The Distributor Channel

We are well into January which means many of you have given up on your personal resolutions.  And maybe you gave up on your professional ones as well, but I have a feeling you didn't make any!   Wait, did I touch on a nerve there?  Never fear, I have some questions you can ask yourself to give you a jump on 2023.  Much like in 2022, we are still dealing with a "new normal" in a post-Pandemic world.  While some things in life are back to 2019 standards, many are not.  Some will never be the same and it's time we started seeing the good in that change...or at least try our best not to resist the changes.  I'm talking to those of you nearing retirement who thought you could just ride things out under the radar. But as your younger counterparts will tell you, adapting is critical to survival in the new year.  After all, buying eggs will set you back quite a bit these days! So here they are, Top 10 Distributor Questions that Demand Answers in 2023: 1. How can we make

I have been thinking about e-commerce a lot lately.  Back in 2016, I said,  “While the argument for Amazon-like eCommerce may make great sense for the distributors falling into the “Logistics” side of the distribution industry, similar investment on the Knowledge-based side of the evolutionary line is likely to be poorly spent.”         For full context, read it HERE .    What a difference seven years and a global pandemic can make!   Today I believe every distributor needs to have an e-commerce platform.  Here are a couple of reasons. Earlier this week my friend Ian Heller over at the Distribution Strategy Group sent me an email promoting a January 18th web presentation called The 2023 State of E-commerce in Distribution .  The email said: Distributors with e-commerce report that 19.7% of their sales came through digital channels in 2022.  That’s compared with: • 14.5% in 2021 • 11.6% in 2020  This is a big uptick in the rate of e-commerce adoption.  Later, I read an article by m

Questions for New Year’s Resolutions It is the season for New Year’s Resolutions.  If you are like me, you have probably made a few of them.  But I am not going to make resolutions for you.  The truth is it would be impossible for me to do that.  Instead, let’s spend a few minutes tossing out some questions that might serve to guide your resolutions.   Since we all have a lot on our minds this time of year, I have broken these questions down by position.  This is the first of three posts, each designed for specific positions within the organization.   This one is for Distributor Leaders.   Distributor Leaders What is the state of the technology you are using? Can you easily: ·         Track purchases by salesperson? ·         Track purchases by the customer? ·         Track purchases by supply-partner? ·         Track purchases by technology group? ·         Look for sales missing (gap analysis) by the customer? ·         Does your system automatically:     Create Ship and Debit report

  This week we have a feature article on IMARK Electrical Now! I have spoken and written at length about charging for services.  In the same vein, this article talks about considering the impact your services have on your customers and how to use that information to your advantage.   Go check it out! Short on time? Here are direct links to items mentioned in the article: My manifesto on Amazon about the subject A whitepaper written for The Distribution Strategy Group Frank Hurtte, Founding Partner of River Heights Consulting, shares his personal experiences with 7 28  years of "in the trenches" training and 17 years as a consultant.  He serves as a personal coach to industry leaders across many lines of distribution.  He has authored 5.5 books (one is almost done) and has written hundreds of articles for national trade magazines, including Industrial Supply Magazine. Frank is also a sought-after copywriter of marketing materials for technology companies.  His charismatic, yet