Using Price to Expand Your Business
Competing on price is a “no no” for many distributors. Few want to say “the reason why people buy from me is price.” But, do all of your customers want …
Sales Channel
Home Depot to Offer Customized Pro Pricing
Home Depot’s retiring CFO’s interview last night with Jim Cramer on CNBC shared a glimpse of why electrical distributors who serve small to mid-sized residential and commercial distributors should be …
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 …
Is your supplier finding leads and business, online, for you? Read More »
Reducing Tax Implications of Incentive Travel Programs
This week WESCO is taking 800+ people on an Alaskan cruise as part of their WESCO VIP incentive program. It looks like an exciting adventure (check out this pre-program video …
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What is e-Procurement?
The article we had last month introducing Greenwing Technology as a punchout / e-Procurement resource and a new ElectricalTrends advertiser generated much feedback. Part of the reason is it is …
Questionable Meetings. Are you willing to ask uncomfortable questions?
With the NAED meeting season coming to an end this weekend and distributors finally done with their planning sessions with manufacturers (more meetings), the issue of the quality of the …
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Punchouts Drive eCommerce
eCommerce is more than, in the words of an Amazon and MRO analyst, “click and ship”. eCommerce is about a methodology and a mindset to do business more electronically. In …
Here He Comes Again … The RSM
Over the past few weeks I’ve spoken to and met with a number of manufacturer reps, working on topics ranging from strategic planning to marketing initiatives as well as customer …
Will Alexa Bring Smart?
Many talk about the impact of Amazon. It’s impact on societal expectation. Influence on retail. It’s emergence as an MRO platform through Amazon Business. It’s foray into branded products / …
A changing MRO environment?
Recently I participated in a networking group that included a number of MRO buyers. The subject was trends in the MRO space. Granted many of the attendees were larger MRO …