Articles

Do You Own a Business, or a Job?

March 28, 2013

Over the years, I have watched several different management styles.  Some business owners, or senior managers, have their finger in every slice of the pie.  Others have adopted a more passive approach to ownership; even to the point of becoming an absentee owner.  I am not going stick my neck out and say that one [...]

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TIME!

March 28, 2013

In today’s hectic environment time just might be our most valuable resource. With the tug of family, business, and outside interests deciding on where to allocate our time becomes a matter of “return on investment”. Making time to attend an industry meeting must have a return greater than the cost and time lost. If you [...]

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Why belong to an industry association?

November 30, 2011

In two short months CRW Parts Inc will be celebrating its 50th anniversary, but if you consider it a continuation of R W Norris and Sons (as many of our suppliers do) we have been around since 1850. While many would consider this pretty impressive it is not unusual in our industry. Pioneer Rim and [...]

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HDAW 2012: Be there, and connect with the Transportation Aftermarket

November 30, 2011

HDAW ’12 is going to be something special. With a great theme: “Corporate Culture: The Foundation for Success” this year’s independent distributor conference will provide the attendees with an information and education program that promises to be both profound and reflective. The opening general session and four individual education sessions are designed to hit home. [...]

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2011 CVSN Aftermarket Distribution Summit

November 30, 2011

Imagine a time when the DOT official will hook into a connector on the truck and read all the fault codes to determine potential infractions, and your current customers can no longer buy from you because both you and they lack the necessary tools to complete the repair on the truck.  Customers will be forced [...]

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What’s on your Bucket List?

August 23, 2011

One of the things that happens to old people like me is that they start looking over their lives and listing the things they still need to do. This is often called the bucket list. With the economy as bad as it has been, especially in Florida, I guess I should just have “SURVIVE” at [...]

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9.2% Unemployment? Blame Microsoft

August 23, 2011

I was in a Rite Aid pharmacy the other day and about to pay for my stuff at their new bank of automated self-check out kiosks.  I heard one woman behind me say to her friend, “Oh, I would NEVER use those things.  They take jobs away from people.” Um…duh? What’s that?  You’d like to [...]

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Strategic Pricing & Your Sales Team

April 25, 2011

Brent Grover: Here’s how to bring salespeople into the pricing conversation The theory behind strategic pricing is simple – streamlining the pricing process to identify and eliminate outliers. But implementation can be difficult, especially if you neglect to include your sales team in the conversation, according to Brent Grover, managing partner at Evergreen Consulting.

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Advantages of Independent Distribution

April 25, 2011

CVSN Vice-President’s Viewpoint – Marc Karon At the recent HDAW meeting in Las Vegas, I had the privilege of representing the heavy duty independent aftermarket in a Point/Counterpoint debate with Michele Calbi, Vice President of Parts for Navistar Defense.  Unlike past presentations which make distributors look like dinosaurs waiting for extinction. This interchange showed that [...]

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Replacing Stopgap Tactics With Winning Strategies

December 28, 2010

CVSN Vice-President’s Viewpoint – Marc Karon Most of us have either seen the bottom of the recession or have already started to see a recovery.  Regardless of your situation, it is time to review our “strategies” for our businesses.  During the worst of the recession, we were forced to make tactical decisions that may have [...]

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