Adopt or adapt what makes competitors or new technologies tick to your advantage.
Posts By Lindsay Konzak
Due diligence is a critical piece of ensuring that an acquisition results in the value a distributor expects to gain from a transaction. If done wrong, an acquisition can affect everything an owner has built and can damage not only the financials but also the culture of a distribution business. In this article, Jay Greyson of Supply Chain Equity Partners discusses some of the most common mistakes distributors make with acquisitions.
This is an exclusive summary of the April episode of MDM Executive Briefing, The Distribution M&A Playbook, featuring Greyson. Watch now at www.mdm.com/executivebriefing-archive.
In the first couple of months of 2013, M&A transactions in the wholesale distribution industry accelerated ...
It's a truth of today's work culture: We never really disconnect.
Reports include segment & overall industry revenue trends, inventory levels, 2013 sales forecast, and other critical benchmark data on 19 different distribution sectors.
New report outlines why independent distributors need to clarify the value they provide in the market.
New companies competing in the distribution industry are proving that there’s still room in the market for entrepreneurs. Through technology improvements and increased sources of supply, some have even been able to grow without big investments in inventory and physical locations. This article features new distributors, including a private equity-backed platform, distributors focused on niche markets, online-only businesses and a distributor that restarted his business after selling to a consolidator.
This is the final article in MDM’s Shifting Competitive Landscape Series. Get the full report in the MDM Store or subscribe today.
Consolidation and aggressive expansion over the past few decades in wholesale distribution channels have resulted in tougher competition for the local independent from regional, national and even international distributors.
But a growing number of new companies are finding success, bringing a flexible business model and a fresh perspective on what it takes to compete in today’s wholesale distribution markets. Some distributors ...
Recent article raises questions about whether expanding product offerings can hurt the bottom line.
Another busy month for mergers & acquisitions in the wholesale distribution industry.
3 lessons from MDM Webcasts in the first quarter 2013.
Learn about the new and improved features at mdm.com.
But management teams show cautious optimism.
In the latest issue of MDM, read what customers say about distributor marketing.
Sequestration had an impact on market, distributors say.
MDM Editor Lindsay Konzak recently spoke with Mark Dancer of channel and sales solutions firm Channelvation Inc. about a recent growth in interest in using customer relationship management software to manage sales pipelines, leads and marketing programs. Used correctly, CRM can build brand and reinforce relationships, leading to improved sales and profits, he says.
This interview, from MDM’s monthly Executive Briefing on-demand webcast series, provides a look at the research Dancer conducted for his book on CRM published by the National Association of Wholesaler Distributors. Learn more about the book here. He also provides advice and insight on how to best use and implement CRM packages.
MDM: Why do you think CRM has a bad rap in distribution?
Mark Dancer: I would say that CRM has had a bad rap, not just in distribution, but in all industries for a very long time. It wasn’t that long ago, I would ask whether [a customer’s] CRM tool was a useful way to reinforce the strategies that we were trying to execute, and more often than not, CRM was more of a barrier or something to be avoided.
JC Penney recently ousted its CEO, who had been charged with reinvigorating the struggling retailer.
Topics covered included the MSC-Barnes deal, e-commerce's role in wholesale distribution and communicating the value you add for customers.
March was a busy month for deals in wholesale distribution markets.Domestic,
Many students have plans to work for a distribution or manufacturing company this coming summer. Includes video.
Social, mobile, cloud and information are shifting IT spending patterns.
Mark Dancer provides advice to distributors for choosing the right customer relationship management solution.
