The PTDA Business Index fell 2.1 points to 68.1 in the third quarter.
Power Transmission/Motion Control Industry Expansion Continues to Slow Read More »
Distributors are challenged to determine the role catalogs will play in an increasingly digital world.
Is Print Marketing Dead in Distribution? Read More »
Uncover new out-of-the-box ideas by approaching planning meetings differently.
Tip: Escape Groupthink at Your Next Planning Meeting Read More »
Capacity utilization moved up to 92.7 percent in October, 5.3 percentage points above its long-run average.
Industrial Production Expands 0.7% in October Read More »
Lawson Products will also consolidate three Illinois facilities into one state-of-the-art packaging and distribution center in McCook, IL.
Lawson Products to Move Corporate Headquarters to Chicago Read More »
Latest MDM-MAPI podcast highlights strengths, weaknesses in today’s economy.
Economic Update: Bright Spots Offset Uncertainty Read More »
Home Depot comparable store sales increased 4.2 percent in the quarter.
Home Depot 3Q Sales Up 4..4% Read More »
Prices see smallest year-over-year advance since March.
Wholesale Prices Decline 0.3% in October Read More »
Many distribution companies have an informal plan to target key customers or develop growth opportunities. But too often a focus on the monthly numbers leads to inefficient sales behavior contrary to management’s plan. This article outlines a straightforward and disciplined process that establishes clear priorities in terms of customers and products, strategy for differentiating among different types of customers, and the role and functions to be performed by the sales force.
Frequently we find a disconnect between what an organization perceives its strategy to be and what the sales force is actually doing in the field. The disconnect is between what the management of the organization thinks the sale force should be doing to execute company strategy and what they are actually doing. …
Align Sales Force with Strategy Read More »
Grainger U.S. President Mike Pulick tells MDM economy provides opportunity to discuss MRO costs with customers.
Why the Economy Doesn’t Worry Grainger Read More »
Don’t be fooled by common thinking that can actually lead to a major drain on profitability.
Profit Pitfalls in Distribution Read More »
Year to date, U.S. manufacturing technology orders are up 91.9%.
U.S. Manufacturing Technology Orders Increased in September Read More »
Organic sales for Grainger grew 11 percent in the month.
Grainger October Daily Sales Up 16% YOY Read More »
Acquisition expands Ferguson’s waterworks business.
Ferguson Acquires Groeniger & Co. in California Read More »
News briefs from Oct. 26 – Nov. 10, 2011.
MDM News Digest 4121 Read More »
The wholesale distribution industry grew faster than the U.S. economy in 2010.
Commentary: Good Numbers in Wholesale Distribution for 2011-2012 Read More »
Modern Distribution Management’s Industrial Inflation Index measures a cross-section of industrial supplies.
Industrial Inflation Index: September 2011 Read More »
The distribution landscape continues to change, as large companies look to acquire mid-size companies to expand market presence or product offerings more rapidly than they have in the past.
“Those large companies have historically gone after the smaller players to grow incrementally,” says David Gordon, president of Channel Marketing Group. Gordon was featured in the October MDM Executive Briefing (available at mdm.com/executivebriefing). “Now they’re acquiring larger companies, from about $75 million to $400 million and taking big chunks out of the market.”
Three recent acquisitions have supported Gordon’s assertion: …
Mid-Market Distribution M&A Picks Up in Latest Quarter Read More »
Too often, people forget to clearly identify the real problem before beginning to plan solutions.
Tip: In Lean Initiatives, Start by Defining the Problem Read More »
A joint MDM-Real Results Marketing survey revealed that more than 65 percent of distributors still view catalogs as an effective marketing channel. But there are some that view print as dead or dying. The authors of this article examine the use of catalogs by distributors across sectors and what’s driving attitudes about print marketing in an increasingly digital age.
To view all graphics in this article in pdf, download this issue.
Is print dead? Do distributors need to stop producing paper catalogs? Not so according to research conducted by Real Results Marketing with Modern Distribution Management. The results of a recent survey showed that over 65 percent of distributors (see Figure 1) who produce a catalog for their customers find that the catalogs are an effective channel.
Distributor measurements of catalog effectiveness primarily include return on marketing investment, customer retention and lifetime value, and secondarily include share of wallet and internal rate of return, according to the survey. Nearly 80 percent of distributors reported …
Not a subscriber? This report is now available in the MDM Store as a downloadable pdf. The report includes The State of Distributor Catalog Marketing, The State of E-Commerce in Distribution, and E-Commerce and Catalogs: Fast Friends. Learn more or download now.
The State of Distributor Catalog Marketing Read More »
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