Tom Gale

It’s hard to count how many times in the past year I’ve heard from distributors about their use of customer relationship management: “We’re getting closer to making a decision on what platform to use and how we implement it.” 20 years later and Peg Fisher's summary still rings true. “Many distributors have a wealth of untapped sales potential in their existing base of customers, a virtual gold mine of sales opportunity, but they don’t have an efficient and cost-effective method in place to go after that potential.”

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Is the distributor’s strategy the start of a race to the bottom on price?

The pace of change in our economy today is unforgiving. That’s the message Ross Shafer presented at the annual convention of The Association for Hose and Accessories Distribution (NAHAD). For the better part of a decade or more, traditional distribution channels have continued to compress, re-fragment and get squeezed on profit margin while digital channels have grown stronger.

This article includes:

• Keys to a successful sales force
• Shifting focus to bringing value
• Integrating the next generation

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