COLORADO SPRINGS, COLO.—The North American Association of Floor Covering Distributors (NAFCD) will release the “Competitive Advantage Toolkit: Establish, Build, Sustain,” a new resource for NAFCD members, available at its 2010 conference here, Nov. 16 to 18.
The toolkit, based on three industry studies from 2008 to 2010, presents data, analysis and recommendations to help distributors establish and maintain strong relationships with suppliers and dealers within the flooring channel. In addition to providing a big-picture understanding of the supply chain, the toolkit features presentation slides, practical worksheets, next steps and templates for strategic sales and business planning.
“Many changes have taken place in the flooring supply chain over the last 18 to 24 months,” said Michelle Miller, NAFCD’s executive vice president. “The Competitive Advantage Toolkit offers tools and resources to understand current conditions and provide a clear direction on how to grow by establishing, building and sustaining relation- ships, both up and downstream.”
Research featured in the toolkit was compiled by Jason Bader, managing partner of the Distribution Team, a supply chain consulting company specializing in inventory management, vendor relations, pricing and customer service relations.
“The recommendations in this toolkit are based on our extensive research conducted among floor covering manufacturers, distributors and dealers. It offers a comprehensive view of what is taking place in the industry, and gives tips on how distributors can modify their business and sales tactics to navigate through the economic recovery for long-term success.”
NAFCD members can come to the association’s booth to pick up their copy of the toolkit at the 2010 Distributor Marketplace. The event, co-sponsored by NAFCD and the North American Building Materials Distribution Association (NBMDA), will bring together manufacturers and distributors from both organizations for the first time for industry-specific education, networking and business connections. Following the Distributor Marketplace, the toolkit will become available for purchase. In addition to the toolkit, members will be able to pick up NAFCD’s recent white paper on leadership. This paper highlights the personal and professional value of taking leadership roles within the industry.
“Leadership is one of the four pillars of value NAFCD offers to its members, which also include networking, education and trends. The Competitive Advantage Toolkit fulfills the last two pillars,” Miller said.
For more information, call 312.321.6836.