / Distributors / Growth Strategies / Lighting / Lighting2 / More Insights / Profitability / Sales Channel / Supplier / Products / Technology

Selling Lighting or Selling Data?

David Gordon Posted On February 16, 2016

Recently we touched on how the emergence of connected lighting is opening new opportunities for manufacturers and could for distributors. The reason for “could” is that the opportunity potentially can be much more than selling fixtures. It could explode into […]

Channel Strategies / Contractors / Customer Segments / Distributors / Industrial Market / Industry News / More Insights / Profitability

Increasing Pressure and Competition in the Industrial MRO Market

David Gordon Posted On February 14, 2016

Grainger and WESCO are typically good industry benchmarks to get a sense of the industrial MRO market. Grainger also sometimes provides insights into the institutional market, so let’s look at their end of year / quarterly reports where they also […]

Branding / Channel Strategies / Customer Segments / Customer Service / eBusiness / eMarketing / Growth Strategies / Industrial Market / Industry Consolidation / Industry News / Lighting / Lighting2 / Marketing / More Insights / Pricing / Productivity / Profitability / Purchasing / Sales Channel / Technology

16 Distribution Industry Trends for 2016

David Gordon Posted On January 27, 2016

Over the past month, Allen and I have discussed our observations regarding the industry and shared trends we see that we think will impact business for distributors and manufacturers in 2016. We’ve agreed upon 16 sales, marketing, profitability and operations opportunities that we’d […]