Scott Benfield

Herding Cats for Profit

May 10, 2011

A friend, and now retired client once told me that after his 40 years in contractor-based distribution, he noticed most distributors herd cats when it comes to profitability.

The Power of Transaction Thinking

Scott Benfield

February 15, 2011

Taking Rocky’s lead, I am inventing a field of business philosophy called “Transaction Thinking.”

The Decline Of The Branch Manager

Scott Benfield

January 12, 2011

Coming out of 2010, the second decade of the New Millennium looks poised for growth, albeit at a tepid rate.

The Key to Long-Run Productivity: Transaction Profiling and the Outside Sales Force

Scott Benfield

November 1, 2010

Way back in 2004, long before the over-hype of the real estate market reached the famed fevered pitch, we conducted a review of productivity in distribution markets.

Throwing Away Money On Sales Compensation

Scott Benfield

September 9, 2010

For most of its 100-year+ history, distributors have driven the profit in their firms by metrics and comparisons from the income statement.

Professionals, Control-Freaks and Carrier Pilots

Scott Benfield

July 20, 2010

There are two basic types of employees inside most firms: internal and external.

Right Structuring vs. Right Sizing: Growing Profits for the Coming Decade

Scott Benfield

June 28, 2010

It should be plain by now that the downturn that started two years ago is far more than a typical recession.

Practical Solutions to Negative Profits in the Era of Cost to Serve

Scott Benfield

May 14, 2010

In his recent book, Profit Myths in Wholesale Distribution, Al Bates lauds gross margin dollars as one of the most important numbers and concepts in running a profitable wholesale company.

Staffing the Large Family-Owned Firm with Non-Family Talent

Scott Benfield

April 14, 2010

Many years ago, I worked in a sizable family-owned distributorship. My goal was to gain experience in helping the company go to market using modern principles of sales and marketing.

What Do The Definitions of Wholesaler and Manufacturer Really Mean?

Scott Benfield

February 8, 2010

The definitions of Wholesaler and Manufacturer have, in the minds of most industry veterans, distinct meaning. Manufacturers turn raw material into products and wholesalers take title to the products while