Featured Blog Archives

Building Controls & Solutions Uses COVID-19 Distancing to Strengthen Employee Skills

For employees who are traditionally customer-service oriented, making cold calls requires a different skill set. Eric Chernik, CEO of Building Controls & Solutions, is providing training and tools for all employees, such as customer call lists with outbound call scripts, to grow business during the coronavirus slowdown.

May 14, 2020

Sales & Marketing

Support Your Customers: Don’t Stop Selling Because of Coronavirus, Part 2

COVID-19 has sped up the digital evolution of the sales department. MDMs John Gunderson explains how to keep your sales people selling with the effective tactics they have picked up during coronavirus distancing, put an end to ineffective practices of the past, and use data to take share from competitors even in a down market.

May 13, 2020

Sales & Marketing

Managing Sales through COVID-19: Immediate Actions and Long-Term Tactics

There is an escalating response to the economic impact of the coronavirus among distributors, increasing furloughs and hiring freezes, management consulting firm Alexander Group finds. However, forward-looking distributors are also putting plans into place to convert competitors customers and grow digitally.

May 12, 2020

Strategy

Distribution’s Value: Rebuilding for the Next Normal

MDM’s Tom Gale is optimistic that over the next several months distribution will play such a critical role in getting our economy off its back and to fully functioning capacity as quickly as possible.

May 11, 2020

Operations

Fastenal Posts 7% April Daily Sales Growth on Safety Surge Buys

A follow-up phone call to the industrial distributors mid-April 1Q report provides detail behind dramatic shifts in growth rate, with EVP and CFO Holden Lewis highlighting how the company is pivoting to meet changing customer demands.

May 7, 2020

Sales & Marketing

5 Rules for Growing Customer Loyalty During Coronavirus

Customers are more open to change in the wake of COVID-19 disruption. Distributors can take advantage of this opportunity by using profit segmentation to drive strategic decision making and rework customer contracts in favor of increased profitability, Profit Isles Jonathan Byrnes explains in an MDM webcast.

May 6, 2020

Research & Analytics

Amazon Business Tops Coronavirus in Most-Read MDM Blogs of April

Though the fallout for distributors from COVID-19 continued to be a hot topic in April, news on Amazon Business garnered the most attention from MDM readers during the month. New data show the enormous number of SKUs available on the platform and that it may be poised to become the top industrial distributor in the U.S.

May 5, 2020

COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

Think Like a Futurist

Everyone wants to know, what will our economic recovery from COVID-19 look like? The most optimistic are hoping for a V-shaped curve, others are expecting a W or even an L. When faced with an indeterminate outlook like we see today, information is key.

April 27, 2020

Featured Blog

The Threat of Distributor Disintermediation

Understanding the key issues behind a suppliers choice to go direct to customers.

December 31, 2019

Featured Blog

The Flaws in Using Gross Margin as a Business Performance Benchmark

The average distributor sees just 25% or less in profit realization.

December 30, 2019

Featured Blog

How One Distributor Killed Its Sales Titles and Grew Sales Faster

Far too many distributors have a disconnect in one or more parts of their current sales model.

December 26, 2019

Companies

Will Amazon’s One-Day Shipping Kill the Distribution Industry?

Only if distributors try to beat Amazon at its own game.

December 24, 2019

Operations

Strengthen the Building Blocks of Your Business and Watch it Thrive in the New Year

There can be miles of mental and physical effort in the space between knowing you would be better off doing something and then actually adjusting your approach, changing your perspective to make it so. We tackle two such action items, marketing and cybersecurity, in the content of this final Premium issue of the year.

December 23, 2019

eCommerce

The E-Commerce Challenge for Small Distributors

Seven factors to consider when looking for a digital transformation partner.

December 19, 2019

Featured Blog

Tips for Distributors to Strengthen Existing Customer Sales

Unique advice, a clear vision and measurable ROI are all ways to improve customer relationships and help sell more to clients who have already bought into your business.

December 18, 2019

Featured Blog

3 Steps to Take When Your ERP Implementation Goes Wrong

Clear communication around deliverables and expectations can salvage even the most frustrating ERP implementations for distributors.

December 17, 2019

eCommerce

3 Roadblocks Slowing Your E-Commerce Sales and How to Overcome Them

A long-term mindset, key technology investments and a supportive culture can help distributors grow your online marketplace.

December 16, 2019

Featured Blog

5 Employee Recruitment Tips for Distributors

Heres what all distributors can do now to prepare for a potentially challenging year ahead for talent recruitment.

December 11, 2019

Featured Blog

Table Stakes Today: Customer-Focused Value Definition

As we usher in the next year and decade, its timely to take a hard look at your own definition of value and whether its kept up with the changes in your customer segments, suppliers and internal capabilities. This current edition of MDM Premium provides multiple views on value proposition across the three main reports we include.