Gene Biben, formerly President and CEO of Biben Sales, joined Channel Marketing Group earlier this month. Gene’s avowed desire is to “give back” to the industry, to help people work together. He will help reps achieve their goals and manufacturers optimize their performance, and relationship, to and with manufacturer reps. He’ll additionally support Channel Marketing Group … [Read more...] about In This Together – Manufacturers & Reps
Profitability
7 Warehouse Tips to Improve Customer Satisfaction
Dick Friedman, a warehouse productivity improvement \"guru\" with much experience working with electrical distributors shares thoughts distributors should consider as there becomes the proverbial \"light at the end of the tunnel\" for COVID (due to pending vaccines), fierce competition and the potential for a resurgent market. Acting now can prepare distributors to support … [Read more...] about 7 Warehouse Tips to Improve Customer Satisfaction
POS is About Getting Paid for Effort
In an industry awash with data, the issue of POS (point of sale) information being shared to ensure independent manufacturer representatives are compensated for their efforts continues to be an issue. And with COVID significantly impacting industry revenues for many, distributors who do not properly report sales through regional / central distribution centers and manufacturers … [Read more...] about POS is About Getting Paid for Effort
Pricing in a Pandemic
Everyone is an expert in pricing. It’s either too high or too low based upon your role. Salespeople like it low. Management wants it high. The customer wants it “right” which, usually means “competitive” or “It’s reasonable for the value I am receiving.” And the term “value” is intriguing as it infers that You understand the value that you bringYou understand the value … [Read more...] about Pricing in a Pandemic
Warehouse and Purchasing Considerations as Distributors Comeback
As business begins to improve and distributors reopen counters and bring back some staff, questions arise regard purchasing, staffing, warehouse management and \"operations\" in general. While business for many is operating at a reduced level, the acceleration of business can create disruption ... especially after a significant slowdown over 45-60 days. Dick Friedman, an … [Read more...] about Warehouse and Purchasing Considerations as Distributors Comeback
POS Integral to Rep Commission Model
Throughout the fall Channel Marketing Group surveyed NEMRA reps and also interviewed dozens of them on behalf of NEMRA for the upcoming Rep of the Future report, which will be unveiled at the upcoming NEMRA meeting. While the objective of the research was to identify the traits needed for the rep of 2025, we also gained deeper insights into the financial model of … [Read more...] about POS Integral to Rep Commission Model
SPAs – Is the Cat Chasing its Tail?
In a market where most experience margin stagnation or margin erosion, strategies that can help improve profitability, potentially capture sales and as enhance / ensure quality processes, should be embraced. One of these strategies, which we’ve highlighted this fall, is effective management of SPAs, It is an issue for most distributors in the industry (as well as … [Read more...] about SPAs – Is the Cat Chasing its Tail?
Want to Improve Warehouse Productivity?
With a tight economy, tight labor market and tight margins, increasing productivity is more important than ever, especially for warehouse operations where finding qualified staff that can meet HR requirements is harder than ever. And one of the reasons is that competition for these employees is literally any other business and frequently drivers and warehouse personnel can make … [Read more...] about Want to Improve Warehouse Productivity?
SPAs- Are they Worth the Cost?
In a penny nickel business, every penny counts. Which is why SPAs can matter. Increasing gross margins and, more importantly, net profitability, in today’s environment is extremely challenging. Publicly-held national chains such as Rexel and WESCO report net profitability in the 4-4.5% range whereas the NAED PAR report typically proclaims a 2-4% net profitability for … [Read more...] about SPAs- Are they Worth the Cost?
SPAs – Are We / They In Or Out of Control?
SPAs, special pricing agreements, were originally conceived to ensure the integrity of local market into stock, and “street” pricing while providing distributors and manufacturers with a targeted sales pricing tool to deploy on an account-specific basis. The definition of “account-specific” has broadened with many taking liberty with the breadth (with and without … [Read more...] about SPAs – Are We / They In Or Out of Control?
