Blog
Distribution Strategy
How to Build Resilience Into Your Sales Structure
Presented by: Mike Marks, Managing Partner, River Consulting Group
The world of distribution has proud roots. But making historical assumptions on the journey of transforming sales models can result in costly pitfalls, especially in a post-pandemic world. The market is changing too quickly.
Read More...Distributors’ ‘Opportunity in Chaos and Change’
Presented by: Mike Marks, Managing Partner, River Consulting Group
Read More...Dealing with a Chaotic Supply Chain – Part #2
Presented by: Jon Schreibfeder
We continue to experience disruptions in the supply chain. Material that used to be reliably available now is often hard to come by. Last month we began our discussion of developing accurate (or as accurate as possible) anticipated lead times for shipments from suppliers. This month we continue our conversation by examining how to calculate meaningful anticipated lead times.
Read More...Dealing with a Chaotic Supply Chain - Part #1
Presented by: Jon Schreibfeder
Before the pandemic, this industry was already facing major changes. From customer purchasing patterns and the rising expectations of customer experience to generational transitions and supplier channels, COVID-19 has only accelerated these disruptions
Read More...Leadership/Professional Development
Motivating High-Performance Teams
Presented by: Randy Disharoon
Motivation is a key component of high-performance teams. Leaders who understand the importance of motivation, the best means of motivating, and effectively drive such motivation to high performance will be successful in guiding their teams to accomplish their objectives. There are many considerations leaders must make to ensure their teams are highly motivated, both intrinsically and externally. Factors such as the mission of the team, the required skill sets and experience of the team members, and the size of the team all drive leadership considerations. One important aspect of assembling a team is the selection of team members and the establishment of high expectations up front, essentially raising the bar of performance. Intrinsically motivated people can be a great asset to a team as long as their competitive drive does not hinder collaboration or cause conflict with the leader. This blog evaluates the role of leaders in motivating their teams and offers strategies leaders can employ in developing a highly motivated team.
Read More...The Art of Collaboration
Presented by: Randy Disharoon
How do distributors and manufacturers achieve mutual success? Is there a playbook that can be employed? The answer lies in the art of collaboration. The Business Dictionary online defines collaboration like this: “Cooperative engagement in which two or more parties work jointly toward a common goal.”
Read More...Celebrate Good Times – and Increase Your Employee Engagement Levels
Presented by: Lisa Ryan
Read More...There’s No Going Back: Time to PIVOT for Productivity and Profits
Presented by: Mary C. Kelly, PhD, Commander, US Navy, Retired
It is time to pivot. There’s no going back to the habits, routines, and the normal that we all enjoyed before the COVID-19 virus. Some leaders are hoping for a return to what life was like in 2019. There is no going back. Let that sink in.
Read More...Management
Happy Employees Don’t Lead to Successful Companies – Here’s Why
Presented by: Jeff Butler
Go ahead and search ‘happy employees lead to successful companies and you will be bombarded with consistent uplifting messages about employees and happiness (LinkedIn, Fast Company, Business Insider, Fortune). Just about every content piece promotes employee happiness benefiting organizations at large. That is why, contrary to consistent media, I couldn’t believe that Phil Rosenzweig in The Halo Effect completely disagreed.
Read More...Why There Continues to Be Generational Division in the Workplace
Presented by: Jeff Butler
Experiencing generational division in society is no new problem, in fact, it was documented thousands of years ago when Socrates infamously complained about the younger generation being spoiled. And yet, people continue to talk about these differences as though they happened yesterday.
Read More...Building a Culture of Success: Leadership at All Levels
Presented by: Gail Alofsin, Adjunct Professor, University of Rhode Island
I was having dinner with the owner and CEO of a mid-market distributor. Over a glass of wine and a good meal, we began talking about the rapid and transformational changes that are taking place around the world and in the business.
Read More...Crafting Your Vivid Vision
Presented by: Dirk Beveridge, Founder, UnleashedWD
I was having dinner with the owner and CEO of a mid-market distributor. Over a glass of wine and a good meal, we began talking about the rapid and transformational changes that are taking place around the world and in the business.
Read More...Marketing
[Duplicate] Marketing in a Multi-Channel World: 2 Blog Series
By Steve Deist, Chief Operating Officer, Ewing Irrigation and Landscape Supply
A lot of folks consider “marketing” to include things like advertising, promotions, search engine optimization and email campaigns. These are important activities but they are really tactical, not strategic. I call them “little m” marketing.
Read More...Brand Harmony: Creating a Unified Customer Experience
Presented by: Steve Yastrow, President, Yastrow & Company
Your customers’ lives are busy! They are dealing with their work, their families, their friends, their hobbies, and their chores. In addition, they are bombarded with sales and marketing messages all day long. How do you cut through this clutter?
Read More...Operations
Open to Change
Presented by: Jason Bader, Principal, The Distribution Team
Before the end of the year, my business associate Marshall and I got together to do a podcast on what we had learned over the course of this highly irregular year. Rather than dwell on the negative aspects, and there were certainly many of those, we chose to focus on the positive things we heard from clients as they navigated the ever-shifting currents of COVID-19.
Read More...Sales
Why There Continues to Be Generational Division in the Workplace
Presented by: Jeff Havens
Read More...Happy Employees Don’t Lead to Successful Companies – Here’s Why
Presented by: Jeff Havens
Go ahead and search ‘happy employees lead to successful companies’ and you will be bombarded with consistent uplifting messages about employees and happiness (LinkedIn, Fast Company, Business Insider, Fortune). Just about every content piece promotes employee happiness benefiting organizations at large. That is why, contrary to consistent media, I couldn’t believe that Phil Rosenzweig in The Halo Effect completely disagreed.
Read More...SELLING THROUGH TOUGH TIMES OF PEAK DEMAND
Paul Reilly
These are the common complaints I hear from those competing in the current market. They’re dealing with the realities of selling during peak demand. Although peak demand provides stability and long-term opportunities, it also creates unique challenges.
Read More...CUSTOMER MESSAGING MATTERS IN TOUGH TIMES
Paul Reilly
On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, killing eleven people and releasing oil into the ocean off the coast of Louisiana. It took nearly 90 days to seal off the well and stop the flow of oil. This event was the largest marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry. It’s estimated that 3.19 million barrels of oil were released into the ocean. During this crisis, hundreds of thousands of seabirds were killed, countless fish died, and ecosystems were destroyed. Thousands of miles of shoreline were impacted. Commercial fishing operations hemorrhaged money. After a rigorous cleanup effort, the environmental impact remains.
Read More...2022 UID “Sales Professional Negotiation and Tactical Defense”
Presented by: Don Buttrey, President, Sales Professional Training Inc.
Complaints are inevitable. Every company makes mistakes – it’s how our professionals interact with the customer that makes the difference. These negative experiences handled correctly, can actually solidify customer loyalty. You need SELL Defense!
Read More...Sales Professional Training
Presented by: Don Buttrey, President, Sales Professional Training Inc.
What preparation should I expect my salespeople to do before picking up the phone or meeting with a customer?
Read More...Do Your Sales Team Meetings Create Inspiration or Desperation?
Presented by: Colleen Stanley
Read More...Is Your Coaching Changing Sales Behaviors?
Presented by: Colleen Stanley
Sales managers debrief sales calls in order to better coach their sales team about specific areas that were missed and/or could be improved. There is one simple coaching question often missed during the debriefing process, especially with deals that are getting stuck or stalled.
Read More...Want to Sell More? Then Know More!
Presented by: Sam Richter, Founder, Know More!
Business is hard. Sales is even harder, especially in today's world where you can't meet face-to-face, visit facilities, and attend in-person trade shows and company conferences. In addition, because buyers are now comfortable meeting and conducting product demonstrations virtually, the competition is more global than ever, and buyer's have more choices and more knowledge about various options.
Read More...
