Stat watch: Suppliers stay, suppliers go

With change comes opportunity, according to all the business experts. And when a builder changes a supplier, there's opportunity for the new supplier to grow, and opportunity for the outcast supplier to figure out what went wrong, and improve.

According to pro market research from the Farnsworth Group, 57% of total professionals said they have the same primary suppliers as they did five years ago, compared to 13.3% who said they switched.

Among total professionals:

57.0% -- no change from 5 years ago

15.1% -- give more business to primary supplier

14.6% -- give less business to primary supplier

13.3% -- switched to new primary supplier.

Things were a little more stable in 2013, when 64% claimed no change with their primary supplier. And there continues to be willingness for builders, remodelers and tradesmen to change or use different or various outlets, according to Farnsworth.

Builders appear slightly more likely than remodelers or tradesmen to change their primary suppliers -- 14.1% of Builders said they switched, compared to 14.0% for tradesmen and 12.5% for remodelers.

More builders also say they have given less business over the last five years to their primary supplier -- 21.0%, compared to 12.5% for remodelers, and 11.6% for tradesmen.