Let’s start with two quotes from great thinkers from different and definitely not distribution backgrounds.      "A favorite theory of mine is that no occurrence is sole and solitary, but is merely a repetition of a thing which has happened before…"                  Mark Twain   “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”              Winston Churchill   There are no history books for those of us in the Knowledge-based distribution world.  While I consider myself to be a history buff, I am certainly not an official historian.  But, to quote the popular commercial, I did spend the night in a Holiday Inn Express.  Probably more than a thousand nights in various hotel rooms while earning a living in the distributor business.  So here is my attempt at writing history.  ...

Several years ago, Jenny tied the end of year planning season to the dreaded Mid-Western season of raking leaves.  The two share several similarities. Here is the shortlist: 1. Leaf raking and annual planning are dreaded by most people. 2. You never really get into a zone, because by the time you get into the groove the work is done for the year. 3. If you ignore either one, next year you will regret it. 4. The longer you put the activity off, the harder it will be to finish. 5. An early start saves a lot of work at the end of the season. One big difference is this:  You can’t hire a neighborhood kid to do your end of year planning.  With this point in mind, we thought we would share a few things to think about for your 2022 plan. If you are planning for 10 percent sales growth, you better think again Reports from across half a dozen industry sectors indicate that manufacturers are laying down a steady stream of price increases.  One distributor told us ov...

A few letters occupy prominent positions in the lexicon of history; lingering long after the day they were opened. Some are remembered for their articulate and near-perfect use of the English language. Others tarry in our minds based on the diabolical message they transmitted. A new letter has found its way into this noted and well-studied class. Before we get to the latest addition, join me as we review a few famous or possibly infamous letters, The Bixby letter is famous for its perfect use of the English language. Along with the Gettysburg Address, the letter is one of Abraham Lincoln’s most studied remembrances. Ironically, it was published in the Boston Transcript on the same day the post was delivered to a Mrs. Bixby on November 25th, 1864. Here’s what it said: “Dear Madam, I have been shown in the files of the War Department a statement of the Adjutant General of Massachusetts, that you are the mother of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle.” I ...

The economy is expanding. Noting comments from economist Alan Beaulieu, of ITR Economics ( view more here ,) the 2017 economy looks like a great year for growth. The forecast calls for a bright, sunshiny sky with 3.7 percent growth. It’s been a mighty long time since we’ve enjoyed this type of up cycles. Now is the time for distributors to raise their prices. Join with me as I outline why and where to look for price increases. Why we’ve got low margins today… Downward pressure on margins is the universal distributor complaint. New competitors, supplier sales teams setting prices at unsustainable levels, the internet and customer pushback are all finding their way into the discussion. Further, in spite of some major productivity advancements, operating costs continue to rise. One distributor, who closely monitors operational costs, commented costs have risen nearly 25 percent faster than offsetting gross margin gains over the post-recession era. Clearly, we need to ...