Are you so focused on the day-to-day operations of your distribution business that when you do have time to think about marketing you feel like you don’t know where to start?
Distributor Marketing Management Inc. (DMM), an IMARK Plumbing member service provider, sees marketing through the distributor’s lens and designs and develops personalized marketing programs for wholesale distributors.
“We may be talking about new-school technology but we’re old school in that we are very relationship-oriented,” said John Anderson, director of sales at DMM. “We work with people for a long time to help them build relation-ships, which have never been more important to help distributors survive and thrive.”
Founded in 1992 by Loren George, DMM is a privately-owned company that provides full-service direct marketing solutions, primarily to plumbing, HVAC/R and electrical distributors. “We specialize in developing marketing plans for plumbing, HVAC/R, irrigation, building and elec-trical supply wholesale distributors,” Anderson said. “We represent more than 125 distributors who collectively have more than 1,600 locations nationwide.”
DMM’s 25 years of experience with wholesale distributors can help IMARK Plumbing members increase sales and profit with the company’s consistent and proven marketing programs. The company’s three main areas of focus are custom promotions, direct mail and digital signage.
Distributor Marketing Management Inc., an IMARK Plumbing member service provider, sees marketing through the distributor’s lens and designs and develops personalized marketing programs for wholesale distributors.
- Growth Incentive Promotions can help grow your business in a specific product category, market segment, geography, etc. DMM uniquely tailors each promotion to suit a specific dis-tributor need. For example, a 90-day promotion provides the incentive for the distributor’s customer to grow their business by a specific amount—to earn a high-end gas grill, outdoor gear, electronics or hunting equipment. “We work with each client to set the parameters to be growth-related,” Anderson said. “The promotions are methodically planned so they are not just an expensive thank you note to a customer you are already getting business from.”
- Direct mail marketing has seen a renaissance in the last couple of years. Why? Because it works, and also due to email being an elusive means of influencing the contractor. “We know how expensive it is to put a salesman on the road, and for most plumbing contractors—his office is the dashboard of a truck,” Anderson said. “We produce impactful mailings once a month about new products, services and time-saving opportunities—all of the stuff a contractor finds useful—and we customize it with your brand for your network of customers.”
- Digital marketing signage is a customizable cloud-based TV network designed for the TVs at your sales counter and in your showroom. Content can include tech tips, event and sales promos and cross-selling messages. “We design and manage all of the content for more than 400 locations around the country,” Anderson said. “Digital signage is our fastest growing segment and continues to grow in importance as distributors and manufactures alike, look for more and better ways to improve customer engagement. Our digital signage is dynamic, cloud-based and constantly changing, and at the end of the day we bring the know-how so you can be confident that it works”.
Loren George president, Distributor Marketing Management
John Anderson director of sales, Distributor Marketing Management
DMM’s three areas of marketing expertise help distributors who may be struggling with keeping their customers’ attention. “The counter is like the engine room for distributors,” Anderson said. “Digital signage captures customers’ attention and tells them more reasons to buy from you. Quite frankly, this is a cluttered and difficult world to engage customers in and we offer new and effective ways to engage them.”
DMM also offers other printing services for items such as line cards, as well as showroom marketing services. “We are the ultimate ala carte marketing resource toolbox if you are not selling enough accessories, or if your sales in certain categories are flat or if you are not keeping pace with demand,” Anderson said. “We recommend the right type of promotion that matches your unique needs and we handle all the communication. At the end of the day, we provide the resources to market and sell more products and grow your market share. We are always thinking about new ways to help you become the preferred vendor for customers.”
DMM was a member of Omni for quite some time before joining IMARK Electrical approximately three years ago. “Ostensibly because they were looking for a digital signage provider because members were asking about it,” Anderson said. “At the very first meeting we went to they asked us to join Equity Plumbing and we think the new iteration of IMARK Plumbing is fantastic.”
DMM attends all of the IMARK meetings and showcases and wants to support your distribution business.
Getting started with DMM is as easy as calling Anderson at 440-236-5534 or scheduling a meeting with the company at one of the IMARK meetings and starting a conversation about what you’re doing now and what you might want to try to execute in the future.
For more information, visit distributormarketing.net.