There’s long been been “scuttle butt” conversation in the industry regarding some manufacturers cutting rep commissions. Their premise is that they need to do this due to their price increases. While some of the conversations are what manufacturers are thinking (so, “water cooler conversation”), some at times have reduced commissions which has dismayed many and demotivated the … [Read more...] about Do you value your Industrial Manufacturing reps?
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Distributors – Maximize Your Volume Rebates with a Strategic Revenue Plan
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
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?
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
Lessons Industrial Distributors Can Learn from Wesco
In 2025, I have been writing a series of articles on Wesco for Modern Distribution Management. In the series I took a deep dive into Wesco's 3 key enterprise strategies “Extend our industry-leading scale and value proposition.” “Further develop our team and our culture of excellence.” “Digitalize and transform our B2B business.” Wesco Analysis, Pt. 3: Digitize … [Read more...] about Lessons Industrial Distributors Can Learn from Wesco
AI for Customers … and the Industrial Channel
Manufacturers and distributors have lately been having many conversations about “technology”. But not in the conventional sense of the tools / software, more as it relates to functionality / capability for the future. They are asking "Does their IT department (which could be their ERP / software provider) have a tech roadmap that includes AI?" And sales and marketing management … [Read more...] about AI for Customers … and the Industrial Channel
What does the IMARK/AD Merger for electrical mean for the Industrial Channel?
AD & IMARK Electrical Make the Merger Official: how does the new AD IESD impact the channel and is there any impact to HVACR Distributors? The news release that made it official called this a merger of equals to create AD Independent Electrical Supply Division (IESD) that represents 700+ independent electrical distributors with annual sales of over $43 Billion. Immediately … [Read more...] about What does the IMARK/AD Merger for electrical mean for the Industrial Channel?
Where is the channel headed in 2025 and beyond? Thoughts from MDM SHIFT
I was fortunate to once again be able to attend and present at the NAW/MDM SHIFT conference, and it is interesting to see how the construction and industrial channel continues to evolve. Modern Distribution Management (MDM) has been hosting this annual event for Distribution Leaders called SHIFT (originally MDM Sales GPS) for the last decade. Some of the best and … [Read more...] about Where is the channel headed in 2025 and beyond? Thoughts from MDM SHIFT
Market Intelligence to Inform Leadership
Okay, I'm not saying that company leadership is not "intelligent", but it does help leadership if it has access to intelligence as in market insights. While sales can provide some market, and customer-specific, insights, information needs to be aggregated, analyzed and sought from multiple sources in order to identity and evaluate the market to identify opportunities, set (or … [Read more...] about Market Intelligence to Inform Leadership
