It's 2024, and let me tell you, we're swimming in an ocean of data and AI advancements. As someone who likes to keep things simple and actionable, I'm both awed and a bit overwhelmed by it all. What's crucial, I've found, is to cut through the clutter and focus on the metrics that really matter. It's easy to get lost in data, but why complicate things when you can streamline your focus? So, let's dive into what I believe are the key numbers to watch in 2024 for anyone in the direct … [Read more...]
Are You Doing the Math for Your Distributors?
Today’s direct seller has more access to data and numbers than any generation of direct seller ever had before. Backoffices are packed with beautiful reports, dashboards are dotted with wonderful widgets and notifications, and promotions and programs are launched every day to accelerate sales and income. And yet, my experience tells me that Distributors don’t always appreciate all this stuff like I think they should. Some of the obvious perks of a new promotion often get overlooked. The … [Read more...]
Outsourcing Fulfillment: Bigger Isn’t Always Better Starting Out
Whether you are an entrepreneur, growing business or mature company, the goal in today’s business world is to be bigger and better than our closest competitor. We want to be seen as the ‘leader’ of our industry. One of the primary ways we achieve this goal is through our sales and customer satisfaction … by having top-notch processes. Those ‘processes’ manifest themselves in our ordering, fulfillment and shipping life cycle. Today, you may be fulfilling your orders out of your garage, but … [Read more...]
Navigating the E-Commerce Implementation Process
This article is part of an ongoing series by Doug Finnie, titled “In Search of the Perfect E-Commerce Solution Series.” View the rest of the series HERE. Continuing with the fourth part of a five-part series on, “In Search of the Perfect Software Solution,” where we have been discussing the different phases of searching for and implementing software solutions. The fourth part will cover the software implementation phase. So far, we have done our homework, identified software requirements … [Read more...]
6 Best Practices To Prevent Shipping Costs From Eroding Your Margins
Businesses have grown to depend on parcel shipping as a lifeline to consumers and clients. The days of just slapping on a shipping label and sending off a package have given way to a complex maze of service levels, pricing, and intricate fees and surcharges. Over the past decade, UPS & FedEx have increased their ground tariff rates 75% and their air tariffs 81.8%. Those aren’t exactly small numbers. What’s worse, is these figures do not include the infamous Dimensional Weight pricing … [Read more...]