Robert W. Baird & Co. in partnership with Modern Distribution Management, conducted a survey of more than 650 distributors and manufacturers to gauge business trends and the outlook for the distribution industry in diverse sectors.
On average, respondents to the latest quarterly MDM/Baird survey said third-quarter revenues were up 6 percent.
Third Quarter Benchmarking Survey Results Reflect ‘Guarded Optimism’ Read More »
Jonathan Byrnes, senior lecturer at MIT and author of new book Islands of Profit in a Sea of Red Ink, spoke with Lindsay Konzak, editor, about why 40% of every business is unprofitable and how to fix it.
MDM: You write in your book about the Age of Precision Markets. What is the importance of this for managers?
Jonathan Byrnes:We were for decades and decades in what’s commonly called the Age of Mass Markets – from the early 1900s to about 20 years ago. The objective in most companies at a time when national markets were forming was to get economies of scale and drive costs down in mass production. The idea was to sell as widely as possible using mass distribution – the more volume you got the lower your cost and the higher your profit. The volume of revenues equaled profitability. Most customer relationships were arms-length. You dropped orders off at customers’ loading dock, and in that era distributors were simply part of the manufacturer’s outreach.
‘40% of Every Business is Unprofitable’ Read More »
Sales and inventories data for wholesaler-distributors in Aug. 2010.
Monthly Wholesale Trade Data: August 2010 Read More »
Modern Distribution Management's Industrial Inflation Index measures a cross-section of industrial supplies.
Industrial Inflation Index: September 2010 Read More »
Every company has the opportunity and capability to improve customer service through online tools.
Commentary: The Internet as a Search (and Positioning) Tool Read More »
And other nuggets from sales guru Jeffrey Gitomer, who spoke today at HARDI.
Why You Should Give Business Cards to Your Truck Drivers Read More »
For the first nine months, sales for the manufacturer were down 9.9 percent.
Alfa Laval Sales Dip Slightly in 3Q Read More »
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