A surefire way to generate growth, at least in specific product categories, is when there is a National Electrical Code (“Code”) change. The recent edition of NEMA’s electroindustry magazine highlighted a few states that will be affected by the Code […]
2016 has been a challenging year for many industrially-oriented electrical distributors. Between the decline and ripple effects of oil and gas markets, the strength of the dollar constricting the OEM market, the agricultural equipment market stagnating and economic growth being […]
If you are stymied with geographical growth and think that many of your customers are not buying all they can from you, the odds are stacked in your favor that they aren’t. Why? Because you don’t know. Unless you have […]
Earlier this week I was speaking with distributor and we were discussing sales effectiveness. Throughout his career he has been in sales roles, inclusive of sales management. One of the areas we discussed is the attributes of successful salespeople. He told […]
A February 3 article in the Wall Street Journal titled “Bright Future in Sales Millennials are Hesitant” shared results from a Harvard Business School U.S. Competitiveness Project that stated that technical sales and sales management jobs are among the hardest […]
Welcome to another installment of “Time to Plan” where we’re sharing industry indicators and potential planning questions. Indicators The housing market is showing signs of continued growth, albeit this is marketplace specific. It appears that the higher end of the […]
Usage of the fax machine began to peak in the late 1980s and continued into the early 2000s, with email becoming prevalent in 1993. Now, why mention this? Consider about 35+ years ago. Fax machines were not too prevalent. Contractors, […]
In today’s business environment, if you’re uncomfortable you’re probably in a stagnant mode, gross margins are decreasing, costs are rising, you have inefficiencies in your business, key associates are quietly looking for new opportunities, your competitors are quietly increasing their […]
We’re continuing to see a correlation between a distributor’s focus on selling LED lighting and their sales performance. Perhaps it creates an opportunity to get in front of a customer and eventually sell them additional products; perhaps it’s solely to […]
Today’s article in The Wall Street Journal entitled “‘Smart Homes’ Are a Hacking Risk” gave thought to a number of potential opportunities, and implications, for electrical distributors. The article focused on ‘smart homes’ and how we’re becoming a more interconnected, […]
