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Creating an experience that keeps your customers satisfied and loyal to your distribution business requires more today than it did 20 or 30 years ago. Back then, proximity alone generally meant customers were unlikely to defect to a competitor. Today, customers are more educated with more choices than ever, and they are swayed by criteria far […]

Key Themes from the NAW 2023 Executive Summit At the recent NAW Executive Summit, one overarching message was clear: the next frontier of the wholesale distribution industry will require pioneering business leaders to navigate a still uncertain future with a steady hand and a willingness to adapt. For three days, attendees mingled, networked, and collaborated […]

Guest post written by John and Susan Mansfield. In less than 9 months from when it was first made generally available in July 2015, Microsoft’s Power BI’s subscriber base leaped to over 5 million subscribers from 200,000 companies in 200 countries, and this phenomenal adoption rate by companies worldwide has continued ever since. It is […]

Make a Difference… In almost every career, your success can be tied directly to how well you know the tools of your trade.  For a wood worker, it’s table saws and jigs; for software developers it’s languages, directives, libraries, and technologies.  People who know their tools create success in business.  Those who lack detailed knowledge […]

Here’s what we learned recently with a client. The client was on a version-locked ERP, and we were excited to be given the opportunity to help them move to a new business management system.  That was about 9 months ago, and now they are live on their new system! Despite having many discovery meetings during our sales […]

How Companies Can Capitalize in a Challenging Economy. SPEED* is a methodology defined by the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW).  Leveraging the insights gained from a Customer Stratification analysis, SPEED can help your wholesale/distribution business grow sales more profitably and sustainably in 2013, as follows: Start by modeling what your Core customers tend to buy from you. Then, […]

A survey by Earnest & Associates (E&A) has affirmed that price haggling remains a problem in the wholesale/distribution industry. Over one hundred decision makers at small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in the wholesale/distribution trade participated in the survey. 61% of respondents agreed with the statement, ‘Too many customers haggle with us over price’. In fact, […]

The best business leaders are decisive. These are people who are not content with business as usual. When opportunities arise to improve their company’s competitive positions, leaders choose action. It’s well-known that the bookselling, video rental and tourism industries have learned hard lessons about carrying on with business-as-usual. The rapid rise of eCommerce, social media […]

Over the years, I’ve worked with many of the well-known enterprise resource planning (ERP) software solutions that have been designed specifically for the wholesale/distribution industry.  Invariably, these ERPs have been designed to group items in some unique or specific way – with varying degrees of success.  The best ERPs help managers review item movement histories to make smart replenishment decisions and/or analyze past sales data […]

I’ve never been a Star Wars fanatic but like most people, I’ve been a casual watcher of these hugely popular films. To me, the most interesting character has always been Yoda. Inspired by George Lucas’ fascination with Eastern philosophy, Yoda personifies the power that comes from a life dedicated to learning, discovery and self-discipline. “The […]