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AD’s 2015 Electrical Division Meeting Update

David Gordon Posted On October 11, 2015

Earlier this month I attended the AD Electrical Supply Division (ESD) National Annual Meeting (NAM) held at the Gaylord Texan in Dallas. The theme was Together, We Win, a continuation of their recent branding strategy. The meeting attracted about 1,000 […]

Channel Strategies / Growth Strategies / More Insights / Productivity / Sales Channel

Sales Making Excuses?

David Gordon Posted On September 22, 2015

Your salespeople are great, right? After all, they are YOUR salespeople. When the economy is going great (you remember when!!), everyone hit their sales goals or achieved ever higher levels. When it muddles along and goals are not achieved, excuses […]

Contractors / Customer Segments / Distributors / Industrial Market / Industry News / Lighting / Lighting2 / Manufacturers / More Insights / Productivity

Patchwork Economy Resulting in Layoffs & Branch Closings

David Gordon Posted On September 14, 2015

Over the past few weeks Allen and I have spoken to a number of distributors and manufacturers and are receiving a range of input. During our discussions we gain a sense of what is occurring within markets. All of our […]

Customer Service / Logistics / More Insights / Productivity / Profitability / Technology

Extending Automated Inventory Management

David Gordon Posted On September 7, 2015

As we’ve talked to distributors over the summer a recurring theme has been the need to improve inventory management. Part of the reason is that the frequency of new products has increased, another issue is the stocking of LED products […]

Awards / Distributors / More Insights / Productivity / Technology

I.B.I.S. Inc. Named Top Microsoft U.S. Distribution Partner

David Gordon Posted On August 27, 2015

This press release announcing that Microsoft recognized I.B.I.S. as its US Distribution Partner of the Year came across our desk the other day and basically it’s interesting because I.B.I.S., Inc. was just one of the companies we featured in our Tech […]

Branding / eMarketing / Growth Strategies / Manufacturers / Marketing / More Insights / Sales Channel

Converting Emails Into Sales Through Thoughtful Communications

David Gordon Posted On August 24, 2015

Okay, electrical distributors and manufacturers are not known, surprisingly, as the best marketers on the planet. But we’re also not the worst. A number are migrating their marketing efforts from focusing on premiums, promotions and events to a broader array […]

Channel Strategies / Customer Service / eBusiness / Growth Strategies / Logistics / Manufacturers / More Insights / Productivity / Profitability / Purchasing / Supplier / Products / Technology

Benefits of VMI … More Than Inventory Management

David Gordon Posted On August 19, 2015

Last week we received a press release, which was published in multiple outlets, from Datalliance announcing that Legrand’s Wiremold line, Hoffman and ILSCO “are continuing to expand their Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) programs with a growing list of distributors and utilities […]

Advocacy / More Insights

ElectricalTrends Celebrates 8 Years

David Gordon Posted On August 19, 2015

Eight years ago we started ElectricalTrends with the idea of sharing ideas and observations regarding the electrical channel. Our concept was to extend our reach, hopefully create discussion and, in some instances, share an idea that may help your company. […]

Branding / Channel Strategies / Distributors / Lighting / Lighting2 / Marketing Groups / More Insights / People in the News

AD Gaining Momentum Heading into NAM

David Gordon Posted On August 11, 2015

Over the past couple of months we’ve noticed the advertising campaign that AD (Affiliated Distributors) has launched. We’ve seen online ads on a number of trade publication websites as well as MDM. Their new tagline “Together, We Win” infers a sense of community, […]

Industry News / More Insights / Pricing / Profitability / Purchasing / Supplier / Products

Commodities down across the board; Copper Leads

David Gordon Posted On August 6, 2015

How’s your business? Has deflation shown itself to you? Our unscientific poll on Electricaltrends.com indicates that some distribution businesses are up year to date and some are down. A little bit deeper dive, indicates that depending on where you are […]