A one-stop reference source for all the articles that appeared in EW during the past year.

Company profiles

Splendid Spin-off By listening closely to customers' needs, Hingham Bay Corp. launched a manufacturing operation that builds specialized industrial components. January, p. 22

Inside Elliott's Web Elliott Electric Supply is using an intranet and the Internet to improve communications with employees, customers and suppliers. January, p. 24

Big Orange MRO Just when many distributors finally learned to compete with Home Depot, the mammoth home center announced plans to get into the MRO market. April, p. 30

Anicom Expansion Intent on building another billion-dollar wire and cable specialist, the Anixter family has used nine acquisitions to help grow Anicom into on of the largest wiring distributors in the U.S. August, p. 20

A Global View Growing from a marine supply house into one of GE's largest independent distributors, 45-year-old Argo International Corp. has become a world-class industrial supplier with customers in 30 countries around the globe. August, p. 25

All Systems Go Dale Holt and the management team at Codale Electric Supply found a solution to the recurring nightmare of inventory inaccuracies. September, p. 20

Team Work Milwaukee's 78-year-old Standard Electric Supply is on the move in Wisconsin's industrial and OEM markets. October, p. 22

Ballew Saw and Tool Here's how a Midwestern mom-and-pop shop used catalog sales to launch itself into a multi-million-dollar company that competes with the catalog giants. December, p. 20

Lawson Products Industrial mill supply and safety products distributor Lawson Products has made private-labeling a core focus and reaps the rewards in brand recognition. December, p. 21

Marshall Industries One of the pioneering distributors in the use of the World Wide Web, electronics distributor Marshall Industries' online endeavors offer plenty of ideas for distributors in the electrical industry. December, p. 22

Editorials and opinions

Taking Stock A look at the shares in publicly traded electrical manufacturers and distributors tells alot about our industry. January, p. 8

Computer Musings Distributors who don't give employees access to the latest information are missing the benefits. February, p. 6

The Future Revisited Reps will have a role in the future of the industry, if they're willing to adapt. March, p. 8

The Future Entrepreneur New types of manufacturers will evolve as the industry matures into a new distribution structure. April, p. 8

How Not to Win Here are the five easiest ways for an electrical distributor to drive customers to competitors. April, p. 90

The Myth of Consolidation Despite the recent string of highly visible acquisitions, the industry does not show signs of consolidating. June, p. 6 Strange Days Indeed Even in a robust economy, distributors seem reluctant to invest in the future. July, p. 8

Information Overload Technology enables us-and pushes us-to deal with more data every day. How much is too much? August, p. 6

Pull Up Your Nets Recent history shows large distributors are doing a better job managing for net profit. September, p. 6

Year-2000: The Problem A tiny gremlin is quietly residing on your hard drive, but it's waiting to cause massive mayhem. September, p. 50

Another Angle A new point of view can help clarify a situation or give you a new perspective. December, p. 8

The Power of Focus Do you want to stand out in your market? Focus on being the best at one of three disciplines. December, p. 74

Electronic commerce

Electronic Commerce Update EW's exclusive report gives you a better idea of whether or not it's worth your while to invest in or update business software that can handle the rigors of electronic commerce. February, p. 21

The Computers of Commerce Before your company can take advantage of EDI, bar coding, VMI, CD-ROMs, the Web and other types of electronic commerce, your computer system must be ready. February, p. 22

Caution on the Internet Business-to-business communications and commerce over the World Wide Web will change how electrical distributors, reps and manufacturers operate more than many of them realize. February, p. 26

Data on the Fly The CD-ROM catalogs that have hit the electrical market during the past two years offer a wealth of product information. February, p. 29

Electric Web Sites While surfing the industry's Web sites, EW's editors saw the good, the bad and the just plain ugly. February, p. 33

EWWEB.COM EW's Online Resource Center on the World Wide Web is up and growing. May, p. 6

Web Site Wisdom Electrical distributors with Web sites see their efforts as the foundation for future adventures in electronic commerce. July, p. 24

Online Profits W.W. Grainger has discovered an untapped gold mine on the Internet by putting the 24-hour availability of its Web site to work. August, p. 22

Web Wise Large distributors are finding value on the World Wide Web. October, p. 8

Electronic Marketing The Web demands more than loading up a site with whiz-bang graphics and promotional puff. October, p. 98

Energy conservation

Speaking the Language I Having trouble convincing a corporate bean counter that an energy-saving retrofit is a sound investment? This article, the first of two parts, will help you back up your proposal with the right numbers. March, p. 43

Performance Contracting Performance contracting is now the name of the energy conservation game. April, p. 35

Speaking the Language II This article, the second of two parts, will help you sell customers on the financial reasons to install energy-efficient equipment. April, p. 70

Partnering for Profits O.K. Electric's Bernie Erickson is well-known for his expertise in the energy conservation field. Now he has a new idea on selling energy-saving electrical products that could change your life. June, p. 28

Feature articles

Outlook 97 Distributors, reps and manufacturers who responded to EW's annual Outlook survey are expecting another solid year of growth for the industry. January, p. 28

Staying the Course The nation's economy will grow at a healthy clip this year, but it won't set any new records, according to several economists. January, p. 33

The 10th Annual GEM Awards EW salutes this year's winners of the Ganzenmuller Electrical Marketing (GEM) and Rising Star Awards April, p. 47

A Rift Over Rebates A California court ruling concerning rebates has caused some manufacturers and distributors to rethink the electrical industry's pricing and discount practices. April, p. 32

Industrially Speaking Open communications standards will allow industrial controls on the factory floor to communicate more effectively. May, p. 24

Grade "A" Growth When it comes to hot markets, schools and universities are at the head of the class. June, p. 30

The Power of Partnership Electrical distributors of all sizes are teaming up with other companies to pool their resources and offer customers one-stop shopping. June, p. 33

250 Biggest Electrical Wholesaling's annual listing of the largest U.S. electrical distributors is an industry event. June, p. 37

Local Logic Distributor authorization agreements are in the spotlight again June, p. 52

Precision Pays While some electrical distributors are rethinking the investments they made in regional distribution centers, others have found that these behemoths are earning their keep. July, p. 28

Diverting the Flow Just when electrical distributors learned how to compete with home centers and hybrid distributors, new channel challenges are knocking at the doors of their traditional customers. July, p. 33

Hot Products The results are in from the ultimate jury in the business on the most popular electrical products in Electrical Wholesaling's 6th Annual Hot Products listing. July, p. 37

Special Blend Integrated supply is the talk of the industry for good reason-it has the potential to alter the way MRO products are sold. August, p. 30

The Saga Continues Dick Noel, one of the electrical whole- saling industry's most colorful and astute individuals, offers his take on five decades of change that will put the latest challenge to electrical distributors, integrated supply, into perspective. August, p. 34

Sporting Chances New sports-facility construction offers major league opportunities for many players in the industry-but you will have to get up to bat fast to reap the rewards. September, p. 18

Virtual Warehouse By providing a package of warehousing, delivery and online order tracking, Federal Express and other logistics companies plan to soon offer manufacturers new channels to the market. October, p. 21

Europe's Endurance The sagging European economy, plagued by the problems of monetary unity, con-tinues to challenge electrical distributors faced with declining sales at home and cutthroat competition from foreign importers. December, p. 16

Distributing Ideas No matter what electrical products you're trying to sell, you'll appreciate these innovative marketing and operations ideas from distributors in other industries. December, p. 19

Remembering 1997 A year of new technology, global invest-ment, acquisitions and mergers, 1997 was an eye-opener for many in the electrical industry. December, p. 24

Management Stock for Service In their drive to slash operating costs, electrical distributors in the know are focusing on fine-tuning their inventory levels. January, p. 36

Competitive Edge You don't have to develop an elaborate intelligence-gathering operation to learn what's happening with your competitors. April, p. 57

Family Stock Most of the attention on trends in ware-housing focuses on the need for highly computerized stock-tracking systems and a high-dollar investment in the latest materials-handling system. Here's an alternative. May, p. 28

Paying on Demand Here's how to develop a payment plan for late-paying customers that will turn their promises into cold, hard cash. July, p. 26

Inventory Counts The time-consuming drudgery of physical inventory can be a real pain. Part 1 of 3. September, p. 33

Inventory Counts Are you looking to get a better handle on your inventory? This article offers tips on making your next physical inventory more accurate. October, p. 30

The Customer's Voice Listening tools to accurately assess your customers' needs will get you a larger piece of the business pie. December, p. 57

Cycling the Count Using cycle counting can be an electrical distributor's dream come true. December, p. 64

Marketing

Building a Brand Electrical manufacturers spend millions of dollars promoting the brands they sell. But the important role that electrical distributors play in maximizing the sales potential of these products often gets overlooked. May, p. 19

Free Press You don't need to hire a Madison Avenue ad agency to promote your business. October, p. 20

The Art of Packaging Now that distributors have tasted the sales that merchandising generates, they're hungry for more. Product packaging may be the next course. October, p. 26

Market planning The Magic of Multipliers Use EW's multipliers to estimate account potential. November, p. 8

Sales Savvy Salespeople can learn the basics of market planning and how to focus their sales efforts on the accounts that offer the most potential with this handy resource. November, p. 20

Regional Factbook Distributors expect another solid year of growth in 1998. November, p. 35

Sales

Myth vs. Reality Measuring your customer service can help you custom-design your business to meet customer needs. January, p. 20

Toughest Sale Outside salespeople often don't properly utilize some of their best allies-their inside salespeople back at the office. February, p. 60

Selling Tact Dealing with a customer who is a perpetual winner of the jerk-of-the-month club takes patience and some savvy selling. March, p. 38

Do You Stack Up? By identifying your customers' primary needs and objectives, you can custom-design solutions that separate you from the pack. April, p. 63

Blowing Smoke Just because a customer pelts you with objections doesn't mean the sale is lost. May, p. 34

Price Objections Looking for some fresh ideas on how to combat the oldest problem in the sales game? June, p. 58

Clear the Air New salespeople and industry veterans will enjoy this primer on dealing with customers' pricing objections. July, p. 44

I, Consultant Avoid price objections by delving into the heart and soul of your customer. August, p. 38

The Inside Story With a renewed focus on the inside salesperson, these former desk jockeys are under the gun to perform faster and more efficiently than ever before. September, p. 27

Stay in Control The concept of planning your work and working your plan sounds easy to do, but without the right roadmap through the process, salespeople can get lost. September, p. 36

Priority One Is it important? Is it urgent? Is it both, or neither? This article will help you prioritize your tasks and manage your work load. October, p. 78

Direct & Control Salespeople have a tough time striking a balance between putting out brush fires that break out in the field and taking the time to do some thoughtful account management. November, p. 62

Succession planning

Changing of the Guard Find out what it takes to tailor a succession plan to your company March, p. 21

Keep It in the Family Is the idea of your son or daughter inheriting the family business a dream come true or your worst nightmare? March, p. 22

The ESOP Option Several distributors who have set up ESOPs offer some tips that can help you design one that will work for your company. March, p. 27

Holding the Line Reps have an additional challenge when it comes to succession planning. March, p. 31

Exit Strategy Planning If you are considering the sale of the family business, you must do much more than just make sure the books are in order. March, p. 35

Technical training

Figuring Out Floodlighting EW's continuing series on lighting design shows you how to light parking lots, playing fields and other common outdoor applications. January, p. 39

Stocking Your Customers' Trucks There's a wealth of sales opportunities loaded in the trucks of electrical contractors. February, p. 64

Innovations in Light Check out this progress report on the development of the latest in lamp technology. April, p. 41

Selling Lightning Protection Systems Do lightning storms cause a lot of mayhem in your market? They may create sales opportunities, too. June, p. 64

Controlling Lighting Sales Demonstrate and sell lighting controls and you will create more business and increase profits. July, p. 58

Smart Lighting Educating buyers of explosionproof lighting about applicable codes and regulations can boost sales. August, p. 50

Code to Come You can use the National Electrical Code (NEC) as a sales tool to sell more products. October, p. 86

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