 |
Lock in savings now before June 1 rate increase! |
 |
The key to successful change management? Ask Lawson Products, who has embarked on a slew of changes to its organization – a new ERP system, sales force structure, pricing model, compensation plan and operations improvements.
To do all of this in just a few years is an exercise in change management, and Lawson Products recognizes it needs buy-in from all its employees for these efforts to bear fruit.
| We
Deliver Distribution News to Your Inbox Sign up below to receive MDM Update, your free weekly distribution news update by email. |
Related Resource: Free Webcast - Change Management Tactics for Distributors
On the sales side – notoriously one of the most difficult areas to manage change – the distributor has made transparency a priority. Executives hold quarterly Q&A sessions with sales agents that can last more than two hours to discuss initiatives such as the distributor's new pricing and compensation models. Other communication mediums include regular company town halls, which are focused on what’s going on in the business and in the overall marketplace. Weekly morale boosters, such as pizza in the cafeteria, have also helped.
COO Harry Dochelli says engaging employees in the process on cross-departmental teams to drive change in the different areas as well as constantly communicating about the changes being made has helped Lawson retain motivated employees. “We’ve done a good job engaging our people in this,” he says. “… That’s given us a lot of energy in our company today. There’s a buzz about where we are and what we’re doing.”
Of course, Dochelli says despite the positive they've seen, there is still a lot of work to do as they push these projects forward. “We’re not naïve to say that there won’t be challenges," he says, "but at the same time we’re thinking this through well, and it is allowing us to take this business to the next level.”
Read about Lawson Products' transformation in the latest issue of MDM.
Listen to Dochelli in the May 2011 episode of the MDM Executive Briefing:
 |
 Download
the Top 40 Industrial List -FREE |
| View the Top Distributors in 12 Sectors: | |
| 2011 Distribution Landscape Report: Access Now | |
Join MDM's Independent Distributor
Network 
Follow MDM on Twitter
 Critical Profit Driversin Distribution Al Bates, Profit Planning Group, speaks frankly about the most important factors to driving profit. Watch now. iPad users: click here to view. |
 Economic Update:Behind the Moderation MAPI Economist Cliff Waldman discusses some of the factors behind the slowing economic recovery. Watch now. |
 7 Minutes With ...Bell Electrical Supply CEO Burt Schraga discusses the importance of building a strong culture in his organization. Watch now. |
More Audio and Video Features from MDM: |
Think About It: |
|
Training Resources
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||
|
Featured Article: What AmazonSupply.com Means for Independent Distributors $34.95 |
Inventory Management Best Practices with Jon Schreibfeder: DVD + Book $119.00 |
The State of E-Commerce and Catalogs in Distribution $44.95 |
Benchmarks & Best Practices: The Answer Book for Growth-Minded CFOs & Controllers $249.00 |
| Title | Company | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Digital Strategy Manager | Border States Electric | Fargo North Dakota |
| Risk Manager | Border States Electric | Fargo ND |
| Purchasing Manager | PCA SKIN | Scottsdale, AZ |
| BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER | Graybar Electric Company | Denver, CO |
| INDUSTRIAL OUTSIDE SALES REPRESENTATIVE | Graybar Electric Company | Phoenix, AZ |
| General Manager | Applied Industrial Technologies | Norfolk, VA |
| Rubber Specialist | Applied Industrial Technologies | Baltimore, MD |
| View ALL Wholesale Distribution Job Listings |
|
|
 |
|
|
|
 |
Comments
Leave a Comment