The List Price Question - You might want to charge more than list price. What is List Price? Many salespeople believe list price is that artificially high number which is used as a marker for future discounts. In their minds, it is an unnatural sin to sell anything to anybody for “list.” Part of this attitude and philosophy comes from daily life. For instance, “Nobody pays sticker price for their new Ford and no real customer pays list for their supplies in our industry.” can be heard echoing through sales bullpens. But this story doesn’t really hold up well. For example, car dealerships have regularly charged more than sticker for hard to find or a limited production vehicles. Toyota dealers still stick to the manufacturer’s sticker price on most of their line-up. But we’re not in the car business. Our question becomes should distributors selling things like plumbing, electrical, HVAC and industrial items ever sell at list price or maybe even beyond? Distribution’s f...

If you've been reading us a while, then you're probably aware of our position on charging for services.  Maybe you didn't know a book was in the works! So, without further ado, we are pleased to introduce: This is The Distributor's Fee Based Services Manifesto by Frank Hurtte.  And because you are reading this, YOU are part of a select group to get a first crack at reading it.  You also get the best price.  Currently listed on Amazon.com for $40, we are offering it to our group members and subscribers for only $20 INCLUDING SHIPPING!     While there is no catch for this, it would be nice if we could get reviews, good and bad.  You know...in your spare time! Send $20 payable to Frank Hurtte along with your address to: River Heights Consulting Attn: Manifesto 226 Hillcrest Avenue Davenport, IA 52803  We're happy to include a receipt for your records.  Let us know if there is a PO number. This is only good through Labor Day , so put i...

A typical Iowa summer storm-2013 Recently, I had an opportunity to visit with some old friends. We’ve known each other for a very long time and I felt as though I really knew their company. Back when I knew them, they were innovative, entrepreneurial and aggressively nimble in their approach to opportunities. Lately, the supplier grapevine is rife with reports of their slow-down. Instead of the glowing stories of the past, comments like “can’t make a decision to save their soul” and “everything is a committee” flowed through the market. Even competitors had chimed in with tales of grabbing business opportunities away from their company. None of the stories seemed right or reasonable, based on my previous experiences. But things change… My conversations with these old friends were telling. As we talked about business and all that was going on in their lives, I recognized something. Somewhere over time, this company had changed from an organization that learned from m...