Profit/General
Navigating the Brave New World (July 2013)
About an upcoming workshop to help manufacturers make sense of the new world of broker agencies
The Retailization of Foodservice (January 2013)
A "Foodservice Lifer's" look at Category Management, advocating open-minds and fresh perspectives
Going All-In on Category Management (November 2012)
Updates on US Foods and Sysco efforts to bring this discipline to foodservice
Rethinking Broker Agency Networks (July 2012)
Presenture's fresh approach to Foodservice Marketing and Sales
Taking It to the Next Level (May 2012)
Initial thoughts about ramping up the dialogue around thorny foodservice issues
Acosta is All In (March 2012)
Observations about the second entry of a national Retail Agency into the foodservice world
Killing the Goose? (March 2012)
Exploring the plight of independent operators, who are often left bearing the brunt of manufacturer and distributor focus on chains, GPO's, etc.
Wond'ring Aloud (January 2012)
More thoughts on the role of brands in foodservice, especially given changes in the broker agency industry
Opportunity Knocks (August 2011)
A new and better way to deal with unsaleable merchandise
No Wonder Nobody's Written This Book! (August 2010)
An update on my book about the Foodservice Channel
Top2Top Nuggets (Feb 2010)
My favorite takeaways from last week's FSMA Top2Top Conference
Buzz Marketing Plus
Forward thinking by Jim Matorin of Smartketing, prodding foodservice manufacturers to support operators by tapping into the information provided by social networking tools
Foodservice Myths - Part 2 (Feb 2010)
Last month's commentary on Foodservice Myths prompted a few readers to submit myths of their own...
New Year's Revolution (December 2009)
An invitation to join me in making use of new media to communicate about our business
GS1 Me! (December 2009)
What do you think about the latest effort to standardize our industry?
Mythbusters (January 2010)
Putting the microscope on "low hanging fruit" and other foodservice myths
5 P's in FS (January 2010)
Applying some "old school" marketing to the foodservice channel
Bite Off Some New Ideas (January 2010)
An invitation to attend this year's FSMA Top2Top Conference
It is ON! (November 2009)
-Two points of view about the use of regional broker agencies, with a link to a Technomic/FSMA paper about the changing world of the agency
Broker Knows Best (October 2009)
Warns against the dangers of outsourcing local Sales and Marketing, then duplicating the activity
A Gordian Knot (September 2009)
An examination of Gordon Foodservice's approach to geographic growth and broker agency representation
What's New? (August 2009)
Link to my new White Paper, "3 Surefire Ways to Build Profit From Your Existing Customers and Products," as well as other free resources for FSMI readers
The Quest for Foodservice Customer Profitability (July 2009)
Commentary by Jim Klass of MarketIntelligence, LLC regarding the importance of understanding Total Profit to Serve by customer
Rethinking Distributor Relationships (June 2009)
A reminder that manufacturers and broker agencies who choose to de-emphasize distributor relationships do so at their own peril
Be Careful What You Ask For (May 2009)
Responses and comments around the issue of Operator Sales Data
The Science of Muddling Through the Great Recession (May 2009)
Guest commentary by Bruce Merrifield regarding our prospects for economic recovery, and how to prepare for it
Why Can't Foodservice Be More Like Retail? (April 2009)
Egging on distributors to make their sales data available to manufacturers - even at a price
Help Wanted (April 2009)
Seeking advice from FSMI readers regarding my new service offering
The Truth About Candor (April 2009)
Great thoughts from Chris Chanski's new book
Measuring Sales and Marketing Effectiveness (March 2009)
Commentary from Brian Finn regarding his process for understanding the return on Sales and Marketing expenditures
Hugging or Husbandry? (March 2009)
Concise thoughts from Barry Wright about segmenting your customers, and treating them accordingly
Be Less Flexible for Better Service (February 2009)
A quick examination of the relationship between strict policies and great customer service
More on Foodservice Marketing (February 2009)
Guest commentary by Steve Davis of Davis Consulting Associates, LLC, continuing our exploration of the role of Marketing for foodservice manufacturers
I'll Try the Crow, With a Slice of Humble Pie! (December 2008)
I'll Try the Crow, With a Slice of Humble Pie!" (December 2008)
Food for Thought (November 2008)
Calls attention to an excellent interview with author Michael Pollan
Retail vs. Foodservice - Round 117 (October 2008)
Two perspectives on why the businesses are different
Death of a Salesman? (July 2008)
Tom Rector's look at the future of the Regional Manager, along with my comments
A Fresh Look at Foodservice Trends (July 2008)
Highlights from a recent presentation by Harry Balzer of NPD Group
The Manufacturer-Broker Dilemma (June 2008)
Presents one of the core issues in the manufacturer-broker agency model in a new light
Whose Data Is It, Anyway? (May 2008)
A look at some fresh thinking in the use of operator sales call data
An End to Food Show Foolishness? (May 2008)
An End to Food Show Foolishness? (May 2008)
Still At It (April 2008)
Looks at yet another industry initiative to standardize information sharing among trading partners
One At a Time (February 2008)
A call to action for manufacturers and agencies to invent better ways of working together
The Scary Times Success Manual (November 2007)
Ten rules for surviving and thriving in tough economic times
So What? (December 2007)
Discusses how changes in the industry are driving changes in the way manufacturers and agencies work together
Naming Names (November 2007)
Raises questions about how manufacturers name their products, both for internal and external use.
Fairness (April 2007)
Describes the conflicts that can arise when manufacturers assign targets to agencies and demand activity reports; suggests some rules for each to ensure effectiveness
What IS Foodservice Marketing, Anyway? (January 2007)
Discusses the uncertainty and differing points of view about the discipline of Foodservice Marketing. Seeks reader responses regarding their definitions and job descriptions.
Regionalize THIS! (March 2007)
Summarizes differing points of view about the emergence of regional Sales and Marketing Agencies
96 Tiers (December 2006)
Suggests that "tiered commission programs" may lead to unintended consequences for manufacturers
How Super is Your Service? (February 2006)
Examines the relationship between actual time and effort expended, and overall lead time for key business processes. Comparison is made to the actual "ball in play" time for the Super Bowl.
A Tale of Two Companies (March 2006)
Examines two very different approaches to the foodservice market, and the opportunities and risks which must be understood and accepted.
What Do You Do? (May 2006)
Describes four of my main service offerings, and how they help manufacturers achieve their numbers in a slow growth environment.
Check It Out at the Library (October 2006)
Recommends Food Service Enablers and their Food Service Library as an excellent tool for organizing and disseminating Marketing and Sales information
The Times They Are A'Changing! (September 2006)
The Times They Are A'Changing! (September 2006)
Questions the wisdom of clinging to a dated model of how manufacturers and broker agencies work together, given the magnitude of change in industry structure
Planning vs. Reacting (April 2005)
Makes the case for putting more emphasis on responding to a volatile marketplace, and less emphasis on endless planning cycles
Anatomy of a Conflict (August 2005)
Compares the old "broker conflict" issues to the new set of conflicts facing manufacturers and their Sales and Marketing Agencies
Are You a Screen Manager? (December 2005)
Urges Regional Managers to occasionally banish the Blackberry, look up from the laptop, and get back to more effective working relationships with Sales and Marketing Agencies
The Nature of Demand (January 2005)
Explores the nature of demand for food products, and the extent to which manufacturers can create vs. respond to demand
Desperately Seeking Data (July 2006)
Questions the traditional thinking about operator sales data by both manufacturers and distributors, and suggests that it's time for an attitude adjustment
So THAT'S Foodservice Marketing! (February 2007)
Provides three readers' responses to last month's question, with my comments on each
