IDW Populated Data or More Excuses?
Bill Floyd
At the recent NAED Eastern Meeting, in one session a manufacturer said they really hadn't gotten to populating IDW (Industry Data Warehouse) yet because it's expensive and his products change too quickly. This drew a frustrated response from a participant on the IDEA side. Paraphrasing, he said everything is expensive but if a manufacturer expects to be relevant in the internet world in which we live participation is a must.
I thought about this and came to the conclusion that manufacturers simply have to find a way to do what must be done. Excuses won't cut it. Imagine if a manufacturer decided to do away with his sales force because they were too expensive, or to scrap his computer system - too costly to maintain? It would never happen. Well distributors, reps and customers need this information to be compete - it's that simple. If products are changing rapidly that's all the more reason suppliers need to make this information a priority. If not them, who?
I was a distributor when the big box stores challenged the channel and threatened to take a serious chunk of business. Several manufacturers confessed they were brought in by these "big guys", squeezed, and TOLD in no uncertain terms what they had to provide if they wanted to do business at that establishment. More than one supplier told me it wasn't easy, it was costly and painful but in the next breath they said it "made us do what we should have been doing anyway and made us better businesses."
Bottom line is you know what needs to be done, with or without a gun to your head. Suck it up. It's a given that in the not too distant future suppliers who don't have all their informational t's crossed and i's dotted will pose an even bigger aggravation to both buyer and seller. Because without it, the information needed to make evaluating, selling, and buying easy just won't be there - and we all know that "easy" sells.
No more procrastinating. No more excuses. Get it done. Your future truly depends on it.
Tell us what you think. Response: Email us today: BFloyd@ElectricSmarts.com.
I thought about this and came to the conclusion that manufacturers simply have to find a way to do what must be done. Excuses won't cut it. Imagine if a manufacturer decided to do away with his sales force because they were too expensive, or to scrap his computer system - too costly to maintain? It would never happen. Well distributors, reps and customers need this information to be compete - it's that simple. If products are changing rapidly that's all the more reason suppliers need to make this information a priority. If not them, who?
I was a distributor when the big box stores challenged the channel and threatened to take a serious chunk of business. Several manufacturers confessed they were brought in by these "big guys", squeezed, and TOLD in no uncertain terms what they had to provide if they wanted to do business at that establishment. More than one supplier told me it wasn't easy, it was costly and painful but in the next breath they said it "made us do what we should have been doing anyway and made us better businesses."
Bottom line is you know what needs to be done, with or without a gun to your head. Suck it up. It's a given that in the not too distant future suppliers who don't have all their informational t's crossed and i's dotted will pose an even bigger aggravation to both buyer and seller. Because without it, the information needed to make evaluating, selling, and buying easy just won't be there - and we all know that "easy" sells.
No more procrastinating. No more excuses. Get it done. Your future truly depends on it.
Tell us what you think. Response: Email us today: BFloyd@ElectricSmarts.com.
