Channel Marketing Group recently surveyed almost 200 construction and industrial distributors to better understand the marketing tools that they use and how effective they feel that these tools are. Ratings were developed to rank effectiveness.  Distributors were also asked about their marketing budgets - from what percentage of activities involved supplier identification to their budgets as a percentage of sales.  The report costs only $29.

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Want to know what contractors are currently thinking about for 2011? Where they see business growth? What their needs are? How much they expect business to increase or decrease?

And we've been able to share comparative information vs. 2010 for selected questions.

Channel Marketing Group and Allen Ray Associates recently completed their 2011 Contractor Insights Research report.  This 50 page report includes survey results from over 250 contractors throughout the country and selected quotations from contractors throughout the country.

The report costs only $179.  Either click on the button below to pay via PayPal, email us for a link to PayPal to pay or email to request an invoice

According to a leading electrical contractor consultant, one of the biggest challenges for contractors is understanding marketing and developing a strategic marketing plan. This represents an opportunity for distributors and manufacturers to become a resource for there customers

Based upon this input, Channel Marketing Group has created a seminar, Marketingopoly, as well as an accompanying collection of articles to share marketing knowledge with contractors.

This 25 page booklet contains 10 articles that distributors and manufacturers can share in total with their customers or can use excerpts in their marketing materials (newsletters, magazines, handouts, bind it as a mailer, etc...)

The cost for the booklet is only $99.  For more information, email Channel Marketing Group.

Helping contractors grow their business may be the secret weapon to growing your business. Successful companies know that marketing is not a game. It requires planning, creativity and a commitment to execution.

In responding to a recent Channel Marketing Group’s 2010 Contractor Insights Research report, contractors expressed a desire for more educational programs to support their business growth. The contractors listed product courses concerning the energy market, safety and arc flash as well as business courses covering legal matters, taxation and growth strategies.

Channel Marketing Group has developed a reality based value-added program to educate electrical contractors on the importance of a marketing-based business plan and philosophy to meet the economic challenges of today. The 2-3 hour training program is called, “MARKETINGOPOLYTM for Contractors - Mastering the PPP…”
 The course covers:

• The definition of marketing
• Why a strategic marketing process is important in today’s economy?
• How to write an effective marketing plan?
• Understanding Your Situation Analysis – What is it? How will it help your business grow profitably?
• Establishing Goals & Objective
• Action Plans to grow your business.
• Forecasting, managing and budgeting marketing projects.

The switchgear / distribution equipment market represents between 10-15% of the average electrical distributor’s sales and is an important product category when trying to build contractor and industrial business. Distributors typically identify their business by their distribution line and customers then consolidate more of their purchases with these key distributors. And every distributor knows the value of a good gear specialist.

With gear being so important, and the electrical industry’s perception that the value of brands is declining, Channel Marketing Group introduces its Brand Preference Reports.

These report asks end-users (contractors, direct end-users and influencers) which brands they prefer as well as which brands they recognize. “Prefer” is defined as brands they “recommend, purchase or install” and “recognize” was defined as “occasionally purchase or notice the name.”

The first report is switchgear / distribution equipment. Input was received in the for product categories:

Low Voltage Switchgear, MV Switchgear, MV Motor Control Centers, LV Motor Control , Switchboard, Air Circuit Breakers, Molded Case breakers, Distribution Panelboards, Sub-metering, Safety Switches, Dry Type Distribution, Transformers, AC Drives and Busway

Interested in what contractors are thinking throughout the country? What market segments do they think will grow? What product applications represent opportunity? What other product categories should distributors carry?


This and more is available in our 2010 Contractor Insights Report which shares survey results from over 200 contractors and interviews with another 55. This 35+ page report highlights many of the issues that contractors are facing such as how much work do they have in their pipeline, are the becoming e-connected, what services do they value, how do they want to be marketed to and how should labor saving products be marketed to contractors?

All this and more for only $59.

Contractors want to know more about LEDs but with the myriad of manufacturers and products on the market, it's difficult to know whom to trust, what to recommend, how to evaluate and then how to install.  Channel Marketing Group, in conjunction with Energy Smart Marketers, surveyed contractors to gain their insights. This 15 page report can help distributors and manufacturers better understand their end-customer and market LEDs to contractors. Only $199.