Come see why your services, especially those with a fee, are your ultimate differentiator when it comes to competition.   Making changes NOW will mean success in the future. Special thanks to IMARK Now Electrical Magazine for getting the word out! Frank Hurtte, Founding Partner of River Heights Consulting, shares his personal experiences with 28 years of "in the trenches" training and 18 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 IMARK Now Electrical Magazine. Frank is also a sought-after copywriter of marketing materials for technology companies.  His charismatic, yet laid-back, easy-to-follow manner makes him a favorite among public speakers. ...

  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 companie...

We are honored to be featured on the cover of the latest IMARK Today magazine.  It's a quick, but worthwhile read on how to find and nurture new customers. Check it out  HERE . ~or~ copy and paste: https://imarkelectricalnow.imarkgroup.com/Editions/Fall-2021/Features/How-to-Find,-Nurture-New-Customers Frank Hurtte is the Founding Partner of River Heights Consulting. He combines the battle scars of 28 years of front line "in the trenches" experience with over 13 years of service to knowledge-based distributors and their manufacturer partners. Email or call today to make these virus-driven times work for you.

This summer has been very hectic.   Lots of things happening around here both personally and professionally with River Heights Consulting.   Here are the cliff notes: Personally: My first major (25-30 mile) bike ride of the summer season during the Memorial Day Weekend resulted in a broken shoulder and a severely banged-up body.  I could barely type for three weeks but got to spend a lot of time talking on the phone.  The good news is the Doc says I am “good as new,” whatever that means.  Professionally: When you can’t type, talking on the phone is about the only possible business activity.  We interviewed over 50 distributors in the automation, electrical, fluid power, and related spaces.  Distributors love to share.  We have a very strong understanding of current market conditions, what is working, what is not, and the state of what seems like a global supply chain interruption.      NOW – The Six Things   Re...

Many segments of the wholesale business use rebates as a plan to modify and reward distributor behavior. While the roots of these end of year rebates and similar programs are mostly lost to history, they have become an important part of the distributor financial sheet. For example, Electrical Distributors typically report around 40-60 percent of their bottom line comes by way of rebates. Other lines of trade indicate similar numbers. This information is not anecdotal. This is not beer talk, the Profit Reports published through groups like NAED and others back up the statement. Without rebates, the channel could be in serious trouble. Marketing and Buying Groups help drive the rebate dollars Many independent distributors receive their rebates through   marketing groups. Organizations like IMARK and Affiliated Distributors (AD) in the electrical industry come to mind, as do groups in other lines of trade. Here is a short list (mostly top of mind): • Distributor P...

Ah, the joys of being the “middleman.” For decades, distributors have been responsible for efficiently passing products from manufacturer-based suppliers to customers. During the 1990s, we were good at removing costs from our system. Into the 2000s, our customers tasked us with assisting them in removing extra expenses from their interactions as well. Without really being aware of the situation, we have improved the “supply chain,” whatever that is. In a quest to discover a workable meaning, I spoke to a young friend who had just earned a master’s degree in supply chain management. I asked her about the meaning of supply chain management. Her answers centered on order entry, shipping times, price points and several statements which sounded like she was spewing straight from the mouth of a big corporation purchasing agent. After telling her I was writing an article on supply chain improvement for distributors, she replied: “Distributors can improve the supply chain by red...