Over the past couple of weeks a number of manufacturers and some distributors have shared second quarter performance updates. We’ve taken a look at many and will share pertinent, US-related information. First we’ll do distributors as AD, Graybar, Rexel, WESCO […]
Distributors have been seeking opportunities to generate, or increase, their service revenue. While traditionally a complementary service for industrially-oriented distributors, construction-oriented distributors are also seeing opportunities. Some distributors have defined revenue goals, others look at this opportunistically (or give the […]
The essence of “channel marketing” infers that members within a channel (manufacturer, rep and distributor) are working together to market products, services and applications to generate demand from customers. The term doesn’t infer whom funds the initiative but frequently there […]
In talking with senior management and HR managers of distributors, a continual challenge is personnel. While frequently these discussions relate to qualified (industry or skilled) personnel for sales, branch management and/or specialists, a frequent comment is the “churn” that they […]
General Motors (GM) historically has been known as a “staid” company and the prototypical “old boys” company. And its had its share of “challenges” ranging from uninspiring design to consumers feeling there was “built in obsolescence”; from being extremely difficult […]
Graybar becomes first major distributor to endorse the NEMRA POS / POT Minimum Reporting Standards and explicitly express report for rep initiative. Last year NEMRA and its NMG (NEMRA Manufacturer Group) took a leadership role in promoting POS / POT […]
Vendor Managed Inventory, VMI, a service of Datalliance, is touted by many as a tool to improve their inventory management, improve purchasing productivity, ensure quick access to new products and as a vehicle to improve the profitability of specific lines. […]
Last month Dick Friedman shared some ideas on how to ensure sales operations and customer satisfaction. Distributors know that operations is the key to profitability. This can relate to managing what sales is allowed to order to ensure they don’t inadvertently […]
Operations is the lifeblood of a distributor as it delivers upon sales’ commitment of getting material to the customer. And at the end of the day, distribution, and customer satisfaction, is about getting the right material to the customer when […]
2016 seems to have been the “year of pricing”. A number of distributors either discussed, or undertook, pricing initiatives this past year. In many instances it was a desire to reverse an industry trend … eroding margins. Others recognized that if […]
David Gordon
Channel Marketing Group
919-488-8635
