With business in 2025 looking like “slow growth” looking forward, leading industrial distributors are focused on improving the operational / warehouse aspects of their business. While national chains, over the years, quickly moved to a CDC or RDC model, larger independents have also adopted this approach. This achieves a dual mandate of “improved” inventory management and … [Read more...] about Increasing Warehouse Output While Managing Costs
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Creating lemonade at Institutional Accounts
What do market segments such as government, universities / higher education, life sciences, government/ municipalities, sports teams, hospitals, and agriculture have in common? While most are considered "institutions", they all are significant users of eProcurement / punchouts as part of their electrical buying process. They use companies such as Ariba, Coupa, Jaggaer, … [Read more...] about Creating lemonade at Institutional Accounts
O+P=R and a Lower Cost of Sales … The Manufacturer Rep Agent Management Formula
In the Industrial Channel, capturing business is a fight for market share. And to win that fight you need the most effective sales organization. One that can get into "the right person at the customer" (be they and end-user, contractor or distributor) to prove your difference. At the same time companies need to do this cost-effectively. There is a balance that needs to be … [Read more...] about O+P=R and a Lower Cost of Sales … The Manufacturer Rep Agent Management Formula
Tips for Industrial Distributors to Improve Gross Margin
Corporate success, for many, is typically defined as sales success as sales revenue is an easily identifiable, and discussed / shared, metric. But in a quest to grow sales, and due to competitive pressures, gross margins for many distributors have eroded making gross profit dollars scarcer for investment back into the business. And with operating costs increasing and … [Read more...] about Tips for Industrial Distributors to Improve Gross Margin
The Rep Alignment Dilemma for the Industrial Channel
Whom to support? The rep alignment dilemma ... whom to align with to generate sales? End-users? National chains? Independent supportive distributors? Any distributor who will support the manufacturer? The manufacturer? But, the bottom line becomes, what will generate sales to meet manufacturer expectations? It's complicated, and channel consolidation and channel … [Read more...] about The Rep Alignment Dilemma for the Industrial Channel
