Customer service is one of the services that differentiate distributors. In fact, it is the most critical one as it is the essence of what is delivered to customers … and delivered by your people. Your branch managers are at […]
In the electrical distribution industry, we often talk about “backside dollars”, or rebates, as a necessary part of the business. But are they a strategic asset or just a “tax” on doing business? Last year we (Channel Marketing Group) conducted […]
Earlier this month, Hammond Power Solutions shared a press release that reinforced the need for distributors to heed the advice offered from pricing expert Scott Sinning to build strong pricing system methodology to allow for ongoing price changes. As Scott […]
Mary Derrick (Schneider Electric), Danna Stone (Graybar), Brian DiBella (Legrand), Larry Stern (Standard Electric Supply), Tessa Myers (Rockwell), George Vorwick (United Electric Supply), Martina Schubert (Van Meter) … are all key business people in the industry. We’ll respected by senior […]
Distributors, one thing is certain this year, in a year of uncertainty. Your margins are under attack! The complexity of tariffs ensures that there will be lost margin as well as lost opportunity to improve margin. Yes, a bold statement, […]
If you know Mark McGready you know he can be “provocative.” When he wrote the below article on AI, I asked for a title. He shared “AI is like sex in High School. Most people are talking about it. A […]
Digital commerce, whether through your website, via eProcurement, direct connections (EDI or tools such as Remarcable, Kojo, and others), via apps, email to ERP, or other vehicles is increasing. Our recent State of eCommerce research, which gathered input from 350 […]
It appears the initial tariff volleys have ended and we’re in for trench warfare for the next 60-90 days while deals get negotiated. The Eastern front will remain volatile given neither party will whisper “uncle” given that China is launching […]
If we’re to believe, AI is going to solve all our problems! It’s going to manage the sales organization, handle quoting, respond to customer service calls, make product recommendations, manage inventory, recommend and adjust pricing, analyze the business, simplify marketing, […]
When tariffs were announced in February, we cautioned that the best strategy for distributors was to focus on their processes so that they could facilitate passing through the price increases. Part of our guidance was to automate implementation of price […]
