Management Archives

Endgame Strategy: A Must for Distributors

Selling your business can be a difficult decision, but for owners who dont have an obvious successor, it can be the best option to preserve their legacy. In this article, an excerpt from Mergers and Acquisitions for Distributors: Expert Advice for Buyers and Sellers, available from NAW, Evergreen Consultings Brent Grover provides expert insight into this consideration.

This article includes:

Selling as an Exit Strategy
Thinking Beyond Family Succession
Monitoring the Value of the Business

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Distribution M&A Playbook, pt. 3: Integration Best Practices
Grainger’s Pricing Initiative, pt 2: The Quest for Optimization
Commentary: Harvey’s Stark Reminder on Disaster Planning

September 25, 2017

Management

Tip: Ask Customers What They Want

Missed service opportunities can be easily remedied with communication.

September 21, 2017

Companies

Greenfields, Acquisitions Fuel Winsupply’s Growth

New CEO: Company "executing a key piece of our growth strategy."

September 20, 2017

Companies

Grainger may be missing big opportunities with its pricing initiative.

September 19, 2017

Companies

Tip: Align Your Pricing Strategy with Your Business Strategy

Avoid a one-size-fits-all approach to pricing.

September 14, 2017

Chemicals & Plastics Distribution

DowDuPont Realigns Business Divisions

Reuters: Company making changes to avoid "fight with activist investors."

September 13, 2017

Companies

Competitors will see opportunity in your chaos.

September 12, 2017

Companies

Grainger’s Pricing Initiative, pt 2: The Quest for Optimization

Since the January launch of its pricing initiative, Grainger has seen significant declines in profitability. While this margin trend is expected to reverse in 2019, its existence may signal that the pricing process Grainger is pursuing is less than optimal. This article, part 2 in a series, analyzes the challenges Grainger faces in implementing its pricing approach and provides additional lessons for other distributors looking to improve their pricing strategies.

This article includes:

What we know to be true
Are Grainger’s web prices more optimal?
Did Grainger miss the boat?

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September 10, 2017

Companies

3 Lessons for Midsize Distributors

What can other B2B distributors learn from watching Grainger’s pricing story unfold? Three tips for distributors.

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Distribution M&A Playbook, pt. 2: The 8 Fatal Flaws in M&A
Top Trends for 2017
MDM Interview: Watsco Aims for ‘Bigger, Better, Faster’

September 10, 2017

Finance

Distribution M&A Playbook, pt. 3: Integration Best Practices

Many distribution verticals are seeing consolidation; those that haven’t are ripe for it. This article, the final in a three-part series, will help buyers plan an effective integration of a newly acquired business. Part 1 of this series discussed how distributors can prepare for the inevitable by understanding the landscape, their place in the consolidation cycle and the new measures of shareholder value. Part 2 examined the eight fatal flaws in acquisitions that destroy shareholder value.

This article includes:

How the starting point defines the path forward
Why distributors are different
Best practices in action

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MDM-Baird Distribution Survey: ‘Good, Not Great’
Top Trends for 2017
Commentary: What are you doing to make distribution ‘sexy?’

September 10, 2017

Management

Tip: Offset Pricing Disruption with Customer Service

The online giants haven't figured out how to provide effective service yet.

September 7, 2017

Free

Kaman Unveils Restructuring Plan

The plan aims to better position the companys aerosystems business for increased profitability.

September 7, 2017

Companies

Tip: Embrace Price Transparency to Meet Customer Demands

Grainger is proof that distributors need new pricing strategies.

August 31, 2017

Companies

Grainger’s Pricing Initiative, pt 1: A ‘Suboptimal’ Solution?

As of Aug. 1, W.W. Grainger Inc.’s new web pricing strategy was to be effective for all 1.5 million SKUs on its website. The pricing strategy was launched to reverse unfavorable market share trends Grainger experienced in certain market segments in recent years. Part 1 of this two-part series looks at how the pricing initiative has played out to this point, along with lessons other distributors can learn from Grainger’s experience.

This article includes:

W.W. Grainger Inc.’s new web pricing strategy
How the pricing initiative has played out to this point
Lessons other distributors can learn from Grainger’s experience

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August 25, 2017

Management

Are You Meeting Customers’ Service Needs?

Customers today demand more services, and distributors need to evaluate what they offer – and at what cost. This article examines the drivers behind these changing customer expectations and steps a distributor can take to give customers what they want while remaining profitable.

This article includes: