Lately I’ve been thinking about “value”. Not necessarily from a financial / pricing / cost viewpoint but from a “what does your customer value THE MOST from you?” You may ask why I’m thinking about this? It relates to customer […]
The industry, as we know, is going through change. In many people’s opinion, the three biggest drivers of this change are: Increased competition, especially through alternative channels (non- full-line electrical distributors) Personnel, with much of it stemming from an aging […]
Customer expectations are changing how distributors are doing business. They expect more. Some of your competition offers more. And you need to offer more to retain customers and have a hope of capturing new ones. And the changes are much […]
Quality product data is the difference between an “adequate” website and one with “quality” data that is valued by customers. And “valued” is determined by increased traffic, increased sales, a better search experience and being easier to be found via […]
Customer satisfaction is a key element of a growth strategy as it helps support the retention of the business. And while everyone says they deliver quality customer service, measuring service performs and continuously seeking ways to improve can separate companies. […]
Much has been discussed about employee retention as well as recruitment. While some elements of both are truly in the hands of the employee / candidate and companies cannot impact, there is a key element that companies do control. it […]
In talking with senior management and HR managers of distributors, a continual challenge is personnel. While frequently these discussions relate to qualified (industry or skilled) personnel for sales, branch management and/or specialists, a frequent comment is the “churn” that they […]
General Motors (GM) historically has been known as a “staid” company and the prototypical “old boys” company. And its had its share of “challenges” ranging from uninspiring design to consumers feeling there was “built in obsolescence”; from being extremely difficult […]
Vendor Managed Inventory, VMI, a service of Datalliance, is touted by many as a tool to improve their inventory management, improve purchasing productivity, ensure quick access to new products and as a vehicle to improve the profitability of specific lines. […]
Last month Dick Friedman shared some ideas on how to ensure sales operations and customer satisfaction. Distributors know that operations is the key to profitability. This can relate to managing what sales is allowed to order to ensure they don’t inadvertently […]
