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Operations

Beyond the Spreadsheet: Transforming Order & Quote Processes

The most successful implementations start with clear process mapping, identifying the highest-impact automation opportunities first.
  • Brian Hopkins
  • July 8, 2025
AI in Distribution

Parspec Raises $20 Million to Bring AI Automation to Construction Distributors

Parspec expects both the distributor and contractor tools to be commercially available by the end of 2025. Pilot programs are currently underway.
  • Distribution Strategy Group
  • July 8, 2025
Operations

Critical Skills for Front-Line Leaders in Distribution Part One

Frontline leadership isn’t about reports and titles. It’s about earning trust, solving real problems, and keeping the operation moving day in and day out.
  • Will Quinn
  • July 7, 2025

Upcoming Programs

  • Upcoming Program

Using Technology to Drive Profits and Productivity

Join us on July 16, 9 PT/12 ET, as we discuss how to turn technology strategies into tangible outcomes.
Register Now
  • Upcoming Program

How Distributors are Solving Supply Chain Challenges

Join us on July 23, 9 PT/12 ET, as we discuss how companies are building more resilient, agile supply chains.
Register Now
  • Upcoming Program

State of Distributor Sales

Join us on July 30, 2025 at 9PT/12ET as we delve into the state of distributor sales to enhance your customer experience.
Register Now
Operations

The New Rules of Profitability in Wholesale Distribution

Today’s profit leaders aren’t necessarily the biggest players, they’re the swiftest.
  • Brian Hopkins
  • July 1, 2025
Strategy

2025 Has Been Rocky for Many Distributors, But Outlook Could Be Rosy

Analysts say distributors remain attractive to investors in volatile periods because of their flexibility and early economic recoveries.
  • Don Davis
  • June 20, 2025
warehouse-master-distributors-and-marketplaces
AI in Distribution

The Evolving Warehouse Function: 2025-2030

By 2030, AI-driven systems will orchestrate warehouse operations with precision that exceeds even the best human coordinators.
  • Brian Hopkins
  • June 19, 2025

Recent Reports

State of CRM and Sales Analytics in Distribution

2025 State of Technology in Distribution

From Silos to Synergy: Transforming B2B Distribution with Automation and Collaboration

Optimizing B2B eCommerce for Distributors: Strategies for Scalability, Supply Chain Visibility and Digital Integration

Distribution Marketing

Gustave Larson’s Sales Force Transformation & the Distributor’s Focus on the Customer’s Customer

Read how HVAC distributor Gustave Larson has introduced and driven real value from innovative services. Andrew Larson, the long-time CEO and chairman of Gustave Larson, an HVAC
  • Ian Heller
  • August 5, 2021
hand holding phone with holographic shopping carts being projected from the screen
Distribution Sales Strategy

Webinar: 2021 State of Shopping and Buying in Distribution

his free webinar we shared the results of our research on what your customers want in 2021 and beyond.
  • Dean Mueller
  • August 3, 2021
Distributors’ Customers Prefer Manufacturers’ Websites and Search Engines
Digital Strategy

New Study: Distributors’ Customers Prefer Manufacturers’ Websites and Search Engines

Distributors continue to fall behind in building websites that meet their customers’ needs better than other choices, such as search engines and manufacturers’ digital
  • Ian Heller
  • July 27, 2021
PPE gloves, ear coverings, ear plugs, respirator mask
Wholesale Change Show

Wholesale Change: How Arbill Doubled Down on its Safety Focus When the PPE Market Shifted (July 21, 2021)

Take a closer look at how the PPE industry changed overnight when COVID-19 hit last year and the challenges that have come with that,
  • Ian Heller
  • July 21, 2021
Distribution Industry Analysis

What Private Equity Firms Want in a Distributor: A Look Behind the Curtain

Get an insider’s look at how private equity (PE) firms evaluate distribution companies, from people and processes to market opportunities. John Schweig, Chairman of the Board at BlackHawk Industrial and
  • Ian Heller
  • July 16, 2021
business person with tablet looking at holographic data being projected off the screen
Digital Strategy

Webinar: State of Analytics in Distribution

In this webinar, we reveal the results of our survey of distributors on how they’re using analytics now and their plans for leveraging data
  • Robert Kelley
  • July 14, 2021
When It Comes to Tech, You Only Get One Chance for a Great First Impression with Sales Reps
Digital Strategy

When It Comes to Tech, You Only Get One Chance for a Great First Impression with Sales Reps

Distributors must implement a state-of-the-art tech stack to preserve market share, according to Ian Heller in the NAW research report, “Strategic Change During Disruption:
  • Mark Heneine
  • July 6, 2021
dollar sign made out of code
Digital Strategy

Webinar: 10X Tech Stack: 3 Technologies That Supercharge Your Procurement-to-Payment Cycle

In this webinar, Jonathan Bein and Rob Kelley present technologies that dramatically shorten the time from procurement to payment while reducing errors, rework and
  • Robert Kelley
  • June 30, 2021
Why Frank Hurtte Believes Fee-Based Services Are Do-or-Die for Distributors
Distribution Marketing

Why Frank Hurtte Believes Fee-Based Services Are Do-or-Die for Distributors

In his book, The Distributor’s Fee Based Services Manifesto: Why You Need to Consider Charging for Your Services, distribution expert Frank Hurtte argues that distributors face a tough challenge. As market
  • Ian Heller
  • June 24, 2021
Wholesale Change: How Gustave Larson Helps Their Customers Succeed (June 23, 2021)
Wholesale Change Show

Wholesale Change: How Gustave Larson Helps Their Customers Succeed (June 23, 2021)

Andrew Larson talks about how Gustave Larson has evolved its sales force to make it as easy as possible for customers to interact with
  • Ian Heller
  • June 23, 2021
Distributors Need New Sales Toolkits Post-Pandemic
Digital Strategy

Distributors Need New Sales Toolkits Post-Pandemic

COVID-19 vaccines are rolling out across the nation, and it feels like we are “returning to normal.”    But some of the changes brought on by the
  • Benj Cohen
  • June 18, 2021
Will Amazon Survive the Wrath of Lina Khan?
Distribution Industry Analysis

Will Amazon Survive the Wrath of Khan?

Amazon critic Lina Khan, who has upended antitrust thinking, is the new FTC Chair.
  • Ian Heller
  • June 16, 2021
How to Select, Sell and Deliver the Right Value-Added Services for Your Business
Distribution Marketing

How to Select, Sell and Deliver the Right Value-Added Services for Your Business

It is increasingly important for distributors to add value and differentiate themselves from the competition. Peter Neuberger, CEO of United Performance Metals, shared with
  • Ian Heller
  • June 15, 2021
2021 State of Technology in Distribution: Automating the Customer Journey
Digital Strategy

2021 State of Technology in Distribution: Automating the Customer Journey

Distribution Strategy Group conducted a survey and other primary research about how distributors anticipate ongoing, rapidly changing technologies will affect them, and how and
  • Robert Kelley
  • June 11, 2021
Wholesale Change: How Private Equity Leaders Evaluate Distributors (June 9, 2021)
Wholesale Change Show

Wholesale Change: How Private Equity Leaders Evaluate Distributors (June 9, 2021)

John Schweig, Chairman of the Board at BlackHawk Industrial and Operating Partner at private equity firm Snow Phipps, joined hosts Ian Heller and Jonathan
  • Ian Heller
  • June 9, 2021
It’s Not Your Grandfather’s Industry Anymore
Digital Strategy

It’s Not Your Grandfather’s Industry Anymore

This post previews some of the key findings in the first report based on our research for the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors into how
  • Ian Heller
  • June 4, 2021
hand interacting with digital interface
Digital Strategy

Webinar: State of Technology in Distribution

In this webinar our hosts discuss how and where distributors are automating the customer journey, from searching for the right product to the purchase
  • Robert Kelley
  • June 3, 2021
How Satisfied Are Distributors with Their Core Technology Stack
Digital Strategy

How Satisfied Are Distributors with Their Core Technology Stack?

In our recent State of Technology in Distribution survey, we evaluated the core technologies, platforms and products used by distributors to manage their business
  • Jonathan Bein
  • May 27, 2021
Wholesale Change: Distributors’ Quarterly Checkup: Notable Results, Surprises & Market Moves (May 26, 2021)
Wholesale Change Show

Wholesale Change: Distributors’ Quarterly Checkup: Notable Results, Surprises & Market Moves (May 26, 2021)

In our regular quarterly checkup, Wholesale Change hosts Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein dug into public distributors’ earnings reports from Home Depot, Fastenal, CDW,
  • Ian Heller
  • May 26, 2021
The Most Common Mistake Leaders Make in a New Job
Distribution Industry Analysis

The Most Common Mistake Leaders Make in a New Job

The paradox of leaders in new roles is that the lessons they learned in their last jobs are often irrelevant in their new jobs
  • Ian Heller
  • May 19, 2021
Differentiation by Design: Moving the Distribution Industry into 21st Century Goes Beyond Digital
Distribution Sales Strategy

Differentiation by Design: Moving the Distribution Industry into 21st Century Goes Beyond Digital

Peter Jackson, CEO of Miller Industrial Supply, came up in the world of consumer marketing and design before breaking into industrial distribution when he
  • Ian Heller
  • May 17, 2021
Creating Value-Add in a Commoditized Industry
Wholesale Change Show

Wholesale Change: Creating Value-Add in a Commoditized Industry (May 12, 2021)

In this episode Peter Neuberger, President and CEO of United Performance Metals, joined Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein to talk about how the distributor
  • Ian Heller
  • May 12, 2021
5 Reasons Marketing Automation Fails (and How to Give It a Real Chance)
Digital Strategy

5 Reasons Marketing Automation Fails (and How to Give It a Real Chance)

When the ROI of marketing automation isn’t what you expect, don’t retreat to a basic email package. Before you go, get honest about whether
  • Debbie Paul
  • May 10, 2021
lightbulb
Digital Strategy

How Lawson Products Grew Its Enterprise Value by 10x: A Differentiation Case Study for Distributors

Mike DeCata, CEO and president of Lawson Products, loves the way distribution touches all of our lives, and it shows. His impressive career spans
  • Ian Heller
  • May 5, 2021
The Case for Marketing Automation
Digital Strategy

The Case for Marketing Automation in B2B

The scales have shifted. Buyers have evolved in the ways that they prefer to purchase. Technology, digital channels and non-stop connectivity continue to empower
  • Debbie Paul
  • May 3, 2021
The Distributor’s Fee-Based Services Imperative
Wholesale Change Show

Wholesale Change: The Distributor’s Fee-Based Services Imperative (April 28, 2021)

In this episode, Hurtte, of River Heights Consulting, joined Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein to talk about why, if distributors don’t have a plan
  • Ian Heller
  • April 28, 2021
sales person and worker shaking hands
Distribution Marketing

Webinar: State of Sales in Distribution: Part 2

In the second part of this two-part webinar series, Debbie Paul and Ian Heller discuss how to build a sales force that will differentiate
  • Debbie Paul
  • April 21, 2021
A Way Around Amazon: Portfolio Management for Distributors
Distribution Sales Strategy

Wholesale Change: A Way Around Amazon: Portfolio Management for Distributors (April 14, 2021)

Learn how distributors can analyze transactional and customer-provided data to generate industry-specific insights, develop robust benchmarks and tailor advice to match customer objectives.
  • Ian Heller
  • April 14, 2021
Why Distributors’ Customer Churn Management Efforts Aren’t Working
Distribution Marketing

Why Distributors’ Customer Churn Management Efforts Aren’t Working

Few distributors try to predict customer churn. Those that do, get it wrong because of how they define churn. The problem lies in how
  • Benj Cohen
  • April 7, 2021
A growing group of people with one clear leader in front
Distribution Industry Analysis

Distribution, Disrupted: How Associations Can Lead During Uncertain Times

In the wake of COVID-19, there has been plenty of speculation about the role of distribution associations and how they must adapt to disruption,
  • Ian Heller
  • April 2, 2021
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