The Annual 2023 AHR Expo was held this week in Atlanta Feb. 6-8th. As the largest HVACR show in the world, it was packed with hundreds of manufacturers representing over 300 HVACR product categories from Actuators to Zone Controls. The AHR Expo is the premier show where Contractors, Manufacturers, OEM's and Distributors in the HVACR Channel go to conduct business. The tens … [Read more...] about Opinion – Observations from the 2023 AHR Expo
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Why do strong B2B HVACR distribution websites fail? It’s often a much simpler answer than you might expect
Has your distributor digital transformation journey seemed like an endless race with hurdle after hurdle? I’ve been in the B2B digital race many times as a distributor in my career, and have crashed into more than a few hurdles. It can be a hard journey to make your ERP and tech stack work, build the right functionality, get the product attributes and pricing to work, but … [Read more...] about Why do strong B2B HVACR distribution websites fail? It’s often a much simpler answer than you might expect
Today, it takes more than your Account Managers to drive HVACR sales and profitability
The past few weeks I have had the opportunity to spend a lot of face-to-face time with distribution leadership teams working with them on their go-to-market sales plans. I have some advice and counsel to share. If you are just refreshing your 2010 belly-to-belly selling playbook, I would recommend you consider some slight adjustments for 2023. Your end customer is short … [Read more...] about Today, it takes more than your Account Managers to drive HVACR sales and profitability
HARDI Ignite … Generating Insights
Last month HARDI held its Annual Conference and, like most, it attracted many manufacturers, distributors and independent representatives from the industry. All had similar questions ... "how has your business been?" and, more importantly, "what are you seeing for 2023?" Everyone is seeking a benchmark. At the same time, lots of one-on-one meetings between distributors and … [Read more...] about HARDI Ignite … Generating Insights
10 Tips for Recruiting Talented Candidates
One of the areas where we hear companies are continuously challenged is recruiting quality people that have some experience with the HVAC industry and targeted product categories. It's usually not too difficult to find people with specific skill sets. The challenge is finding people with a combination of the right skill sets. And while recruitment is a challenge in many job … [Read more...] about 10 Tips for Recruiting Talented Candidates
9 Ideas for Profitable Growth in 2023
Over the holidays I was contemplating writing a “10 Trends” type of article. You know, the type where you theorize what will occur in the coming year and talk about how companies can generate growth and profitability in the new year. And then I starting thinking “why”? I mean, enough has probably been talked about industry challenges. No one has the crystal ball regarding … [Read more...] about 9 Ideas for Profitable Growth in 2023
What to expect from the Gustave A. Larson and Williams Distributing Co. HVACR acquisition news
Over 1,000 HVACR distributor associates will have new names on the bottom of their paychecks soon. What do the acquisitions mean for the HVACR channel and your distributor and manufacturer business? In the last week two big HVACR channel acquisitions were announced. Gustave A. Larson with 500+ employees across their 54 locations joined Hajoca. Williams Distribution Co. with … [Read more...] about What to expect from the Gustave A. Larson and Williams Distributing Co. HVACR acquisition news
eCommerce … What is it for Distributors
Last week John shared insights regarding Watsco’s digital journey and how the company is accelerating account penetration, and hence sales, via its eCommerce initiatives. Unfortunately not everyone has the resources that Watsco has. Now, we know many are saying “digital isn’t for my customers” or “we have a site but we’re not getting the same traction as Watsco” or perhaps … [Read more...] about eCommerce … What is it for Distributors
2023 SEER2 Changes are here, and managing your data is key to making the changes as easy as possible for the channel
When key manufacturer products go obsolete and change due government regulations, you have to manage your processes and risks to the business. Managing big industry efficiency changes are critical to help you avoid credits and rebills, remain in compliance with the new Department of Energy regulations, and to help your end user contractors through some big changes. The full … [Read more...] about 2023 SEER2 Changes are here, and managing your data is key to making the changes as easy as possible for the channel
Distributors – Maximize Your Volume Rebates with a Strategic Revenue Plan
Last week we shared highlights from our recent research on the State of Volume Rebates. But, given the importance of rebates to the net profitability of distributors, I reached out to a friend and former distributor client, Greg Smith, to share his first-hand experience, and best practices, to help distributors optimize their rebate earnings. For those who don’t know … [Read more...] about Distributors – Maximize Your Volume Rebates with a Strategic Revenue Plan
