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 Greg, he owned a small electrical distributor, sold the business to a regional distributor and then, … [Read more...] about Distributors – Maximize Your Volume Rebates with a Strategic Revenue Plan
Insights
Manufacturers – Is Your Customer King?
My colleague, Gene Biben, penned an article for ElectricalTrends, discussing a disturbing trends, that affects many manufacturers. As background, Gene spent over 40 years as a manufacturer rep. The agency was passed from father to son. He has since retired, with his son-in-law taking over, but he stays involved in the business and the industry. Many of you know that the … [Read more...] about Manufacturers – Is Your Customer King?
Interviewing Strategy to Deliver The Right Candidate
In our meetings with distributors and manufacturers, all comment on their need for qualified talent to support growth, to replace open positions or, in some cases, a need to upgrade their current talent. The challenge is "how to find the 'right' person?" And many are concerned, although this isn't vocalized, about the cost of making a "less than optimal" decision. Further, … [Read more...] about Interviewing Strategy to Deliver The Right Candidate
The world of industrial customer segmentation in 2025
This past month, I have been going through old boxes of work material and coming across some foundational material on customer segmentation and pricing that I used as a distributor. I found in the archives my personal pricing Encyclopedia Britannia (the Complex) and the Texas A&M Industrial Distribution Customer Stratification Model (the Simple) and it made me think … [Read more...] about The world of industrial customer segmentation in 2025
Structuring Acquisitions in the Industrial Channel
Acquisitions continue to transform the Industrial Distribtuion industry. PE (private equity) are expanding their portfolio companies and others are seeking to enter the market. National distributors are expanding into new territories and also acquiring smaller companies as "fill-ins" or, in some cases, are diversifying their businesses and building new divisions. Regionals, and … [Read more...] about Structuring Acquisitions in the Industrial Channel
