While technology has enabled many distributors to shift their sales structure to one that relies predominantly on inside sales, outside sales certainly isn’t dead.

Yes, a growing portion of today’s B2B buyers now prefer a buying experience that doesn’t involve an actual sales rep visiting them, but there remains a large contingent of buyers who appreciate interacting with an actual human. 

Especially for small- and mid-sized distributors, their outside sales force remains a differentiator between them and national competitors who might rely almost entirely on inside reps and customer service centers.

1st Ayd — a 50-year-old, family-owned, mid-sized MRO and JanSan supplies distributor based in the Chicagoland area — continues to find success with its field sales model, which emphasizes entrepreneurship and freedom for its sales force.

Our latest episode of the MDM Podcast featured a conversation with the 1st Ayd’s 32-year-old President Tommy Schreiner, who has been with the company since high school. 

Under his father and company founder Tom Schreiner, he worked his way up through the business and built his own book of business before taking over company leadership.

Besides his role as president — where he oversees the company’s sales and marketing operations — Schreiner also serves as a buyer, sales manager and sales rep for the company, giving him a unique perspective that covers both management and front-line selling.

We discussed 1st Ayd’s sales model which centers around giving its 120-plus sales reps the tools and freedom to pursue the earnings potential that they want. This includes an emphasis on flexibility for those reps while catering to their competitive nature.

Check out the full podcast episode via the audio player above, and you can find all of our past episodes here.