How to Get Quotes From Multiple Supply Houses
A working process to get quotes from multiple supply houses on the same materials list, compare them honestly, and keep your incumbent rep at the table.
By Alex10 min read
The invoice desk, page 4
2/10 Net 30 Discount Calculation: Check Your Supply House
The 2/10 net 30 supplier discount calculation runs on the pre-tax subtotal, not the invoice total. Here is the math, and how to check what you really got.
By Alex9 min read
Second-Source Supplier Pricing: When Splitting Spend Wins
A second source supplier can sharpen contractor pricing or quietly wreck it. Here is when splitting spend across two supply houses earns a better price.
By Alex11 min read
How to Get Better Pricing From Your Supply House
How to get better pricing from a supply house without threatening to leave: what a multiplier really is, the evidence to bring, and the exact words to use.
By Alex11 min read
Supplier Concessions Besides Price: What Else to Ask For
Rep said no on price? Five supplier concessions besides price a contractor can still win: freight, terms, will-call handling, stocking, and quote quality.
By Alex11 min read
Supplier Price Review Meeting: A Contractor's Agenda
A supplier price review meeting for contractors, with the agenda, the numbers to bring, the six questions to ask your rep, and what to get in writing after.
By Alex10 min read
The Late Supplier Quote on Bid Day: Timing as a Tactic
A late quote on bid day from a supplier is a pricing decision, not an accident of timing. Here is why quotes land at 4:55, and how to bid when one does.
By Alex10 min read
How Long Is a Supplier Quote Good For? Validity Windows
How long is a supplier quote good for? Only as long as the terms block on that quote says. Here is how validity windows work and how to stop getting caught.
By Alex9 min read
Job Quote Pricing vs Stock Pricing at a Supply House
Job quote pricing at a supply house beats stock pricing until the quote runs out. Here is when your quote number stops applying, and how to catch the switch.
By Alex10 min read
NetPricer and Trade Service: The Electrical Pricing Files
NetPricer is the electrical pricing service feeding your estimating software, and Trade Service feeds the catalog. Your distributor decides what you see.
By Alex9 min read
List Price vs Net Price: 4 Numbers Your Distributor Uses
List price vs net price at a distributor, plus trade price and your price. Four terms on one page, so you stop nodding along when your rep starts using them.
By Alex9 min read
Ship and Debit in Distribution, Explained for Contractors
Ship and debit distribution explained: the manufacturer rebate that lets your supply house quote a job below shelf price, and why that price dies on restock.
By Alex10 min read