Golf is one of those games that unless you play the same course every time you need to read the course, understand the conditions, evaluate how you are playing and, sometimes (many times for me), you need to change the […]
It’s now about 30 days to the AD and IMARK national meetings. Graybar just held their national meeting. Manufacturers and distributors should be well underway in their individual planning. 2017 joint business planning is quickly upon us and, in continuing […]
Many may remember the Verizon commercials titled “Can you hear me now?” And while the spokesperson may have moved to Sprint and is focusing on price, the lighting industry may now be hearing Verizon calling. And electrical and lighting distributors […]
Yes, Amazon Business is a competitor to distributors. It is also an opportunity for manufacturers given that it represents an additional distribution channel to reach customers. Why? Because some customers desire to purchase through a different mode. Why are they […]
A continued growth area for distributors is energy efficiency. While new construction, almost by definition, will utilize “energy efficient” products, the renovation market is where there is continued growth potential. It requires companies to be aware of the benefits, their […]
Labor Day marks the unofficial end of summer as well as the unofficial beginning of the 2017 planning season in the electrical industry. While we know a number of manufacturers and distributors who have started to embark on their planning […]
2016 has been a challenging year for many industrially-oriented electrical distributors. Between the decline and ripple effects of oil and gas markets, the strength of the dollar constricting the OEM market, the agricultural equipment market stagnating and economic growth being […]
Following the completion of 2016 planning cycle, we heard a lot of frustration with the current Joint Business Planning (JBP) process. In response to this issue, Channel Marketing Group, in conjunction with Verde Associates, fielded a JBP survey to a […]
What do Crescent Electric and Walmart have in common? They both have recently made eCommerce acquisitions … and probably for the same reasons. And both, probably, have been frustrated with the pace of their eCommerce initiative. Consider this: Walmart just […]
Rebates are a fact of life and the first marketing group rebate negotiation, in 1968, was designed to capture incremental revenue (for a wire company) with the distributors collecting the funds for a social engagement. But the core issue was […]
David Gordon
Channel Marketing Group
919-488-8635
