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?
Industry Insights
HVAC and Electrical … Merging Manufacturers
The electrical and HVAC markets have many similarities, and some private equity companies may be noticing. The commonality, other than manufacturers being able to identify operational synergies, could also extend to some distributors and create opportunities for distributors. This commonality is that more and more contractors are becoming dual trade … electrical and … [Read more...] about HVAC and Electrical … Merging Manufacturers
What will the Rep of the Future look like?
NEMRA needs your help in understanding your needs to answer the question of “what will the rep of the future look like?” There are three key premises for preparing to prosper (some say “survive”) in the future: You need to always be learningCustomers, and business in general, always evolve, andStaying the same means you’re going backwards. All come together in Brandi … [Read more...] about What will the Rep of the Future look like?
Interviewing to Hire “The Right” Person
For many managers, the worst part of losing an employee is interviewing prospects. Where to find candidates and what to ask so can get \"the right person\", quickly. Conversely, if you\'re seeking a \"new\" opportunity, the idea of interviewing can be daunting ... what questions will be asked? As an industry we perpetually talk about “the people issue”. Either it’s … [Read more...] about Interviewing to Hire “The Right” Person
Grainger Q2 Sales Slow … Industrial Indicator?
Grainger frequently is a good bellwether for the industrial market given their MRO focus on Fortune 500 industrial accounts. Grainger\'s performance highlights that the industrial MRO rate of growth decelerated significantly. Q2 Report From their quarterly report and slide presentation: Started off saying “the demand environment has softened throughout the year.”They … [Read more...] about Grainger Q2 Sales Slow … Industrial Indicator?
Is your supplier finding leads and business, online, for you?
ABB recently launched a new initiative, eFinder, that enables visitors to its website to purchase material online. But they are not disintermediating the channel. Instead they are providing distributors with the opportunity to generate incremental business online. And at the same time they are generating leads. The eFinder tool enables distributors with a commerce-enabled … [Read more...] about Is your supplier finding leads and business, online, for you?
eCommerce in the Channel
During recent calls with distributors to get the pulse of the industry, one area we touched on is eCommerce and specifically the activity that they are seeing from their customers, the investments that they are making and how it is impacting their overall business. A few trends emerged: All “complained” that they wonder where the business is. They hear that Amazon … [Read more...] about eCommerce in the Channel
Home Depot Orange Coming to Your Customer
The color orange signifies joy, happiness and creativity, however, it is also representative of fire and, given that the color is between yellow and red on the color spectrum it is, from a business perspective, between caution (yellow) and “bad” (red). And it’s the color of Home Depot and many distributors may be seeing Home Depot trucks visiting their contractors in the … [Read more...] about Home Depot Orange Coming to Your Customer
Does it feel like we’re heading into a recession …
Or are we talking ourselves into a recession? Since the fall and the beginning of planning season there have been some economists who have been warning of a second half 2019 slowdown leading to a 2020 recession. Their prognostications were based upon some trends, the fact that we’ve been in a growth cycle for awhile and “are due”, the last year’s tariffs and the one that was … [Read more...] about Does it feel like we’re heading into a recession …
Slow Growth in Industrial MRO … Grainger Reports
The industrial MRO market appears to have slowed its rate of growth as evidenced by Grainger’s 2019 first quarter report. While Grainger is much more than electrical products, products commonly associated with the electrical industry (electrical, lighting, motors) represent 9% of sales with power and hand tools representing another 10% according to Grainger’s 2019 Fact Sheet, … [Read more...] about Slow Growth in Industrial MRO … Grainger Reports
