September 24, 2010 - Modern Distribution Management

September 24, 2010

silver gears moving

Power Transmission/Motion Control Product Sales Fall in July

But sales in U.S. and Canada are still up from last year in July.

Power Transmission/Motion Control Product Sales Fall in July Read More »

U.S. Market Analysis: Abrasives 2009

Abrasives represented a market in 2009 of $xxx billion, according to estimates by Industrial Market Information.

These charts show the top ten industries, by SIC code, consuming these products; and the 2009 end-user consumption of these groups sorted by the nine government market regions.

U.S. Market Analysis: Abrasives 2009 Read More »

5 Lessons for Better Change Management

This is an exclusive summary of Part 3 of the MDM Webcast series, Build an Effective Sales Organization for the Recovery, available on DVD. In this session, Mike Marks and Steve Deist of Indian River Consulting Group spoke on Tools for Effective Sales Management. This article looks at the foundation for implementing changes to the sales process.

Distributors can take different approaches to implementing change to its sales organizations. But most successful change shares five characteristics, says Steve Deist of Indian River Consulting Group.

“These are lessons we’ve learned though actual implementations over 10-plus years,” he says.

Lessons
1. Align with …

5 Lessons for Better Change Management Read More »

Grainger’s Product & Service Plans

At the Morgan Keegan Industrial/Transportation Conference last week, Chicago-based distributor Grainger outlined its plans to continue building on both its product portfolio and its service offerings.

Product Expansion
Grainger U.S. President Michael Pulick says the company is aiming for up to 500,000 products in its portfolio. That would be up from 85,000 in 2005.

In recent years, the distributor has added products in plumbing, fleet maintenance and metalworking, among others. It has also added to current categories with products that boast different features or functions.

Grainger also plans to continue growing its private label offering, Pulick says. Right now,…

Grainger’s Product & Service Plans Read More »

Getting Started with Social Media

Bob DeStefano, president of SVM E-Business Solutions, outlined the steps companies can take to integrate social media into their business strategies.

The first step is creating an online presence. Sign up for accounts on social media sites. Begin building your network on LinkedIn by connecting with people you know and …

Getting Started with Social Media Read More »

The Social Media Challenge: ROI

In a recent MDM survey, just half of respondents said they were using LinkedIn. Even fewer used online tools such as Twitter and Facebook. This article will examine why B2B companies have resisted using social media to further business goals and presents expert analysis and examples on how distributors can benefit from these tools. The author also analyzes results from a recent survey on how MDM readers use social media.

Even as business-to-consumer companies are finding ways to capitalize upon the growing social media trend, many business-to-business companies are struggling with how they can use social media sites such as LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

In a recent MDM survey, about 42 percent of respondents – distributors and manufacturers – said their companies were not using social media. The reasons ranged …

The Social Media Challenge: ROI Read More »

Download this Issue: MDM Sept. 25, 2010

This is the pdf of this issue of Modern Distribution Management. Apply the full $24.95 pay-per-view cost toward an annual subscription, which includes two issues a month plus access to more than eight years of online archives and market data. Call 1-888-742-5060 or email info@mdm.com to subscribe. Subscribers log-in to download this issue.

Download this Issue: MDM Sept. 25, 2010 Read More »

Register for full access

By providing your email, you agree to receive announcements from us and our partners for our newsletter, events, surveys, and partner resources per MDM Terms & Conditions. You can withdraw consent at any time.

Learn More about Custom Reports

Request a Market Prospector Demo

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Get the MDM Update Newsletter

Wholesale distribution news and trends delivered right to your inbox.

Sign-up for our free newsletter and get:

  • Up-to-date news in a quick-to-read format
  • Free access to webcasts, podcasts and live events
  • Exclusive whitepapers, research and reports
  • And more!