The pandemic and subsequent economic swings have created intense competition for talent, and the labor market is going to get even tighter.
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To adapt and stand out during market consolidation, expect more distributors to find niches and develop specializations.
Look for technology that will assist with distributors’ ongoing challenges through sales enablement, automation, e-commerce, AI and more.
Supply chain issues will touch everything from the way salespeople spend their time and prioritize customer relationships to facility management, pricing and labor strategy.
Customer expectations are shifting and distributors are rethinking the qualities that make for a strong salesperson.
Whether ready to sell or not, distribution executives in forward-thinking companies can effectively harness innovations while aligning their organization to increase the value of the company.
The deal strengthens Motion’s ability to compete – particularly for wallet share – against other broadline industrial product distributors.
Customers are engaging in purchasing behavior contrary to their own decision confidence, but distribution sales reps can help.
Bill Mansfield, Graybar’s SVP of strategy and business development, reflects on the company’s acquisition strategy, as well as the long- and short-term ways COVID-19 has affected business operations.
Days are numbered for the traditional inside-outside sales model in distribution, say executives at Earnest Machine and Gustave A. Larson. Here’s how they developed a new integrated approach.
Senior Account Manager Oliver Munoz shares how packaging and janitorial supplies distributor Imperial Dade is navigating pandemic-induced constraints.
Distribution M&A activity remains strong even as COVID-driven volume and valuations normalize, and M&A experts have advice for companies on both sides of the deal.
Can distributors overcome constraints of traditional gross margin-based sales models to form better systems and achieve breakthrough performance?
Despite a demand spike for its PPE products and more, health care distributor Henry Schein in 2020 made significant advances in its environmental sustainability initiatives across 32 countries and 1 million customers worldwide.
MDM takes a deep dive into Rexel’s $456 million, market-shifting acquisition of Mayer Electric.
Run by its innovation division, Red Lightning Group, the e-commerce platform aims to improve supply chain, grow OEM and bring in new verticals for the food service distributor.
The lingering pandemic can’t be ignored, but live gatherings will again feel familiar.
If so, distributors are better prepared for an uptick in cases and demand than a year ago.
Salespeople will continue to hit the road when and where they can, but distributors still need to hone their remote sales tactics.
