In a “down” market, are contractors loyal? And the definition of “down” depends upon where you are and what you compare against. Versus the “go-go” days of the past year? Yes, then many are down, or not having the same […]
Incentive travel programs can help accelerate sales, especially for contractor-oriented distributors, as well as share appreciation for a customer’s support. Why do these programs work? Because they provide contractor management another reason to consider a distributor when they have discretion […]
Recently I spoke with a manufacturer about the market and he commented that they are seeing a number of very large projects (he actually said “it seems like there are more with extra 0’s attached”) but seeing less overall projects. […]
The markets up, the markets down. You listen to economists and you hear about recession and will the Fed raise rates or hold. Large technology firms are laying people off by the thousands but electrical distributors and manufacturers cannot find […]
It’s tradeshow season. NECA. Electrical Association of Philadelphia’s Electric Expo. Distributor tradeshow. Lighting agency tradeshows. Being the first fall since COVID started and with everyone wanting more “customer engagement”, there seemingly are more tradeshows this year than ever. Which also […]
Over the past several weeks I’ve spoken to a number of distributors and manufacturers who have commented that they have seen a decline in the number of units that they are selling compared to last year, especially for stock items. […]
It’s planning season and we’re engaging long-term distributor clients; new and prospective ones and a recurring theme is occurring … they are commenting on the lack of co-op marketing funds. Unfortunately, this isn’t a surprise as it has been a […]
One of the historical “deliverables” of marketing is promotions. For many distributors, marketing was confined to three areas – events, premiums (those logoed “throwaways” / wearables) and promotions. Typically, all were funded, or at least co-funded, with manufacturer dollars. While […]
One of the challenges we hear from distributors is the need for sales and marketing tools from companies that understand distribution … and especially the electrical distribution channel … and that are affordable regardless of the size of the distributor. […]
As the electrical industry bounced back from Covid, one of the things that many realized is that this is a relationship business AND contractors love to see product. Distributor and rep agencies quickly re-engaged with contractors (and some never lost […]
