Brent Grover: A companys course will be adjusted according to conditions, but the destination will not change.
Latest In Management
Jonathan Byrnes in latest webcast: This simple question can position you for success.
MDM presents Behind the Little Black Book of Strategic Planning: Ask the Author on Sept. 6.
To account for unknowns, build out base-case, worst-case and best-case plans.
Prove that change will be effective, and you’ll get more buy-in from your organization.
The following is an excerpt of Brent Grover’s latest distribution management book, The Little Black Book of Strategic Planning for Distributors, published by Modern Distribution Management. In this article, Grover argues that the traditional method that distributors use to plan for the next year is flawed. Instead, they need to link the strategic plan to the annual planning process, and instead of working top-down, build from the bottom up. MDM subscribers get a 20 percent discount on this book.
General George S. Patton knew much about wartime planning and execution, and many of his aphorisms are memorable (“Lead me, follow me or get out of my way.”) and applicable to business situations (“A good plan violently executed now is better than the perfect plan next week.”).
To paraphrase: There are three ways that business leaders get what they want – by planning, by working and by praying. Any great business takes careful planning or thinking. Then you must have well-trained people to carry it out: That’s working. But between the plan and the operation there is always an unknown. That unknown
The national media seems determined to make a return to recession an Olympic event. But let’s not give them the gold yet. Industrial markets have slowed, but there are still many niche areas of strength, and many distributors are reporting record-setting years. Financials of public distributors for the second quarter include high single-digit and double-digit growth. On a more macro basis, most expectations are for …
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Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, businesses that have taken a “wait-and-see” approach to much of the law will have to take quick action to determine what they need to do to ensure they are in compliance. This article examines some of the key provisions of the PPACA and steps that businesses should be taking now.
In June, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act– commonly referred to as Obamacare – as constitutional, bringing to a close yet another chapter of the heated debate that has raged in Washington and across the country since the bill was passed in 2010. While some measures, such as the elimination of preexisting conditions for children and the extension of coverage for children to age 26, were already implemented, many more are slated to go into effect over the next 18 months.
But there’s a problem: The law contains so many provisions that it can be difficult for anyone to really understand what they need to do next. And misconceptions persist about what the law includes. In a recent MDM survey …
What do you do when you have a great idea, and it hits the wall of ‘silo indifference?’
Putting a plan into place can mitigate the challenges that come with fast growth.
Distribution executives need a better handle on their visions for their businesses before they can effectively guide their employees.
Valin CEO: We have grown services revenue by design.
Succession planning can help distributors prepare for the expected – and unexpected, Brent Grover says.
Competing on a global scale is no longer a choice for many companies.
What’s more, manufacturers want to collaborate with customers and suppliers.
Grover: An imperfect plan, well executed, is better than a perfect plan that is never completed.
In latest MDM Executive Briefing, Bates says distributors place too much importance on inventory and accounts receivable.
Amazon.com recently launched AmazonSupply.com, a B-to-B website with more than 500,000 products across 14 categories in industrial and lab supplies. This article, with input from distributors, manufacturers, service providers and industry consultants, examines the potential impact of Amazon’s move into industrial markets. MDM also outlines the next steps for distributors looking to compete more effectively in an increasingly crowded market.
With a broad product offering, name recognition and years of e-commerce best practices under its belt, Amazon and its new industrial marketplace – AmazonSupply.com – should not be discounted as a competitor to independent distributors.
That’s what many industry consultants, distributors and manufacturers say about Amazon’s recent announcement that it would serve the B-to-B market in a formal and more aggressive way by selling more than 500,000 industrial and lab supply products across 14 categories at AmazonSupply.com.
While Amazon has been growing its sales of these products over the past few years, AmazonSupply.com signals a much more serious intent to compete in industrial and commercial markets.
The Details
Amazon is capitalizing on what Grainger, MSC and other large MRO distributors call “unplanned spend” for MRO supplies. Grainger in the past has put the percentage of unplanned spend for MRO as high as 75 percent of all purchases in the category. That’s a huge opportunity.
It’s also homing in…
MDM LinkedIn Group Discussion: The impact of Amazon’s new B-to-B platform, AmazonSupply.com, on independent distribution channels.
Current Airgas COO Michael Molinini will take the helm.
