Marketing Archives

Annual Planning: Pie-Eating Contest or Growth Strategy?

Budget season: a contest of appetites, competing priorities, and shifting rules. Lessons for Manufacturers and Distributors Entering Planning Do you ever get the feeling annual planning is like a pie-eating contest?Only the rules keep changing. One year it’s find efficiencies.Next year it’s prove ROI.This year? Do more with AI. The Fiscal Year Budget Fight Every function has a claim on the pie: Marketing wants more media dollars and support to keep up Sales wants more field support, program incentives, and better leads CEO/CFO want SG&A down and productivity up IT asks [...]

Annual Planning: Pie-Eating Contest or Growth Strategy?James Dorn2025-10-03T18:26:16-05:00

Never Trust a Perfect Growth Strategy

The difference between chasing growth and capturing it: knowing where you can win. AI in the Boardroom for Strategic Growth Planning If AI handed you a perfect roadmap for doubling your business, would you follow it? That’s the question manufacturers and distributors face as they enter annual planning cycles. Forecasts are built. Investments are debated. Last year’s numbers are scrutinized. But AI isn’t looking backward—it’s pointing ahead. The real challenge isn’t whether AI can generate the roadmap. It’s whether leadership teams can envision it clearly enough—and trust it enough—to execute. The [...]

Never Trust a Perfect Growth StrategyJames Dorn2025-10-03T16:18:09-05:00

Tariffs Are Today’s Headline—But Main Street Is Tomorrow’s Movement

Not just selling. Serving. Staying. Building. While tariffs are currently dominating headlines, the most strategic companies aren’t just reacting to today’s pricing pressure—they’re planning for what’s next. They’re using this moment to rethink how they show up in the market, how they create value beyond product, and how they connect with the people and communities they serve. Yes—tariffs matter.They’re shaking up supply chains, pricing strategies, and cost structures in real time. Manufacturers Are Asking: Do we raise prices? Hold steady? Drop to grab share? What’s our competitive posture—and how do we [...]

Tariffs Are Today’s Headline—But Main Street Is Tomorrow’s MovementJames Dorn2025-04-11T16:52:35-05:00

If a Product Launches in Distribution and No One Notices, Did It Even Happen?

MFG: This is a game changer—why aren't you selling more... DIST: Because customers don't know they need it yet Your R&D team spent years perfecting the product. Operations nailed production. Sales secured distribution. And yet… the launch stalls. Sound familiar? You’re not alone. Our NPI Benchmarking Study reveals a harsh reality: Only 1 in 4 new industrial products hits its revenue targets in the first year. Even more concerning? Only 10% of manufacturers believe they outperform competitors in new product introduction capabilities. Too often, manufacturers assume that getting into distribution means [...]

If a Product Launches in Distribution and No One Notices, Did It Even Happen?James Dorn2025-03-13T17:50:15-05:00

Demand, Not Just Distribution: The Missing Investment in Growth

Whoa—what logo was on that car? Moving too fast to see. Kind of like big co-op spends… instead of smarter programs that drive sales Most manufacturers spend years securing distribution—but far less time ensuring their product actually sells once it’s there. Instead of shifting strategy, companies often double down on what feels familiar. “Let’s add more sales reps and expand into new verticals.” Or, “Let’s invest in more co-op programs with our biggest distributors—even if it just means our logo ends up on their sponsored NASCAR car for one race out [...]

Demand, Not Just Distribution: The Missing Investment in GrowthJames Dorn2025-03-13T17:52:10-05:00