Hardlines
Strategies
•
Fall 2013
3
Contents
Your Competitive Edge
pg. 4
Do you know how Blish-Mize cuts your
costs and keeps money in your business?
Retailer Feature
pg. 10
Read why the owners of J.P. Lumber in
Oakland, Iowa, chose Blish-Mize.
Market Preview
pg. 16
Don’t miss your chance for bargain buys
and informative seminars at the 2013
Fall Buying Market.
Year-End Review
pg. 25
Use the Year-End Review tool to develop
a selling strategy for 2014.
Maximize Your Ads
pg. 26
Learn how the On-Demand program can
help you advertise online.
A Perfect Fit
pg. 32
Plan to visit these four vendors Blish-Mize
is bringing to the Fall Buying Market.
On the Cover:
Jerry and Suzanne Pierce, J.P. Lumber in
Oakland, Iowa
THE PRESIDENT’S REPORT
Advertising Information
Hardlines Strategies
is published twice every year
by Blish-Mize. Copyright 2013. For advertising rates
and deadlines, please contact:
Blish Connor
Blish-Mize
223 S. Fifth St., Box 249
Atchison, Kansas 66002
Toll free: (800) 995-0525
(913) 367-1250
(913) 375-2505 (cell)
(913) 367-0667 (fax)
e-mail:
Blish-Mize isamember-owner
ofDistributionAmerica
We Keep Working for You
T
hank you for choosing Blish-Mize. We value
your business. If you were to ask me what
we’re doing to keep you competitive, I’d
start with a list of 50 reasons of why Blish-Mize has
an advantage over other distributors. You can read a
few of those 50 reasons on Page 4.
What have you done to keep your business
competitive this year? Whether your competitors are
down the street or in the next town, your customers
will always have choices of where they do business. You know that if you
want to be their retailer of choice, you need to find ways to set yourself apart.
Here at Blish-Mize, we follow that same strategy.
For example, beginning next year, your Blish-Mize sales representative will
present you with a year-end review of all of the purchases you made through
Blish-Mize in 2013 compared to 2012. This review will include purchases
by department, inventory usage, adjustment history and more. With this
information in hand, you and your sales representative can work together
to improve your profitability. In the report, you will also find a promotional
calendar for 2014 as well as a review of the full range of programs and services
Blish-Mize offers so you’re not missing any opportunities that could help you.
We will offer the year-end review every year, and it comes
at no charge to
you
. Its biggest value will be in how it helps you get a new perspective on
your business and improve your profitability.
Speaking of promotions, in this digital age, it is increasingly important to
reach your customers at their computers, tablets and smartphones. It couldn’t
get much easier, or less expensive, than our On-Demand advertising program.
This year we made several enhancements to this program, which makes it
easier to publish your circular online. You’ll want to attend the seminar at the
Market to learn more about our 2014 advertising program options.
I’d also like to introduce our new e-Delivery paperless service. You can
now choose to receive your packing lists, invoices and month-end statements
via email and/or fax. This option allows us to communicate with you quickly
and efficiently, saving you time and cutting down on some of the paper
stacked up around your office.
Finally, more opportunities are in store for you at our Fall Buying Market.
Along with all of the bargain prices from our vendors, we have an exciting
lineup of seminars. In addition to the 2014 Advertising Program update,
representatives from the North American Retail Hardware Association will
share how you can create a more effective employee-training program. Then,
on Saturday during breakfast, they’ll talk about how your brick-and-mortar
store can compete in the online marketplace.
Read more about our Fall Buying Market on the following pages of
Strategies
. Make plans to attend our Market and make this competitive
advantage work for you.
Jonathan D. Mize
President and COO
