On-Demand Programs
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How to Optimize Distributor Profitability
October 5, 2022 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
Distribution is the most purely competitive sector of the American economy. That reality makes it challenging to permanently and significantly increase profitability. The competitive nature of distribution also means that the difference between winning and losing is very small.
Despite the challenges, distributors can embrace approaches that drive higher profits in a way that competition cannot easily match. Join us Oct. 5 at 9 PT/12 ET when Al Bates will share the small changes that can be made in two key areas of the business to exponentially increase profit.
Details
- Date:
- October 5, 2022
- Time:
-
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
- Event Category:
- On-Demand Program
- Website:
- https://pages.distributionstrategy.com/acton/media/6612/how-to-optimize-distributor-profitability
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How Distributors Use CRM Today
September 29, 2022 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
Mike Marks of Indian River Consulting Group has partnered with Distribution Strategy Group to survey distribution decision-makers to understand their experiences with CRM – good and bad. We asked them questions about how they choose, integrate, drive adoption of and use CRM systems.
Join us for this free webinar, where Mike will share results and define the real-world state of play today in how CRM tools work. The session will provide a framework around the five core processes in any CRM that will provide participants with the insight to select, deploy and recognize the implementation pitfalls that can trap a distributor into pilot purgatory.
The guiding principle driving the framework is that CRMs exist to provide data to the sales representative so they can make better decisions on where to spend their time and what to do. In a fully deployed CRM, 80% of the information should come TO the sales rep and only 20% comes FROM the sales rep.
Use the framework to assess your own adoption position and identify the key actions to move ahead.
Details
- Date:
- September 29, 2022
- Time:
-
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
- Event Category:
- On-Demand Program
- Website:
- https://pages.distributionstrategy.com/acton/media/6612/how-distributors-use-crms-today
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Competing and Winning with Value-Added Services
September 21, 2022 @ 12:00 pm - 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.
Details
- Date:
- September 21, 2022
- Time:
-
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
- Event Category:
- On-Demand Program
- Website:
- https://pages.distributionstrategy.com/acton/media/6612/competing-and-winning-with-value-added-services
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Maximizing Working Capital Performance for Distributors
August 10, 2022 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
Distributors have historically employed conservative financial practices. That means they have had a strong working capital position. However, accounts receivable and inventory have dominated their current assets.
As a result, very few distributors are cash rich.
As long as it is business as usual, with modest sales growth, the working capital position of most distributors is not an issue. However, as economic shocks impact performance, distributors must look harder at non-performing inventory and accounts receivable, as well as whether they are using supplier financing effectively.
Join us Aug. 10 at 9 PT/12 ET as Al Bates explores working capital performance for distributors in detail. Expect some surprising conclusions.
Details
- Date:
- August 10, 2022
- Time:
-
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
- Event Category:
- On-Demand Program
- Website:
- https://pages.distributionstrategy.com/acton/media/6612/maximizing-working-capital-performance-for-distributors
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The Real ROI of eCommerce for Distributors
August 3, 2022 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
If you use traditional ROI models to determine how much you’ll invest in your website and how you’ll measure its success, you’re going about it all wrong.
Traditional ROI models typically don’t account for results outside of shopping-cart revenue. After all, in B2B, it’s not unusual for a customer to search online, research products on your website – and then call in and talk to their account manager to place the order. Or they may be getting product data from your website to put together bids.
None of that potential revenue is credited to the website in a standard ROI model. The data show that digitally engaged customers buy more than customers that aren’t engaged on your website.
Because of this, distributors need robust shopping and account management capabilities even if shopping-cart revenue is minimal.
Join us for this important conversation in a free webinar on Aug. 3 at 9 PT/12 ET. We’ll explore the B2B ecommerce opportunity, and a more inclusive way to think about ROI calculations. We’ll share real examples of how a website supports distributor growth, even when direct shopping-cart revenue makes up a small percentage of the total.
Details
- Date:
- August 3, 2022
- Time:
-
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
- Event Category:
- On-Demand Program
- Website:
- https://pages.distributionstrategy.com/acton/media/6612/the-real-roi-of-ecommerce-for-distributors
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2022 State of Analytics in Distribution
July 13, 2022 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
Distributors continue to struggle with driving value through analytics, despite recognizing its critical importance in their businesses.
But if distributors want to turn data into dollars, they need to stop playing catch up and get more strategic. Our speaker will share what distributors need to do to take their analytics programs to the next level and differentiate.
Join us July 13, when Senthil Gunasekaran, Co-Founder of Actvantage and author of seven best-selling NAW books focused on the use of analytics in distribution, will share:
- The types and importance of analytics by function
- Who owns analytics within distributor organizations, and how those resources are organized
- How distributors are benefiting from analytics
- The newest technologies that are driving analytics, including AI, machine learning and automation
- The blind spots distributors need to watch for when implementing analytics
Details
- Date:
- July 13, 2022
- Time:
-
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
- Event Category:
- On-Demand Program
- Website:
- https://pages.distributionstrategy.com/acton/media/6612/2022-state-of-analytics-in-distribution
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How Great Distributors Use Marketing to Dominate
June 29, 2022 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
Distributors’ marketers have a problem.
Because distributors have multiple channels, it’s difficult to measure the return on their marketing effort.
For example, product promotions succeed due to the efforts of marketing, sales, customer service and the ecommerce department – not to mention price discounts negotiated by merchants or category managers.
How can you calculate how much to spend on marketing or measure the ROI in an environment where everyone is pitching in to make campaigns successful?
Our Chief Strategy Officer Ian Heller has served as the senior marketing executive for four major publicly held distributors. He’s learned not only how to make marketing effective in a distribution company, but also how to set the optimal budget and measure the ROI of what you spend.
Stop setting marketing objectives and evaluating results based on product sales. There’s a better way that your company will embrace. And it will revolutionize how you think about what marketing is supposed to accomplish and how you can tell if you succeed.
Details
- Date:
- June 29, 2022
- Time:
-
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
- Event Category:
- On-Demand Program
- Website:
- https://pages.distributionstrategy.com/acton/media/6612/how-great-distributors-use-marketing-to-dominate
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4 Use Cases for AI in Distribution
June 16, 2022 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
In this free webinar, take a deep dive into artificial intelligence, its impact on distribution and why distributors should be paying attention to it – now.
Benj Cohen, founder of proton.ai and leading voice on AI in distribution, will share four use cases – sales, inventory, operations and product – of how distributors are using AI today to drive profitable growth.
On June 16 at 9 PT / 12 ET, join us to learn:
- What AI is, and why it’s different from any other technology distributors have seen
- The availability and maturity of AI applications, built in-house and by third-party vendors
- Where to get started with AI
Details
- Date:
- June 16, 2022
- Time:
-
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
- Event Category:
- On-Demand Program
- Website:
- https://pages.distributionstrategy.com/acton/media/6612/4-use-cases-for-ai-in-distribution
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2022 State of Distributor Sales: Rewriting the Distributor Sales Playbook for a New Era
June 1, 2022 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
Frank Hurtte joined Distribution Strategy Group to help share the results of our research into the current state of distributor sales. We shared how you can best integrate the best practices of those on the vanguard of change into your business to meet your customers’ demands.
Details
- Date:
- June 1, 2022
- Time:
-
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
- Event Category:
- On-Demand Program
- Website:
- https://pages.distributionstrategy.com/acton/media/6612/2022-state-of-distributor-sales-rewriting-the-distributor-sales-playbook-for-a-new-era
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How Distributors Can Act Now to Mitigate Supply Chain Disruption
May 18, 2022 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
In this webinar, we asked distributors about their strategies to mitigate the impacts of supply chain uncertainty. We’ll share what’s working in this webinar, as well our expertise on building resiliency in your supply chain.
Details
- Date:
- May 18, 2022
- Time:
-
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
- Event Category:
- On-Demand Program
- Website:
- https://pages.distributionstrategy.com/acton/media/6612/how-distributors-can-act-now-to-mitigate-supply-chain-disruption
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True Omnichannel: Digital, Sales, Branches & Phones – Part 2: Distributors That Do It Right
May 4, 2022 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
In Part 2 of our exploration of True Omnichannel, we use real world examples from distributors who have figured out how to ensure customers get the same experience across channels.
Details
- Date:
- May 4, 2022
- Time:
-
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
- Event Category:
- On-Demand Program
- Website:
- https://pages.distributionstrategy.com/acton/media/6612/true-omnichannel-digital-sales-branches--phones--part-2
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The State of Distributor Customer Experience: What Customers Want
April 20, 2022 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
In this webinar, we shared the definitive guide on how to cultivate a unique customer journey to drive a real connection with buyers. The result: greater customer loyalty and increased wallet share.
Details
- Date:
- April 20, 2022
- Time:
-
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
- Event Category:
- On-Demand Program
- Website:
- https://pages.distributionstrategy.com/acton/media/6612/the-state-of-distributor-customer-experience-what-customers-want
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State of Distributor Technology: A Guide for Growth
April 6, 2022 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
In this free webinar, we share our survey data, as well as our own expertise from working with dozens of distribution companies, to help you think about how to build your own technology stack.
Details
- Date:
- April 6, 2022
- Time:
-
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
- Event Category:
- On-Demand Program
- Website:
- https://pages.distributionstrategy.com/acton/media/6612/state-of-distributor-technology-a-guide-for-growth
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How to Manage and Recover from Supply Chain Disruptions, Part 1
March 23, 2022 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
In this webinar, we present the findings from our survey and add our own expertise so you can learn the best practices to detect, manage and recover from disruption.
Details
- Date:
- March 23, 2022
- Time:
-
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EDT
- Event Category:
- On-Demand Program
- Website:
- https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/VKWI06ce-tWKy8251BQsvVZJIM1lYnFytolwjq_KyBu0FA8w2ZKA7sBQCqVvOMZS.WUUfp6Z9R25P8r3d
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True Omnichannel: Digital, Sales, Branches & Phones – Part 1: Best Practices in Omnichannel and Unified Commerce
March 9, 2022 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EST
In this webinar, Distribution Strategy Group shared how best-in-class distributors deliver seamless customer experiences no matter where their customers shop and buy.
We identified, explored and explained best practices in omnichannel and what it means for various distributor business models, including sales and branch-driven, distribution center-based and pure digital.
Watch now, on-demand to learn how to:
- Harmonize customer experiences across channels
- Define omnichannel capability requirements by channel
- Integrate data and customer touchpoints to build new capabilities
- Use customer interaction and account data to provide superior insights to the distributor and provide greater relevance to buyers
Details
- Date:
- March 9, 2022
- Time:
-
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EST
- Event Category:
- On-Demand Program
- Website:
- https://youtu.be/dSyMvEU7quk
- This event has passed.
2022 State of eCommerce in Distribution, Part 2: Next Steps to Building the Right Customer Experience Online
February 23, 2022 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EST
In part of the State of eCommerce we shared how your distributor peers are planning to enhance and augment their ecommerce capabilities over the next three years – and how you can differentiate by keeping customer experience front and center.
Details
- Date:
- February 23, 2022
- Time:
-
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EST
- Event Category:
- On-Demand Program
- Website:
- https://youtu.be/EpXYgUEeSWo
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Thriving Through Disruption
February 9, 2022 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EST
Ian Heller discusses how marketplaces and other disruptors compete with distributors, how to estimate your company’s vulnerability to alternate channels and how to build moats around your business to create effective, sustainable differentiation.
Details
- Date:
- February 9, 2022
- Time:
-
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EST
- Event Category:
- On-Demand Program
- Website:
- https://youtu.be/mCcgqhjW4n4
- This event has passed.
2022 State of eCommerce in Distribution, Part 1: Distributors’ Digital Revolution
February 2, 2022 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EST
The first of two webinars featuring the results of our exclusive 12th-annual State of eCommerce in Distribution research, a leading benchmark in the industry for adoption and drivers of ecommerce.
Details
- Date:
- February 2, 2022
- Time:
-
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EST
- Event Category:
- On-Demand Program
- Website:
- https://youtu.be/nEHn7k8K0Ss
- This event has passed.
How Distributors Can Keep the Branch Alive in a Digital World
February 2, 2022 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EST
Mark Dancer shares how distributors can reimagine physical stores so that they remain relevant long into the future.
Details
- Date:
- February 2, 2022
- Time:
-
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EST
- Event Category:
- On-Demand Program
- Website:
- https://distributionstrategy.com/digital-strategy/how-distributors-can-keep-the-branch-alive-in-a-digital-world/
- This event has passed.
A New Sales Model for Distributors: How to Implement, Manage and Measure It
December 1, 2021 @ 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EST
As digital channels grow in importance to the buyer, Customer Service Reps will do less order entry and other repeat tasks. That opens a big opportunity for CSRs to add more value, including providing technical support and supporting customer operations.
Details
- Date:
- December 1, 2021
- Time:
-
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm EST
- Event Category:
- On-Demand Program
- Website:
- https://youtu.be/0VVIk5CeSwc