Now that the first half of the year is complete, many management teams are reviewing their numbers and thinking “how does my performance compare?” and “what do I need to do to achieve my 2010 objectives?” Each quarter MDM and […]
Last Friday’s unemployment figures along with the number of people who went off unemployment benefits gives all of us an indication that we are in for a long recovery. Even retailers are having a hard time getting people to spend […]
Now that we’ve celebrated Independence Day and at the same time have seen the 2009 PAR report, we can safely conclude that Ben Franklin, one of our founding fathers, who is also known for his kite experiment, must have been […]
A topic that is near and dear to all distributors’ heart is their “unique” pricing to their customers, especially over the past 18 months. For some distributors it is the only way they know how to “market” their company. And […]
Distribution CapacityMany complain there is still too much distribution capacity in some markets, which means that businesses are continuing to use price as the determinate to get business. Some consider it taking market share. But is it really? Or are […]
As many know, lighting represents 25-30% of a distributor’s sales. Lighting is typically defined as lamps, ballast, and fixtures (and some people add in lighting controls). It is an important part of a distributor’s business albeit lighting projects are frequently low […]
The art of reaching new customers is a challenge for many distributors. Frequently I hear we know everyone in the market we’re doing business with everyone we want to we know who pays their bills they are not our type […]
When you see this ad, what do you think? Grainger and GE Lighting ran this ad in the March issue of Purchasing. Some things to ponder … What are you doing to reach your end-customer (the one who writes the check […]
In talking to distributors and manufacturers, business in the electrical industry remains tough with many “cautiously optimistic”. Challenges range from uncertainty created by the media continual harping on negativity (BP spill, North Korea, euro problems, Israel and the Gaza strip […]
Several months back we noted with interest that “Too Big to Fail Banks” were getting taxpayer cash infusions. Still they don’t loan money for all sorts of reasons. But in the W.S.J. article “U.S.Firms Build up Record Cash Piles” written […]
