A recent article in Forbes posed this question, “What happens when you don’t build more power plants?” and we’ll add “and the future of the automotive industry is electric cars”. Combine the two, plus the fact that electricity usage is […]
With commodity pricing soaring, many manufacturers are pushing price increases down to distributors who are scrambling to enter the information into their systems to update costs and then pass them on to their customers where ever they can. Sometimes they […]
Historically distribution marketing has revolved around promotions and events (some with training). Other elements of marketing such as strategy development, customer and competitive research, satisfaction initiatives, direct marketing and brand development, to name a few, have been neglected. And in […]
Much has occurred over the past couple of months and many manufacturers and distributors have cut to the bone in an effort to preserve profitability. These cuts have focused on people, programs (in the case of manufacturers) and products (in […]
BtoB magazine recently had a list of leading b-to-b ad agencies. Over 125 agencies were listed and we thought manufacturers could benefit by knowing some of the company that others keep. Our industry’s end-user marketing initiatives have a tendency to […]
As we’ve mentioned, (article in EW) there are a number of niche applications that represent opportunity for distributors. With business slow, what better way to differentiate yourself than helping your contractors capture business (they need it) and to help end-users […]
As you know, if you file your taxes by tomorrow you may be eligible for a rebate check from the government (they call it a stimulus). But to let it stimulate your business, think about how you can make others’ […]
Lowes is getting more aggressive in pursuing the commercial market by taking a page from distribution … using counter days and pricing to drive traffice.Recently they sent a mass mailer to addresses within a specific diameter around their stores. They […]
Recently I was interviewed by an industry trade publication regarding trends in marketing coop and marketing development funds (MDF) and thought it might be helpful to share some evolving observations: Distributors, more than ever, are maximizing their coop usage, leaving […]
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, […]
