AI has the potential to reshape distribution sales and marketing, helping companies become more efficient and proactive. In a panel discussion hosted by Distribution Strategy Group’s Jonathan Bein, industry experts shared use cases.
The panel featured:
- Benj Cohen, Founder and CEO of Proton
- Varun Sridharan, Senior Director at Infor
- Sahitya Senapathy, CEO and Founder of Endeavor.ai
Missed the webinar? Watch it on demand.
Use Cases for AI
Proactive Sales with AI-Driven Insights
Cohen discussed how an AI-powered CRM can leverage a distributor’s existing customer, product and transaction data to transform sales processes. The goal is to identify the highest-priority customers and opportunities, ensuring sales reps focus on what matters most — clients with the highest potential.
Instead of busying themselves with reactive sales visits (“Do you need anything today?”), sales reps can leverage AI for proactive recommendations that identify cross-sell and reorder opportunities. Cohen shared a success story: During a site visit to a manufacturing plant, a distributor’s system flagged a previously overlooked opportunity. The sales rep acted on this recommendation and closed the deal on the spot.
Call prep time also goes down – AI-based CRM can reduce it from 30 to just two minutes. New reps also ramp up faster. “One of our customers trained a completely new rep — a former cowboy boot salesman — who began selling electrical products at the same level as an experienced hire in just a few months.”
Automating Order Entry and Quotes with AI Agents
Senapathy described how AI agents can automate manual, repetitive sales tasks like order entry and quoting.
AI agents autonomously process phone, email, PDF and text orders. For example, during a call, an AI agent listens and inputs the order directly into the ERP system, eliminating manual data entry. Reps can redirect that time to higher-value tasks like upselling, managing churn and strengthening customer relationships. Faster quote turnaround also improves win rates, as customers are less likely to seek competitor quotes.
For example, a large building materials distributor reduced quote turnaround times from hours to minutes.
Inventory Management
Sridharan emphasized the critical role of AI in optimizing inventory management for distributors. AI tools help companies determine the right inventory policies to strike a balance between optimal holding costs and customer demand. For instance, some high-value products might justify higher holding costs due to their strategic importance, while others may drain resources without driving long-term value.
Pricing
On the pricing front, Sridharan noted a disconnect between strategy and execution. AI bridges this gap with insights that yield competitive pricing while maintaining healthy margins. Additionally, AI tools can help distributors respond dynamically to disruptions. Sridharan shared an example of an East Coast port strike where AI tools helped a distributor identify alternative products and sourcing options, ensuring consistent demand fulfillment.
Move Forward with a Plan for Change Management
AI is no longer experimental. Whether through AI-powered CRMs, automated order entry, or advanced pricing tools, distributors are transforming their operations to:
- Sell more.
- Win faster.
- Personalize at scale.
The key to success lies in a strategic, data-driven approach with strong change management. As Bein said: “AI in distribution sales is no longer about excitement or fear — it’s about delivering results. The tools are here, and they’re working.”
The panelists agreed that successful AI implementations require more than technology; they need business-driven leadership and buy-in from the teams using the tools.
They recommended:
- Business-led initiatives: Leadership must drive the project, aligning AI goals with real business challenges.
- User buy-in: Both sales reps and customer service teams need to see AI’s direct benefits. Reducing workloads, automating repetitive tasks and delivering better outcomes all benefit sales teams.
- Incremental rollouts: Starting small and demonstrating quick wins is an effective way to increase adoption. Senapathy highlighted the importance of starting small. “We start with 5% of a customer’s orders,” he said. “Within months, we scale to 80%, delivering massive value while easing change management concerns.”
Cohen shared an example where incentives were critical for change management: “We implemented a carrot-and-stick approach to get reps on board. We didn’t need the carrot within six months because reps realized that being proactive made them more money.”
There’s more — if you missed the webinar, you can watch it here.
