Articles by Scott Benfield

“Don't confuse me with the facts; my mind is made up!”

May 1, 2009
Some days I believe I have been in Distribution for too long. I have seen way too many things including stuff that doesn’t work, never really worked all that well,
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From Good to Great as a Distributor

April 10, 2009
It’s been popular in recent press and, contrary to the hard times, to inject positivism by saying “there’s no better time to be in distribution.” I would, for the most
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Is it Time to Restructure Your Solicitation Effort?

March 3, 2009
Most distributors are, unfortunately, realizing what we have been saying since December and that is the current economic downturn is severe and protracted. Coming out of this environment to an
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Survive Or Thrive In The New Environment

February 4, 2009
The recent and severe Recession will likely rival anything we have seen since the Great Depression. The downturns of ’73-’74 and ’81-’82 are similar in impact but their causes were
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Opportunity in the New Year:<br>The Pending Collapse of Private Equity and the Effect on B2B Distribution

January 5, 2009
In the most recent five years, the headlines for distribution markets were chock full of news regarding Private Equity Funds and their consolidation of old-line distribution companies. There was seemingly
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Where is the Leadership in New Knowledge?

December 1, 2008
Given the collapse of the Great Bubble Economy and the outrageous imprudence or outright fraud at all levels of financial and business management, my hope is that Americans and American
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Driving Lower Profits by Compensating on Margin Dollars

October 20, 2008
In the quest to increase profits, distributors have assumed for several decades that rewarding all or part of sales compensation on margin dollars equates to higher pretax income.
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A New Customer Dynamic In Wholesaling

September 1, 2008
Performing a few profitable things for many customers beats activity-based transactions.
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Changing The Family Business Or Taking Advantage Of It

August 18, 2008
What’s the best course of action in growing the wholesale firm?
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Do The Current Troubles At Wolseley Signal A Change In The Distribution Model?

July 30, 2008
In this inaugural installment of the Benfield Blog, I am contemplating the recent woes of Wolseley Plc, the distribution giant that owns companies such as Ferguson Enterprises and Stock Building Supply.
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2013 Spring PVF Roundtable

The 2013 PVF Rountable was hosted at the JW Marriott in Houston.
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Prepared to Navigate the New Lead-Free Laws?

AVAILABLE ON DEMAND Sail through lead-free law compliance. When your contractors pipe a potable water system, some of those bronze valves you supply have an expiration date –January 4, 2014. Find out what US Senate Bill S.3874 is about, how it compares to previous standards, and most importantly — how it will affect your customers. Help your contractors save money and ensure compliance by defining where to install lead-free valves, and where it’s still okay to use standard products.

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