Ian Heller

Ian Heller is the Founder and Chief Strategist for Distribution Strategy Group. He has more than 30 years of experience executing marketing and e-business strategy in the wholesale distribution industry, starting as a truck unloader at a Grainger branch while in college. He’s since held executive roles at GE Capital, Corporate Express, Newark Electronics and HD Supply. Ian has written and spoken extensively on the impact of digital disruption on distributors, and would love to start that conversation with you, your team or group. Reach out today at iheller@distributionstrategy.com.

  • How to Build a Doomed Website

    How to Build a Doomed Website

    I think a good rule of thumb for distributors is that you can’t complain about your e-commerce failure if your problems are self-inflicted.

  • Wholesale Change Show: Will B2B Marketplaces Kill Company Specific Websites? (May 20, 2020)

    Wholesale Change Show: Will B2B Marketplaces Kill Company Specific Websites? (May 20, 2020)

    In this episode of Wholesale Change (May 20, 2020), Distribution Strategy Group’s Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein discuss the importance and future of marketplaces in wholesale distribution.

  • Wholesale Change Show: The Future of Value-Added Services in Distribution (May 13, 2020)

    Wholesale Change Show: The Future of Value-Added Services in Distribution (May 13, 2020)

    Distribution Strategy Group’s Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein discuss the importance and future of value-added services in wholesale distribution. They also discuss why distributors need to promote their services, and the best way to do that on their websites.

  • After the Crisis: What Distributors Must Do Next

    After the Crisis: What Distributors Must Do Next

    Despite the many columns and webcasts predicting distribution’s post-pandemic “new normal,” it’s going to be a long time before our industry settles back into a rhythm. For now, expect a “new abnormal,” where powerful forces will continue to transform the industry and redefine how you must compete to win.

  • Sales Force Productivity During a Global Health Crisis

    Sales Force Productivity During a Global Health Crisis

    How Your Reps Can Make Calls without Visiting Customers Background As of this writing, the coronavirius (COVID-19) is infecting an increasing number of people around the world. We grieve over the human toll this virus takes.  With a mortality rate that appears to be about 3% (at the moment) and focused primarily on the elderly…

  • A Global Pandemic is Great for Amazon’s Sales, No Matter How You Spin It

    A Global Pandemic is Great for Amazon’s Sales, No Matter How You Spin It

    An Amazon Post Full of Nonsense Carries a Serious Underlying Message We all know the world is not fair. For one thing, celery is good for you, and French fries are bad for you. Yet we crave French fries and eat celery when people are watching. 

  • Anti-Social Distancing: The Best Worst Advice on Working from Home

    Anti-Social Distancing: The Best Worst Advice on Working from Home

    Antisocial Distancing: The Best Worst Advice on Working from Home As the COVID19 pandemic sweeps across the globe, it’s causing sickness, death, and economic damage. It’s also resulted in a new recommended behavior: “Social distancing,” which means we’re supposed to stay six feet apart from each other at all times.

  • Learning Financial Accounting as a Second Language

    Learning Financial Accounting as a Second Language

    During a Crisis, You Must Know the Lingo to Join the Convo Early in my career, I was terrified of math (due to post-algebra traumatic stress suffered in high school) and so I didn’t even try to learn financial accounting. This became an increasingly big problem as I was promoted and sat in more meetings…