Report examined why some buyers are focused on local sourcing, while others continue to look internationally.
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As customers’ buying behaviors change, so too must distributors’ selling priorities. Mike Marks and Steve Deist of Indian River Consulting Group say that despite the challenges, radically re-organizing sales structure can create higher customer value and switching costs while improving margins.
This article includes:
- How to assess total selling costs, as opposed to just transactional costs
- Tips of overhauling a traditional sales structure
- The value of a market-base model
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- From Sales-Driven to Customer-Driven
- New Definitions of Partnership
- Bridging the Value Gap
CEO: E-commerce, club stores and group purchasing organizations are playing a bigger role.
Foreign competition, rising energy prices expected to slow output in the long-term.
As data moves from paper to digital, information is easier to store and manage – and to move and steal – than ever before. This is especially true in distribution, where companies are turning to mobile technology to improve customer service, sales and operations. In this article, labor law specialists and distributors weigh in on the biggest data security risks and how distributors can contain them.
This article includes:
- Risks to data security that distributors need to consider
- Steps to reduce data security risk
- How to be proactive about protecting data
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- Minding the Gap Between Data & Action
- 2013 State of E-Commerce in Distribution
- Foodservice Sector Tackles Data Standards
The category can be a natural add-on for current customers.
CEO: Bigger acquisitions with the potential for broader leverage can be expected.
Supply constraints could hamper recovery in the housing market.
It would be natural for a business leader to assume that their customers operate in the same way that they do. But according to Bob DeStefano, president of SVM E-Marketing Solutions, business today has reached a tipping point where “generation net” workers outnumber baby boomers, and the way they do business is different from past generations.
In this article, learn:
- How Google has changed the face of marketing
- Why marketing should be viewed as an investment
- The role of your website in marketing today
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- How Distributors Can Close the Services Gap
- How E-Commerce & Global Competition are Changing Distribution
- Commentary: Beware the Amazon Mystique
But executives report some softness in the latest quarter for manufacturing customers.
Marketing pro Bob DeStefano says improving visibility is free and easy.
CEO: Fastenals 30,000-machine goal for 2013 was overzealous.
U.S. government mandates and new sources for biofuels are driving up demand, which may translate into significant opportunities for distributors wanting to service that market. This article examines where the greatest opportunities are likely to be and how distributors can capitalize on them.
This is the final article in a series examining the current state of the alternative energy market in the U.S.
In 2005 and 2007, Congress established renewable fuel production goals for biofuels, requiring that refiners annually blend 36 billion gallons of renewable biofuels into transportation fuels by 2022. While corn-derived ethanol has garnered much attention, the largest gap between supply and demand actually exists in the market for …
Distributors face common profitability challenges in today’s business environment, including slow organic growth. In this article, Steve Deist and Mike Emerson of Indian River Consulting Group explain how to counter these challenges by becoming aware of the service areas where distributors may be spending too much or too little.
This is an exclusive summary of the June episode of MDM Executive Briefing, Finding the Right Plan for Profitable Growth, featuring Deist and Emerson. Watch now at www.mdm.com/executivebriefing-archive.
Many distribution industry leaders are frustrated by the current business environment, says Steve Deist of Indian River Consulting Group. And the reasons are often the same across businesses.
“The fundamental challenge that everyone is facing is …
MDM provides a synopsis of construction spending trends each month.
While volatility persists, the gap between actual and inflation-adjusted revenues is decreasing.
This article is a part of MDM's 2013 Distribution Trends Report. The article analyzes the impact of the generational shift on the wholesale distribution industry, including technology and customer expectations.
The annual report was researched and written by MDM editors based on interviews with dozens of wholesaler-distributors, as well as industry experts and manufacturers. MDM also conducted a survey of its readers to uncover the trends outlined in this report.
The full report is available to download in PDF format to MDM Premium subscribers. Subscribe below for full access. Or log-in if you are already a subscriber.
Trends outlined in the 2013 report include:
- Generational Shift Drives Changes in Technology, Customer Expectations
- Hiring in Distribution Complicated by Lack of Visibility, Shifting Needs
- The Rise of Little Data in Distribution
- Distributors Get Smarter About Vending
- Distributors Get Aggressive with Inventory Management
- Vendor, Distributor Consolidation Continues
- Wallet Share, Customer Demands Drive Channel Convergence
- Other Trends
- Trend Snapshots for 14 Sectors
The report also includes the following case studies and interviews:
- 2013 MDM Market Movers
- Replenex Builds Culture of Cost Savings
- A&M Industrial Finds Niche in Essential Services
- Strategic Planning Pays Off for Machinery Tooling & Supply
- MDM Market Leader Profiles
- Interline Brands' Focus on Jan-San
- Arrow Electronics Plots a Global Course
This article is a part of MDM's 2013 Distribution Trends Report. The article analyzes how wholesaler-distributors are using data more to make better business decisions - but why the industry is not quite ready for Big Data yet.
The annual report was researched and written by MDM editors based on interviews with dozens of wholesaler-distributors, as well as industry experts and manufacturers. MDM also conducted a survey of its readers to uncover the trends outlined in this report.
The full report is available to download in PDF format to MDM Premium subscribers. Subscribe below for full access. Or log-in if you are already a subscriber.
Trends outlined in the 2013 report include:
- Generational Shift Drives Changes in Technology, Customer Expectations
- Hiring in Distribution Complicated by Lack of Visibility, Shifting Needs
- The Rise of ‘Little Data’ in Distribution
- Distributors Get Smarter About Vending
- Distributors Get Aggressive with Inventory Management
- Vendor, Distributor Consolidation Continues
- Wallet Share, Customer Demands Drive Channel Convergence
- Other Trends
- Trend Snapshots for 14 Sectors
The report also includes the following case studies and interviews:
- 2013 MDM Market Movers
- Replenex Builds Culture of Cost Savings
- A&M Industrial Finds Niche in Essential Services
- Strategic Planning Pays Off for Machinery Tooling & Supply
- MDM Market Leader Profiles
- Interline Brands' Focus on Jan-San
- Arrow Electronics Plots a Global Course
Executive: Hope for recovery in second half of 2013 fading.
Since 2005, Machinery Tooling & Supply, has grown its sales 129 percent, from $17.5 million to just under $40 million in 2012. The key to success, according to Bob Cuthbertson, president of MT&S, was the five-year strategic plan the company created in 2005.
It can be difficult for smaller companies to ...
