Over the years some distributors have failed to have a serious conversation with the manufacturers they represent about how POS data is used. Then there are some that asked: “If I share POS data, what are you going to do […]
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 […]
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 […]
Does the downturn leave you thinking you have to scale the Alps for a come back? Maybe and then maybe not! Change is in the air both at inventory levels and the way product is being sold. This is about […]
Over the last few weeks we have noticed some trends and reported that a number of companies are pro-actively seeking ways to help their customers save money and connect.Our focus is normally on hard good products, but recently we have […]
A little bit of a reading roundup before this weekend’s NAED Leadership Summit. Recently there has been array of news from 3M, GE, Home Depot, Rexel, Square D, Datalliance, CED and Hilti to get us going (or at least cause some […]
Given the dramatic decline in industry revenues over the past 18 months, many have wondered when consolidation will occur and are surprised that they haven’t seen more than a few. We agree, and from talking with a number of potential […]
Last week I visited an electrical distributor client to discuss customer service. Given the economic environment that has gripped the industry over the past 18 months, no one is surprised to hear that some companies have experienced customer service issues […]
If you are a distributor, and the business has been struggling, you might be thinking: Why should I hunker down and try to ride this economic downturn only to have to start all over trying to rebuild my wealth? I’ve […]
Maybe … especially if we (the industry, not your specific company) want profitability. You may remember SAP’s marketing theme of a couple of years ago that basically of “The best-run businesses run SAP”. With a multitude of electrical manufacturers turning […]
