Posts by Lee Richards
Channel Sales or Direct Sales? 3 Considerations for a Manufacturer
A week doesn’t go by without a manufacturer questioning a decision to sell direct rather than selling through the channel model they have historically used. Something happens with a channel partner that doesn’t sit well with the vendor and the immediate reaction is “we should just sell direct.” It’s a knee jerk reaction, often without…
Read More6 Steps to Channel Partner Price Increases
Are You Risking a Price Increase? Just when everything was starting to look up as we come out of the global pandemic, economists and financial gurus are bracing the markets for economic challenges that lie ahead. By now you have read the news or experienced firsthand the impact of global commodity price increases, scarcity of…
Read MoreIs it Time for Mid-Year Incentives to Drive Channel Partner Performance?
“How do we jump start partner focus and investments the balance of the year?” is the question many vendors are asking as we reach mid-year. By this point in time, you likely have an estimate of 2022 performance and may have a sinking feeling you are off track. You already know which distributors, reps, and…
Read MoreManufacturers Create their own Grey Markets
All too often, manufacturers create their own grey markets. The following is a real situation with the names changed to protect the innocent. Statewide Distribution, the southern region distributor, came to the manufacturer for another quote on the same product. While the price of the product had not changed over the last 3 years, Statewide…
Read MorePredictable Partnership Behaviors
A good friend of mine is involved in a messy divorce, and he is now in a dark place — the end of the settlement negotiation. Unfortunately, the negotiation is taking longer than his most pessimistic expectation, and each day that passes without a settlement cost him more and more. His legal representative is charging…
Read MoreManufacturer Rep or Distributors? How do Customers want to buy?
There comes a time when virtually all manufacturer reps ask the question “should move to a distribution model?” Power Engineers approached Sarah, their Channel Account Manager, to talk about moving their relationship from an Industrial Manufacturers Rep (IMR or “Rep”) paid on commission to a Distribution Partner allowing the ability to buy and resell products…
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