An ALLPRO® Publication VOL. 23, ISSUE 11 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014
By: Scott Morath
It’s Housekeeping Time The end of another year has snuck up on us once again. For us, this year seems to have flown by at break-neck speed and was one of the busiest in recent memory.
being able to deal with the important work of selling, we have to stop what we’re doing to finally address the little things that have suddenly grown into big things.
Being busy is a good problem to have, especially in light of the past several years of little or no growth in the independent paint stores industry. It can, however, also present its own problems. When we spend every day doing all we can just to keep up with a high operational tempo, that’s usually when we let other, less urgent “housekeeping” chores slip through the cracks.
Fortunately there is a seasonality to this industry and by the time we reach November business has slowed to a much more manageable pace. In short, we have time to do some housekeeping.
Problem is we can only allow housekeeping items to go undone for so long before they develop an urgency of their own. Eventually they begin to create operational drag. Rather than
With that in mind I thought now would be a perfect opportunity to review some of the features on the ALLPRO website that need to be reviewed each year to ensure the information is accurate. This applies to members and suppliers alike, so please take a few moments to read through each.
Supplier Bulletins Each bulletin reflects the contracted program that ALLPRO has with a given supplier. As such, it’s crucial that the bulletin be accurate and up to date. ALLPRO members regularly rely on this content and core program information. For that reason, it behooves every
supplier partner to review their bulletin routinely to ensure its accuracy. For simple changes such as distribution points, customer service info, and such we only need a source document (e-mail or fax) indicating what needs to be changed. Items that have a direct impact on other program elements need to be routed through the proper channel for Sundry Committee review and evaluation.
Pricing Pricing is published on the website in two different places. The first is the supplier proprietary pricing section, which allows suppliers to post their pricing directly to the site. Once a price file is posted, maintaining it is the sole responsibility of the respective supplier. Files can be deleted and new files uploaded as needed. If new SKU’s are added, discontinued or price changes occur it is entirely up to the vendor to update their file. While we can post a file that you send us, ALLPRO cannot edit or modify your pricing under any circumstance. Proprietary price changes require a minimum 30day advance notice. The second pricing type is the ALLPRO brand pricing. This is maintained by ALLPRO under a separate tab. Since we maintain this pricing the key take-away is (continued on page 7)