COLUMBUS, Ohio — Heating, Air-conditioning & Refrigeration Distributors International (HARDI) released its monthly TRENDS report, which showed average sales for HARDI distributor members increased by 11.7 percent in February 2016.
From the outside, the world of distribution seems pretty easy and mundane. One Internet “expert” summarized the key to success in our business as product, pricing and promotion. I couldn’t help but laugh as I read his summary.
Historically, relationships between B2B manufacturers and distributors have been a complicated mix. Some are valuable partnerships, while others are rocky relationships seeded with mistrust.
Tom’s Note: Last month, we published an article, “Why Wholesalers Lie,” which examined the issue of contractors and wholesalers who use high price as an objection for not trying a new supplier. One of the supporting features of the article was a poll that indicated price was NOT a top priority.
Tom’s Note: I was reading the Philadelphia Inquirer and noticed a full-page advertisement for a one-day class by Barry Schwartz, on Why We Work, which is also the title of his book.
It’s always nice to know that little something about the person sitting across from you. And I’ve always believed that it’s far more interesting to learn about a person directly, even if it’s a snippet of a story, rather than from someone’s obituary.
Our brand of wholesale distribution has to be one of the most people-intensive business models in existence. Sure, we have warehouses, inventory, customer credit, computers and company fleets of cars, trucks and lord knows what else, but people are the driving force of our model.
I recently had a friendly conversation with Bryan Jensen, a principal with York, Pa.-based St. Onge Co. I regard Bryan as one of the most knowledgeable executives I’ve ever met on supply chain issues. Ever have that “flash of an idea” in a conversation? Of course you have.
