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 to sell to due to its purchasing philosophy to the ultimate disaster ... being the face of the automotive … [Read more...] about GM Leader Drives Cultural Change, Innovation and Results
Distribution Strategy
Innovation through Intellectual Curiosity
Much is talked about \"innovation\". It\'s a term that is loosely tossed around and requires a commitment, or perhaps a better term is \"mentality\", that is infused into individuals and a culture. It\'s a desire to \"excel\" and, perhaps more importantly, to bring idea generation to challenges and a willingness to \"do differently.\" To be \"innovative\" infers that a … [Read more...] about Innovation through Intellectual Curiosity
The Next Phase of Acquisitions?
At the NAED Annual meeting I asked distributors, manufacturers and others who typically hear about mergers / acquisitions what they were hearing. Not so much about specific companies but more in general ... were they hearing of activity. All said that \"the market\" was quiet and a few shared that the one of the marketing groups was being a little more \"proactive\" in trying … [Read more...] about The Next Phase of Acquisitions?
Arrival of the “Alt Channels”- Amazon and Zoro Advertise
Much has been researched, written and talked about the emergence of alternate (alt) channels. Amazon Business is regularly mentioned and Grainger\'s eCommerce initiatives are lauded. Now comes Zoro Tools, which many may recall Grainger purchased and has been promoting here in the U.S. Both companies have influenced eCommerce spend among electrical distributors but not many have … [Read more...] about Arrival of the “Alt Channels”- Amazon and Zoro Advertise
Thinking about the eCommerce information clutter
There continues to be much discussed in the industry regarding \"eCommerce\". Daily we hear about Amazon Business, Grainger and the coming \"conquering of the channel\" by eCommerce. It almost seems as if everyone expects that the zombies in the Walking Dead will take over the world (\"\"zombies\" being customers and hence everyone will buy online and there will be no / … [Read more...] about Thinking about the eCommerce information clutter
When Service and Profit Counts
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 decrease organizational margin on selected margins to making sure that pickers pick what they are supposed to and … [Read more...] about When Service and Profit Counts
Industrial Market Drivers, Can You Compete Differently
Over the past few weeks distributors and manufacturers are reporting an uptick in their industrial business and, in some cases, a significant increase. The reasons vary from \"general optimism\" to the increase in oil rigs; from replacing / upgrading aging equipment to responding to the need for increased capacity; from consolidation of operations requiring investment in a … [Read more...] about Industrial Market Drivers, Can You Compete Differently
