Distributor

It's lonely at the top. We know. You're the leader, and there's nobody to really talk to in your company to get executive advice.

 If you need a skilled consultant and businessman to help develop ideas, help generate cash from underperforming assets, promote your business, or simply listen and respond to your issues, we can help.

We've worked in huge corporations and small businesses. We've been consultants to businesses, developed strategic plans for other businesses, and run our own businesses. We've learned from the best, and we always keep learning so we can help others to be the best in their fields.

 Call on us to apply our wisdom and experience to your issues.

 This offer is for CEOs only. Because of the distractions faced in your office, we ask that you come to one of our offices in the Dallas-Ft Worth area for in-person coaching sessions.  Optionally, join us on GoToMeeting® for a phone consultation.

Coaching Packages Business Assessment Intensive: 13 90-minute biweekly coaching sessions for six months--$9,947 Designed to help people with issues they need to diagnose and solve this year. We review all metrics of your business and interview you on your business processes. We perform pro forma assessments, operating and balance sheet risk assessments, a review of marketing, engineering (if present), purchasing, operations, sales, customer service, after sale service, IT, HR, major contracts, leases, business strategy, estate planning for the owner, succession plans, asset productivity, capital structure assessment, buy/sell agreements, and training and education. After examining all of this, we reorganize your measurements into a "Profit Triad" framework to more effectively manage the business and make recommendations to generate more cash from underperforming assets, improve productivity, maximize gross profit per order, and maximize value to customers to boost sales and market share.

Monthly Mentoring:  12 monthly 90-minute one-on-one coaching sessions for a year--$6,497  Less structured than the Business Assessment Intensive, this is designed for the executive that wants an easier pace but sage advice on a range of issues in his business or a plan to attack one large issue. The agenda is more fluid according to the specific needs of the executive. We do, however, discover the exact issues and an agenda for dealing with them over the course of the year.

Growth Wizards Coaching for Wholesale Distributors 13 biweekly 90-minute phone consults for six months--$14,557. Coaching by both Neil Gillespie and Allen Ray (Allen Ray Associates, Productivity | Growth | Consultants). When both of these men collaborate on your issues at the same time, it's not like getting the best of two people's advice; it's more like five. We'll use Go-To Meeting and the phone to meet with you.

8 Steps to Growth Intensive:  16 biweekly sessions using Neil Gillespie's 8 Steps to Breakthrough Growth Discipline--$11,997 Pre-requisites: You must read the book and complete the questionnaire. Book included in the fee.

Rating Your Employees:  You'll need to call to discuss this world-renown service with Jack Justillian.  You'll be astounded at the results.  Jack will supply references and actual case studies.  Call Jack at 713-398-7837 or email him at justillian@allenray.com

Remote Board of Directors:  12 monthly coaching sessions for 120 minutes each--$17,987annually Not an official Board of Directors, but Sam McCamy, Jack Justilian, Allen Ray, or Neil Gillespie  will meet with your management team using Go To Meeting and conference calling once a month to assist with plans and operational reviews.  We will give direction to help you plan, execute and measure results more effectively, and help you respond to issues that arise in the course of the year.  You should have a meeting room with an Internet-connected computer with a projector and a large screen monitor of 46" or larger and a high quality conferencing phone. Bring up to 10 management people to the meeting.  With Go-To-Meeting, we can share anything on our desktop including an electronic flipchart/whiteboard, any MS Office document, and browser pages.  Ask about recording these sessions for an extra fee.

Call Me Anytime option.  Add $497 to a plan and you can call me anytime between 8 and 6 PM CST.  I will answer or return the call the same day if you call before 3:00 PM.  After that time, please let me know if it is OK to call you in the evening or if you prefer a next-day call.  Call Me Anytime calls are limited to 15 minutes. You will get my cell phone number. Please do not give it to anyone else. I will only accept calls from you personally.

Behavioral Assessment Program option. Since employee cost is roughly 50% of your total cost, we offer a behavioral assessment program that can help with bench marking, defining jobs, allow you to attract the right candidates, select/hire and promote. In addition it will help you to be able to build teams and plan leadership. This program is currently used by some of the top companies in the country. To access this program, we would need to have an in depth conversation for assessment purposes. Ask for the Behavioral Assessment Program by name. We'll start the discussion and set up a time for you to see some real results.

Before we begin any of these packages, you will be sent an assessment package to fill out and return to us. You will also be required to complete "Field Work" requirements before all meetings except Remote Board of Directors. (It's kind of like homework with a different twist. You'll learn about that later.) We will book all sessions at the first meeting. Meeting Postponements must be at least 24 hours prior and must be rescheduled within a week. We also do complete strategic planning projects, family business planning engagements, and marketing strategy engagements. Payments will be accepted via ACH direct deposit or credit card. Payments for annual engagements will be due in two installments. All other prices are due at the beginning of the service.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Why do I need a consultant? Most independently owned businesses are family owned, with multiple family members in the business.  You may have inherited the business.  You need professionals with broad experience.  With Allen Ray and his associates, you are getting seasoned professionals with deep and broad experience in multiple business functions, consultants that understand the interrelationships of marketing, sales, operations, and finance in growing a business.  They know how to drive productivity and get a high return on investment.

How can I afford this? Consider this: in 15 minutes, I gave one owner an idea on how to convert $1.4 million dollars worth of dead inventory (on the shelf for 1.5 years) into cash. Ninety days later he had cash in hand. In this economy, it is all about cash! Another of my clients just recently saw an 11 percent increase in profit during this current recession (for all of 2009). Now that's something when their competitor's were losing 20-50 percent of annual sales and watching their gross profits decline. So, try working with an amateur and see what that costs you.

How does this work? We'll diagnose your issues, create a sequenced plan of attack and work you through the steps on a schedule of visits. For phone consultations, we'll use Go-To-Meeting so we can view documents, do calculations in Excel, display websites and PowerPoint presentations, draw on the screen using an electronic whiteboard. You see what we put on the screen, and you can show us your documents as well.

As savvy professionals that have been around, we consult on these topics and more, anything to do with your business. We can recommend specialist like estate planning lawyers, technology resources, and more. Marketing Leadership Running Effective Meetings Building Teamwork Motivating Employees Internet Marketing Growing Your Business Retaining customers Getting more from current customers Wedging into competitor's customers Getting into new lines of business Complete Business Plans Financial Analysis Profit Improvement Inventory Management Pricing Customer Service Product and Service Planning Sales Strategy Productivity Acquisitions Supplier management Cash Flow Improvement Family Business Issues

Comments about Allen Ray

"Aside from being a very smart and business savvy guy, there are some things I know to be true about him:  1. He does not break a confidence!  2. He'll give you the reasoning and logic for pursuing certain steps, and sometimes they are ideas I've never even considered.  3. He has made my family and our company a lot of money over the years."  -Phil Bates, Owner and President of Atlas Distributing; Mohawk Manufacturing; Apex Real Estate Ventures. Mid-Western part of the United States  "Allen has an ability to understand productivity, pricing and processes that is far beyond what was our scope. We have relied on his judgment and advice. He was able to call the correct moves that we needed to make long before the recession hit. His advice about back office productivity allowed us to concentrate on outward facing issues as the recession proceeded through the economy. " Fred James, President, Texian Distributors Inc. "Allen is a hands-on leader in the area of productivity, pricing, profit leakage, inventory, and warehouse functions who gets it done. The processes that he suggested and helped us install have withstood the test of time. I personally consider Allen as a valued advisor."  J. Harry Sigmund, Chief Executive Officer, Circle R Trading and Distribution, Inc

Developing Sustainable Profit (the importance of it)

Regardless of the type of market you are currently experiencing, developing and reaching your true profit potential (sustainable profit) and putting money on the bottom line should be the concern! The fundamental to profitability is efficient productivity in all facets of your business. You may really be good at marketing or selling, but if you are losing money of every sale and do not know it because you think or perceive "everything is OK", then fooled yourself into a continuation of profit leakage. How you perceive and evaluate your  business is important.

Economical Profit Assessment: Fresh, objective and experienced eyes can be of value in rather short order. Our experienced professionals can usually with advanced information (covered by a signed NDA) can be on site for as little as a day, compare the results and offer business advice that can offer quick changes solutions and longer term strategies. This gives you as a client the opportunity to implement at your own speed. You may also elect to use our "Outsource Consulting service via the web /and or phone. This group of distribution professionals can work remote from their offices without having to travel to your location.

Assessment...a diagnostic business review process

Most of our clients contact us with specific business issues that they are experiencing now or expect to in the future. For example: "we have problems generating and holding margin" or "our market seems to have changed" or "we are just having problems with planning for the future". The Professional Business assessment that ARA developed is designed to look at perceived problems that maybe symptoms of larger issues or issues that are entirely different than what the client initially started out with. It is about putting more profit on the bottom line.

Getting the diagnostics process started:

The first step is that we sign a confidentiality agreement up front to cover any and all documents you choose to show us. By taking this step up front, it allows us to perform our "homework and analysis" prior to setting up our first visit.  You will be asked to fill out a tailored form to get your perspective on your business.  This will help us with a pre-analysis of your business before we meet.

What is involved in business assessment?

Most assessments include an evening meal or meeting the day before with your key staff members who will be interviewed the following day. The basic purpose of this meal/meeting is to explain the process and develop a level of comfort and rapport about the process.  The next day, ARA personnel begin selected interviews that look beyond surface issues and deal with root causes. Are comparative metrics or analytics use? For some clients it is helpful to be exposed to what similar size businesses in the same industry are generating. For other companies, their goals and operational ratios are entirely different. There are common core issues. While some may liken this to an annual diagnostic business review, others will see it as a chance to further the growth goals. Because ARA personnel are outside the business being assessed, their view will be based on years of industry experience.

At the conclusion, a debriefing meeting is held with the owners and or the executive staff. We provide a written summary assessment within a 10-14 day period of time. Included in the assessment will be ARA's recommendations. Some clients will use our recommendations to develop their own ways of handling their issues internally, assuming they have the depth and expertise. ARA will also provide  proposals addressing the totality of issues where we feel that  ARA can provide real value beyond the client's needs.

Costs and valued feedback:

The cost of an assessment will vary depending number of branches, geographical location, and inclusion of function and personnel evaluations and of course the number of days. The fees range from $4,000 to $15,000, plus travel expenses.

Currently ARA has conducted assessments for distributors ranging in size from $2 million to several billion in annual revenues.  Some of the comments we've recorded are:

"We are very glad we brought you in. Your company provided a fresh look at our company that has proven to be true. We just couldn't seem to see the trees for the forest." -Owner-$50 million distributor

"Your observations proved to be true and hit the nail on the head"- President -$150 million distributor

"When we first talked, I should have brought your firm in right then. We could have dealt with the issues before it got out of hand. Thanks for opening our eyes."

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Private Labeling/Un labeled offerings: The question that confronts mant distributors is whether to offer private labeled product or un named product.  Research articles (there are 8 in total) as original published in Electrical Wholesaling Magazine can be found on their web at www.ewweb.com. Just type in their search box:private labeling

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 Gaining mind share of your company to get the business software to take your company to the next level?

• The step by step review of your company to help you analyze your company's needs for improving and increasing
• How to develop buy in for your current  needs now and needs in the future
• This is not for the faint of heart, as this paper covers the hard decisions you will face as you move through choosing the next generation of business software. To start the process, please send me an email with "Gaining mind share "in the subject section, along with your name and company contact information.

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 Are you getting your money's worth?  Connect with your manufacturers or your customers? Where is your pay off?

• The promise of cost savings between a distributor's manufacturers and their company is real. But is it worth the expense? To explore those cost saving it might help to read the back ground research: Data Synchronization (from IDEA research paper) For some, the cost savings is worth the expense.

Synchronization Assessment: Most clients contact us with questions about whether it is worth the money invested to synchronize data between themselves and their manufacturers. We sign a confidentiality agreement with your firm, up front. This is done to create a feeling of comfort with our process.

How does a Synchronization Assessment work? Generally ARA will start with a general business assessment that covers business size, lines carried and etc. Based on this phone interview ARA will recommend an on site visit with selected personnel interviews in your business or, we may recommend that confidential sales history files be forwarded for review.

The results will yield a written report that recommends the cost savings that are attainable by synchronization with manufacturers and the on going cost to continue synchronization.

Synchronization Cost Assessment: ARA feels that we provide value to the client before they commit moneis and assets to a synchronization project. The fees range from $3,500 to $10,000 plus travel related expenses.

• Many clients (distributors) are more interested in electronic connectivity with their customers. So, what are the opportunities for distributor's to connect with their customers? Currently there is a lot of paper being pushed at your customers. What are the benfits and potential gains for a distributor that connects with selected customers?

  To find other related articles pertaining to electrical distributors, please click on the Electrical Wholesaling logo below.