There are essentially three strategies to survive, and thrive, in a slowdown or recession (whichever term you prefer). They are: Take advantage of opportunities and “sell” your way through the economic challenge, hence positioning yourself for the inevitable upturn. This […]
Usually the weeks surrounding the holidays are quiet as everyone tries to catch up on paperwork while at the same time complete (or start) preparations for 2008. This year was different as 6 items of significance occurred. In no particular […]
Twas a few days before Christmas and all appeared to be quiet as the industry headed into the New Year. Not much business was to be had as contractors tried to keep warm. Industry warehouses are full, preparing for sales, […]
Had an interesting conversation with a distributor today. We were talking about arc flash and the ability of his sales organization to initiate arc flash discussions, and solutions, with his customers. While he felt that some of them could, his […]
With an eye towards a slow growth economy, recently we launched a three part series in Electrical Wholesaling entitled “Back to Basics”. The premise is that in a slow growth economy it is important to “tighten” the back of the […]
Over the past year, we’ve conducted a number of national and regional contractor surveys where we asked them “Why do you buy from the distributors you purchase from?”Selections included: Relationship with people Overall service Product Availability Price Location Company I […]
As promised, some feedback from the last day at the NAED Eastern, and observations about the conference. The final day consisted of the one-on-one meetings and the mad dash to the airport for many. Luckily customs was easy (no line!! […]
Busy couple of days here at the NAED Eastern, with more meetings today, but we wanted to share some thoughts and observations Attendance appears to be about 600 with 74 distributor companies registered The economic mood appears to be a […]
In mid-September we wrote about the possibility of contract manufacturers eventually reaching out and creating their own brands / going direct (read the post). Two announcements this week displayed their intent. HTC, a manufacturer of cell phones and other electronics […]
Much has been said about the need to accelerate the benefits of the IDW. One of the areas most needed is participation by small to medium sized manufacturers. Without them it is difficult for distributors to further drive costs out […]
