As we move through the final quarter of this year, there’s a crazy mix of positive and negative signals. While continued growth is forecast, markets have never been in such flux as inflation, supply chain and talent issues challenge distributors to keep customers close and happy. Every disruptive business cycle produces an increase in churn […]
Category: Featured Blog
Embracing Automation Can Help Distributors Weather Supply Chain Issues
Distributors who increasingly automate business processes and embrace the use of artificial intelligence can be better situated to respond to customer service issues and supply chain problems. In a recent MDM webcast, “Building A More Resilient Supply Chain,” Esker Business Development Manager Nick Carpenter said distributors who automate processes for order management, order-to-cash and accounts […]
Do You Have the Right People, in the Right Roles, with the Right Distribution Sales Skills for Today?
Many distribution CEOs, CFOs and sales leaders have restructured their sales organizations in response to the sales challenges brought on by the pandemic. They have reduced marketing expenses, operational costs, experienced a reduction in sales expense and overhead across the organization, and now they are forced to strategically retool sales. Reorganizing and retooling your distribution […]
Questions to Ask to Test the Effectiveness of Your Sales Team
Many distribution CEOs, CFOs and sales leaders have restructured their sales organizations in response to the sales challenges brought on by the pandemic. They have reduced marketing expenses, operational costs, experienced a reduction in sales expense and overhead across the organization, and now they are forced to strategically retool sales. Reorganizing and retooling your distribution […]
Everything Distributors Always Wanted to Know About Sales Comp (But Were Afraid to Ask)
Changing a sales compensation plan is one of the most significant challenges in the sales transformation process. And companies that are either stumbling through that leg of the journey or have been hesitant to take the first step might need help navigating what could quickly become a stressful and confusing situation. Thankfully, experienced guides await […]
4 Major Mistakes That Can Derail a Cloud Migration
After seeing the benefits of cloud migration, the number of companies moving or wanting to move business operations to the cloud has skyrocketed. Cloud migration is partially or entirely moving an organization’s digital assets, services, IT resources or applications to the cloud for access through storage, software and platform services online. Almost all companies have […]
September M&A Roundup: Another Big Month for Deals
The final month of the third quarter proved to be a favorable one for M&A in distribution with nearly 30 deals reported in MDM. September saw a range of transaction sizes from mom-and-pops trading hands up to Distribution International’s private equity backer Advent International selling the distributor to TopBuild Corp. for $1 billion. Other notable […]
The ABCs of Average Order Value Growth
Distributors have flocked to e-commerce, but many are now realizing that online sales requires something a bit more strategic than a “if you build it, they will come” model. Fortunately, for distributors who are looking for ways to maximize their e-commerce revenue, there’s a simple formula they can use, built around three common metrics: Sessions […]
7 Steps to Offset the Distribution Labor Shortage
Relief from labor shortages doesn’t appear to be in sight. A recent National Association for Business Economics report reflects business economists’ low expectations in terms of recovery for the labor shortage. Just 6% of those surveyed believe the shortage will improve by year’s end. Ten percent expect it won’t improve until 2023 and beyond. And […]
8 Factors for Distributor Advisory Council Success
Editor’s note: To help manufacturers avoid the typical pitfalls encountered when they organize and manage a Distributor Advisory Council, The Corporate Development Institute (CDI) surveyed nearly 300 distributor principals in a variety of industries to determine which manufacturers had the most effective DACs. Since distributors usually carry the lines of several competitive manufacturers, they are […]
The Link Between Effective Change Management and ROI
Whether it’s implementing new digital tools, e-commerce platforms or pricing programs, distributors are undergoing transformations at a rapid clip. Those who have pivoted successfully have embraced change management as one of their core values. During the recent MDM webcast “Transformation Management: Capture Maximum Value” PROS Lead Strategic Consultant Bill Dudziak provided a detailed blueprint for […]
We’re Changing Our Operating System to Improve
Our team is taking some lessons to heart through the disruption, challenges and opportunities the past 18 months have presented to each of us. And we see a lot of opportunity to improve what we do and how we do it going forward, just as we’ve reported in the pages of MDM Premium of how […]
How to Bridge the Disconnect Between Buyers and Sellers Online
B2B buyers and sellers have different perceptions of what is important to the buying journey, according to Amazon’s “B2B E-Commerce in Evolution Report.” Amazon surveyed 250 U.S. B2B buyers and 250 B2B sellers in December 2020 and January 2021. Buyers reported that online features were far more valuable to them than phone calls with a […]
Earnest Machine CEO Talks Sales Transformation Lessons Learned
A few years ago, Kirk Zehnder, the CEO of Earnest Machine — a Cleveland-based master distributor and manufacturer of industrial fasteners — realized his company’s sales model wasn’t working. While the traditional model might have served a purpose in the past, it was now passé. He decided to embark on a sales transformation journey, which […]
What the Best Distributor Advisory Councils Look Like
Editor’s note: To help manufacturers avoid the typical pitfalls encountered when they organize and manage a Distributor Advisory Council, The Corporate Development Institute (CDI) surveyed nearly 300 distributor principals in a variety of industries to determine which manufacturers had the most effective DACs. Since distributors usually carry the lines of several competitive manufacturers, they are […]
Contractors Share What They Want from Distributor Websites
E-commerce is amazing. Recently, I left my Amazon Fire TV stick at a friend’s house, some 1,000 miles away. They could ship it to me, but I wouldn’t be getting it any time soon. So, I went onto Amazon and saw that I could order another one and receive it that night. By 8 p.m., […]
9 Things to Consider When Choosing a Revenue Growth Management Partner
Be honest, determining how to price an offer can feel like an endless black hole. If prices are too high, you struggle to sell; if they are too low, you leave money on the table and deteriorate category value. When the stakes are this high, it could be in your interest to partner with a […]
Winsupply’s President on Building Better Employees, Supply Chains
Earlier this year, Winsupply President John McKenzie, who started as a customer service rep at the company in 1996, helped create and launch a scholarship program that was designed to educate and train future Winsupply presidents from all walks of life. During a recent MDM podcast, McKenzie talks about how Winsupply is addressing supply chain […]
The Case for Distributor Advisory Councils
With a global market reliant on internet purchasing and the increased cost of direct sales calls, today’s digital age requires manufacturers and distributors to team up and align as supply chain partners. Distributors and customers are demanding superior service from their suppliers, and new procurement methods that include just-in-time deliveries, digital commerce, and systems contracts […]
Make Sure Your Salespeople Aren’t Stuck in the Past
Maria Boulden’s recent LinkedIn posts and virtual presentations sparked some people to call her the “Sarah Connor of modern-day selling,” she tells MDM with a laugh. For those who don’t immediately get that reference, Sarah Connor is the lead character in The Terminator movie franchise, which features time travel and altered states of the past, […]
