The markets up, the markets down. You listen to economists and you hear about recession and will the Fed raise rates or hold. Large technology firms are laying people off by the thousands but HVAC distributors and manufacturers cannot find people. Product supply chains have gotten better but then you hear of the sporadic issues. So, while the media and economic tea leaves … [Read more...] about 10 Ways to Thrive In 2023’s Recession
Distribution Strategy
Are Rebates Like Drugs?
Yes, I know the headline is provocative, however, the goal was to get your attention. The “drug” I’m talking about has been around for almost 60 years in the HVAC/R industry. It’s rebates. Rebates went “mainstream” for distributors in the 1960’s. In the electrical industry the first marketing group (then called a buying group) was formed. The genesis of that organization is … [Read more...] about Are Rebates Like Drugs?
Integrating Text for an Omni-Service Experience
Or I could have titled this “Replicating Your Customer’s Experience – Why Text Should Be Part of Your eCommerce Offering.” Earlier this year we conducted research on contractor decision drivers in working with distributors for a client. While admittedly it was light on electrical contractor responses, that was a function of their list, there is value in … [Read more...] about Integrating Text for an Omni-Service Experience
Learning to Fly. Why planning sessions fail
If 2021 has taught us nothing it has demonstrated that no matter how much planning a business may undertake it is impossible to account for the limitless number of unknowns all taking aim at destroying the best laid plans. Every sales plan is always at risk of market realities changing the assumptions. What made 2020 and 2021 so unique was the sheer size of the impact to the … [Read more...] about Learning to Fly. Why planning sessions fail
6 reasons you may not want to have a product/commerce enabled website
Instinctively everyone knows why companies have websites – to generate sales by sharing information. Given this, it then begs the question of why more electrical distributors do not have websites that have product content on them and why are not commerce-enabled. It’s two different questions. Consider, that, according to a recent CMG survey, 65% of contractors have … [Read more...] about 6 reasons you may not want to have a product/commerce enabled website
The Rep Conundrum: End-user Calls. Compensation?
Last week we were on a call with a manufacturer and the question arose of “are supply reps calling more on distributors or are they starting to call on end-users, contractors and engineers?” The question surprised us given our perception of the quality of the manufacturer but, it could also be that person’s perspective of reps or the reps in their territory. Part of our … [Read more...] about The Rep Conundrum: End-user Calls. Compensation?
What’s Your Sales Model of The Future?
As we transition from the pandemic many wonder about “the future of sales”, meaning, “what will the sales process (sales model) look like in the future” and, essentially, “what is the role of / for outside salespeople?” In reality, this question was asked pre-pandemic as management lamented that sales wasn’t being as productive as they desired. Companies are always seeking to … [Read more...] about What’s Your Sales Model of The Future?
