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The secret to better manufacturer / distributor working relationships

Robert Nadeau-Managing PrincipalThis month marks the 20th anniversary Industrial Performance Group’s publication, Channel Focus.

In the anniversary issue, Robert Nadeau, Managing Principal, talks how the purpose of the newsletter has not changed - to provide manufacturers and distributors with information that would help them improve their working relationships. In other words, human capital.

Nadeau states that we tend to lose sight of the fact that business success is largely driven by people, capabilities and working relationships.

Industrial-performance-grpTheir research with well over 8,500 manufacturers and distributors clearly shows that only a small number of manufacturers and distributors have successfully harnessed the true potential of their people, capabilities and, in particular, their working relationships. They called this group peak performers.

Their study in 1994 revealed that most manufacturer/distributor working relationships were lacking in the following areas:

  • Direction - lack of common goals or plans
  • Roles and responsibilities - poorly defined
  • Access to quality information - extremely limited
  • Trust and commitment – low

During the past twenty years Industrial Performance Group has determined what makes a peak performer and how distributors and manufacturers can harness peak performers to improve deficiencies in their working relationships.

Click here for their insights in the full article.
Click here if you're a distributor/fabricator looking for upgraded business management software.

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