Events
Macroeconomics I: Inflation and Interest Rates
August 25 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
Top of mind for many distribution executives, inflation is currently at the highest level in more than 40 years. The Federal Reserve has been raising interest rates for several months to try and bring down inflation – so far to no avail. That’s because the Fed uses the Federal Funds Rate – the basis for all other borrowing costs such as mortgages, auto loans, credit cards and business loans – as a tool to manage inflation.
In this episode of The Discerning Distributor, Alex Chausovsky will dig into this critical topic to help you better understand that relationship, and what you can expect in the face of a potential economic slowdown.
Join us on Aug. 25, 2022, at 9 PT/12 ET for a live presentation – and come with your own questions.
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Macroeconomics II: Commodity and Input Prices
September 8 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
Volatile commodity prices have made it difficult for the distribution community to predict input costs and manage budgets since the start of the pandemic. The fallout of this volatility includes squeezed margins and pressured profitability for distributors across a spectrum of industries. The decelerating macroeconomy in mid-2022 reflects a pivotal change from the aggressive pace of business in 2021, with commodities like copper, steel, lumber and oil all declining in price.
In this episode, host Alex Chausovsky and his guest will explore the factors that drive commodity and input prices. They will also discuss the current and likely future trajectory of commodities and other input costs, and provide guidance on what distribution leaders need to do now to prepare their business for what’s to come.
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Competing and Winning with Value-Added Services
September 21 @ 12:00 am - 1:00 pm EDT
As channels evolve, distributors face growing competition from pure digital players like marketplaces. As a result, distributors must master digital competencies. However, it’s in value-added services where they can truly differentiate.
We’ve hired Frank Hurtte – who literally wrote the book on value-added services – to develop and present a webinar for distributors on how they can use services not only to protect share of more complex relationships but to retain the simple, on-demand business, too.
In Hurtte’s book, The Distributors’ Fee-Based Services Manifesto, he writes:
A distributor’s livelihood rests on customer relationships. I firmly believe building a service-for-fee model builds customer intimacy and supercharges the relationship. Charging for service creates a new and different sort of customer model. The distributor positions themselves as a professional, a thoughtful advisor rather than just a seller.
In this webinar, Hurtte will describe how to identify, document and market services in such a way that you can charge for some of them while increasing your importance to customers so that you become a more strategic partner.
Sign up to join us live if you’d like to ask questions or access the recording and whitepaper later.
Macroeconomics III: B2B Capex, Inventories and Investment Considerations
September 22 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
A slowing macro economy will likely be a headwind for investment, affecting everything from capacity planning to capital expenditures and inventory levels. The pandemic-era swings in both supply and demand are likely to calm, but persistent uncertainties – the war in Ukraine, mid-term elections and the Fed’s interest rate policy – all cloud the decision-making process. What does it all mean to the distribution community?
In this episode of The Discerning Distributor, Alex Chausovsky and his guest will delve deep into these critical topics. They will discuss the current Capex and inventory landscape, explore what is likely to occur down the road and provide some sage advice to distributors looking for clarity on what’s to come.
Join us on Sept. 22, 2022, at 9 PT/12 ET for a live presentation – and walk away with new insights and ideas to help you deal with the uncertainty.
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Industry Insights
Trending Data
AI-Driven Digital Operating Models Scale Farther, Faster
AI is exponential by design – and is poised to be as transformational to our economy and lives as the Industrial Revolution. That means AI-driven digital operating models scale farther, faster. Distributors are well-positioned to take advantage of AI because they have a lot of transactional and product data; the industry has limited regulation unlike other industries such as healthcare; and there is a technology gap. Very few have built good technology for this market. There’s a lot of opportunity for gain.
