Many manufacturers open up direct sales to counter a competitive threat or serve a channel that distributors are not interested in pursuing. However, if they do so without researching their channels and end users, and lack a solid financial evaluation of the channel costs, their efforts are usually unsuccessful.

As a business owner, you have myriad ways to transfer your business. Having total clarity and understanding about your ultimate motives is the first step to getting there.

Ed Ihrie was a visionary. In 1972, as the general manager and a stockholder of W.L. Smith Supply Co., a wholesale distributor located in North Carolina, Ihrie saw a need in the marketplace that was not being met.

One of the biggest components of customer service is having the right stuff at the right place and at the right time. Use your distribution software package to ensure your customers’ most-used items are well-stocked.

By connecting with your target audience, keeping brand vision consistent and communicating effectively with your clients, you shape the entire customer experience online, in-store and in-home.

Wholesale distributors know that having all the products to complete your customer’s project is essential for complete customer satisfaction.

Apple’s foray into financial services, news and video games is to keep up with competitors also expanding outside their core business.