Small companies meet at ASMMA/I.D.A. convention
By Staff -- Industrial Distribution, 1/1/1998
Small distributors met with some of their manufacturer partners to air their differences at the ASMMA/I.D.A. fall meeting in Chicago last November.At an invitation-only breakfast hosted by I.D.A.'s Small Distributor Task Force, distributors with sales of less than $5 million and select manufacturers debated the good and bad points of each other's business. The result was a list of what each faction is doing well and, in turn, what practices need improvement.
The meeting's goal was to open the lines of communication between small distributors and their manufacturing partners.
Some of the things small distributors will need to do to survive, according to those at the meeting, are: develop strategic plans, embrace technology, focus on key lines, improve the quality of their sales forces, improve inventory management, decrease personnel turnover, develop marketing plans and conduct joint calls with manufacturers.
Some of the things manufacturers need to improve upon, according to the group, are: hiring more qualified sales reps, providing "leading edge'' products, changing freight policies, re-evaluating stocking requirements, offering more distributor training sessions, respecting the distributor as their customer, and better communicating their expectations.
The Small Distributor Task Force met for the first time at the ASMMA/I.D.A. spring convention in Nashville. Task force president Scott Parrish, of Parrish-Keith-Simmons in Nashville, Tenn. plans to hold similar sessions at the group's spring meeting in Orlando this June.
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