Bruce Merrifield

High-margin counter sales aren’t profitable

Bruce Merrifield: Rethink “digital” with Customer Advisory Boards

How CABs changed my distributorship.

July 26, 2021

In the early 1980s, I bought a multi-location, contractor-supply distributor. The employees were panicked about a new owner from outside the industry. But — thanks to Customer Advisory Boards (CABs) — we all won big.

Bruce Merrifield: Post-pandemic labor challenges

Looking at the strategies of companies across the U.S.

Bruce Merrifield

June 24, 2021

Our economy was shut-down for a year, then rebooted with massive, blunt, stimulus and build-better funds. It will take months for the supply-and-demand for both products and labor to rebalance. And it’s no secret the country is facing major labor shortages.

Bruce Merrifield: Bull-whip management

Product and supply-demand chaos is upon us.

Bruce Merrifield

May 24, 2021

Never in history has a global — just-in-time — balanced economy been shut down by a pandemic.

Bruce Merrifield: Embrace all-win, high-hourly wages

$14 living wage vs. Amazon and Costco strategy.

Bruce Merrifield

April 26, 2021

The “$15-hour living wage” movement will continue. It will buy votes, liquidate jobs and boost McDonald’s prices more than the new, net wages. Although many voters are weak at system-thinking math, Amazon and Costco are not.

Bruce Merrifield: Embrace all-will, high-hourly wages

$15 Living Wage vs. Amazon and Costco strategies.

Bruce Merrifield

April 21, 2021

The “$15-hour living wage” movement will continue. It will buy votes, liquidate jobs and boost McDonald’s prices more than the new, net wages. Although many voters are weak at system-thinking math, Amazon and Costco are not.

Bruce Merrifield: Minnow division and data-free beliefs

Don’t waste time and resources on the wrong customers.

Bruce Merrifield

March 12, 2021

Customer-profitability analytics provide many insights for distributors. A common opportunity is an accumulated sea of small, unprofitable accounts: Minnows!

Bruce Merrifield: Automate the picking of your losing, small-dollar SKUs

Bruce Merrifield

February 25, 2021

Many distributors assume they can handle one more warehouse order for free. Aren’t all warehouse operational-costs fixed in the moment? And isn’t keeping people busier good?

Digital disruption lessons

Factors that are attacking your selling techniques.

Bruce Merrifield

July 10, 2020

As consumers, we benefit from the digital disruption that continues to march through different verticals (such as newspapers, movies, music albums, travel agents, cars, stock trading, etc). But, the unchanging, traditional players died while we gained.

COVID-19 price gouging

Bruce Merrifield

June 24, 2020

A look at relic-SKU pricing and strategic pricing.

Bruce Merrifield: Downsize tactics for distributors

Bruce Merrifield

May 12, 2020

After World War II, when the economy tanked, the drill was to freeze hiring, maybe weed out a few, freeze all investments, cut all discretionary expenses and try not to cave on declining incentive pay that is de facto salary. Basically, wait out the recession, then get back to growing with the U.S. economy; your industry; and/or the inflation in your product lines.