More Insights Archives

Channel Strategies / Distributors / eBusiness / eMarketing / Growth Strategies / More Insights / Pricing / Profitability / Sales Channel

Using Price to Expand Your Business

David Gordon Posted On July 24, 2019

Competing on price is a “no no” for many distributors. Few want to say “the reason why people buy from me is price.” But, do all of your customers want to buy from you for your service, people or your […]

Contractors / eBusiness / eMarketing / Growth Strategies / More Insights / Pricing / Sales Channel

Home Depot to Offer Customized Pro Pricing

David Gordon Posted On July 22, 2019

Home Depot’s retiring CFO’s interview last night with Jim Cramer on CNBC shared a glimpse of why electrical distributors who serve small to mid-sized residential and commercial distributors should be concerned. And it’s all about pricing. The home improvement (perhaps […]

Channel Strategies / Distributors / eBusiness / eMarketing / Growth Strategies / Industry News / Manufacturers / Marketing / More Insights / Sales Channel / Technology

Is your supplier finding leads and business, online, for you?

David Gordon Posted On July 19, 2019

ABB recently launched a new initiative, eFinder, that enables visitors to its website to purchase material online. But they are not disintermediating the channel. Instead they are providing distributors with the opportunity to generate incremental business online. And at the […]

Branding / Marketing / More Insights / Reps

Synergy with Rep Marketing

David Gordon Posted On July 17, 2019

Rarely are the terms “manufacturer rep” and “marketing” referenced together. In reality, their is a synergy between the two. They both relate to communicating and demand creation. Historically manufacturer rep agencies have consisted of salespeople calling on distributors, “buyers” (contractors […]

Channel Strategies / Distributors / eBusiness / Growth Strategies / Industrial Market / Marketing / More Insights / Productivity / Profitability

Compete for Grainger’s Business: eProcurement

David Gordon Posted On July 12, 2019

Many industrially-oriented distributors lament that they can’t compete versus Grainger for MRO business at their accounts. They say “we now the ‘decision’ makers and can beat them on price but we can’t get the business. The same occurs with large […]

More Insights / People in the News

Dakota Supply Group Hires Rode

David Gordon Posted On July 12, 2019

Dakota Supply Group (DSG) has hired Mike Rode as its new Vice President of Sales for electrical products and services. This new leadership role ensures that DSG’s customers in the electrical business segment have a dedicated focus at the executive […]

Industry News / Lighting / Lighting2 / Manufacturers / More Insights / Pricing

Acuity reports their Q3. Market in flux?

David Gordon Posted On July 8, 2019

Last week we released our Q2 Pulse of Lighting report and Acuity, the following day, released their Q3 earnings (they are on a fiscal year). The commonality appears to be “a market in flux”. While Acuity claims share increase in […]

Lighting / Lighting2 / More Insights / Supplier / Products

Circadian Lighting Gets Extreme With A “No-Blue Lighting” Trend. Is There A Benefit?

David Gordon Posted On July 8, 2019

Competing to thrive requires staying on top top of the latest trends so that you can best advise customers. Lighting is fast moving and our resident advanced lighting expert, David Shiller, shares what’s going on with circadian lighting and “no-blue”. […]

Associations / Awards / More Insights / Training

NAED 2019 Women in Industry Conference – Energizing

David Gordon Posted On July 2, 2019

NAED just concluded one of its most successful conferences and, from social postings, perhaps the most energetic conference the association has been involved with. Jenny Christensen, Director of Marketing for Distributor Data Solutions (DDS) graciously shares her feedback on the […]

Channel Strategies / Distributors / Growth Strategies / Industry News / Lighting / Lighting2 / Manufacturers / More Insights / Research Reports

2019 Q2 Pulse of Lighting Results … Challenged Market?

David Gordon Posted On July 1, 2019

We now have insight into the Q2 health of the lighting market based upon feedback from over 200 electrical distributors, manufacturers and reps through our Pulse of Lighting survey. And it appears that an apt description may be “an interesting […]