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Distribution Sales Strategy

The Two Buyer’s Journeys in Distribution: A Practical Guide for Sales Leaders

In wholesale distribution, the buying process isn’t always as clear-cut as we think it is. And it’s not just one process.
  • Mike Kunkle
  • June 4, 2025
Distribution Technology

Self-Service on the Rise: SMBs Turn to Automation to Meet Buyer Demands and Improve Payment Efficiency

Small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) are increasingly turning to self-service technologies to streamline operations, meet customer expectations, and drive revenue growth.
  • Chris Fisher
  • June 3, 2025
AI in Distribution

Distributors and Generative AI: Strategies for Maximizing Return While Minimizing Risk

The hot new form of AI is rapidly spreading into the business world. Two distributors describe their AI journeys.
  • Don Davis
  • May 30, 2025

Upcoming Programs

  • Upcoming Program

AI News and Gurus: The Show for Intelligent Distributors

Join us on Thursday, June 5, 2025 at 9 PT/12 ET for a new AI News and Gurus: The Show for Intelligent Distributors
Register Now
  • Upcoming Program

State of Distributor Pricing and Costing

Join us on June 11, 2025 at 9 PT / 12 ET as we delve into the current state of distributor pricing and costing
Register Now
  • Upcoming Program

Fixing the Data Problem: Building a Digital Supply Chain That Works

Join us on June 18, 9 PT/12 ET, to explore the data infrastructure behind the electrical, HVAC, and plumbing industries, and where it’s headed
Register Now
  • Upcoming Program

AI News and Gurus: The Show for Intelligent Distributors

Join us on Thursday, June 19, 2025 at 9 PT/12 ET for a new AI News and Gurus: The Show for Intelligent Distributors
Register Now
Operations

Redefining Professionalism: A Closer Look at Wholesale Distribution

Regardless of how we got here, what many of us discovered is a career that offers more than just selling and moving boxes.
  • Mark Bray
  • May 28, 2025
Innovation

Leading with Purpose in the Age of Automation

WMS, LMS, OMS, WES, YMS: whatever acronym we use, they’re all tools, but they’ll never replace the need for leadership.
  • Will Quinn
  • May 28, 2025
AI in Distribution

Want to Get Started with AI? This Man has a Plan

Trent Gillespie will detail approach to AI in a keynote entitled “Designing an AI-enabled business” at Distribution Strategy Group’s Applied AI for Distributors conference.
  • Don Davis
  • May 27, 2025

Recent Reports

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

DSG-Report-2025-State-of-Distributor-Profitability-Cover

2025 State of Distributor Profitability: Distributors’ Action Plan

How to Overcome Resistance to Strategic Pricing
Distribution Marketing

How to Overcome Resistance to Strategic Pricing

Learn the secrets to successful strategic pricing implementation and get the results you need with buy-in from your entire team.
  • Ian Heller
  • February 24, 2021
2021 State of eCommerce in Distribution, Part 2: Distributors’ Playbook for eCommerce Success
B2B eCommerce

2021 State of eCommerce in Distribution, Part 2: Distributors’ Playbook for eCommerce Success

Distribution Strategy Group, formerly Real Results Marketing, conducted its ninth-annual State of eCommerce in Distribution survey from October-December 2020, updating the leading benchmark in
  • Dean Mueller
  • February 24, 2021
shopping cart overflowing with boxes
B2B eCommerce

Webinar: State of eCommerce in Distribution: Part 2

In this webinar, Part 2 in a series, Distribution Strategy Group’s experts provide a playbook on what to do in response to our survey
  • Dean Mueller
  • February 24, 2021
The role of associations in the distribution industry has evolved over the past decade as they work to add value for their members in a changing market marked by generational shift and consolidation. Ed Gerber, CEO of the Industrial Supply Association and distribution industry veteran, joins Distribution Strategy Group’s Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein for a look at how ISA is evolving to meet members’ needs in an unprecedented time.
Wholesale Change Show

Wholesale Change: The Role of Associations Amid Uncertainty (February 17, 2021)

In this episode, Ed Gerber, CEO of the Industrial Supply Association and distribution industry veteran, joined Distribution Strategy Group’s Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein
  • Ian Heller
  • February 18, 2021
B2B Customer Surveys: How to Get Actionable Feedback from Customers
Distribution Marketing

B2B Customer Surveys: How to Get Actionable Feedback from Customers

Distributors who regularly solicit their customers’ input via customer surveys gain important insights for decision-making.
  • Debbie Paul
  • February 17, 2021
When It Comes to Product Recommendations, B2B vs. B2C Matters
B2B eCommerce

When It Comes to Product Recommendations, B2B vs. B2C Matters

Many distributors are using product recommendation engines on their ecommerce websites originally designed for B2C. This isn’t sufficient for a distributor’s business model.
  • Benj Cohen
  • February 11, 2021
How Johnstone Supply Built Company Culture Over Zoom: A Conversation with President and CEO John Tisera
Distribution Industry Analysis

How Johnstone Supply Built Company Culture Over Zoom: A Conversation with President and CEO John Tisera

Johnstone Supply saw its largest sales month in company history in June 2020 after responding to the pandemic with innovations at a local level
  • Ian Heller
  • February 8, 2021
Distributors’ Quarterly Checkup: Notable Results, Surprises and Market Moves from 2020
Wholesale Change Show

Distributors’ Quarterly Checkup: Notable Results, Surprises and Market Moves from 2020 (February 3, 2021)

The Wholesale Change hosts Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein dug into public distributors’ earnings reports from Amazon, Grainger, Applied Industrial and Avnet.
  • Ian Heller
  • February 4, 2021
The War Between Sales and Marketing is Marketing’s Fault
Distribution Marketing

The War Between Sales and Marketing is Marketing’s Fault

Marketers need to learn that when sales and marketing fight, sales wins. Even when they’re wrong.
  • Ian Heller
  • February 2, 2021
Distributors: You’re Doing Marketing Wrong – and It’s Going to Cost You
Distribution Marketing

Distributors: You’re Doing Marketing Wrong – and It’s Going to Cost You

Distributors need to recognize the role marketing professionals can play in meeting customer expectations. If they don’t, they’ll quickly become irrelevant.
  • Jonathan Bein
  • January 26, 2021
2021 State of eCommerce in Distribution
B2B eCommerce

2021 State of eCommerce in Distribution, Part 1: A Rapid Rise in Adoption and Maturity

The adoption rate of ecommerce in distribution soared in 2020 with a weighted 26.3% increase from 2019 to 2020.
  • Dean Mueller
  • January 26, 2021
Shopping cart full of boxes with boxes overflowing onto the floor
B2B eCommerce

Webinar: 2021 State of eCommerce in Distribution: Part 1

In the first of two webinars on the State of eCommerce in Distribution, we present the results of our 9 annual State of eCommerce
  • Dean Mueller
  • January 26, 2021
The Role of Marketing Groups & Co-Ops Amid Disruption, feat. Steve Ruane, IMARK Electrical
Wholesale Change Show

Wholesale Change: The Role of Marketing Groups & Co-Ops Amid Disruption, feat. Steve Ruane, IMARK Electrical (January 20, 2021)

We had a frank conversation with Steve Ruane, Vice President of Marketing and Member Services for IMARK Electrical, about the role co-ops and marketing
  • Jonathan Bein
  • January 21, 2021
DSG Survey Reflects Sharp Increase in eCommerce Adoption, Maturity in 2020
B2B eCommerce

DSG Survey Reflects Sharp Increase in eCommerce Adoption, Maturity in 2020

We had expected a sharp increase in the adoption of ecommerce in 2020 with the shifts in buying behavior due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • Dean Mueller
  • January 20, 2021
Home Depot, HD Supply and the Multifamily Market War
Wholesale Change Show

Wholesale Change: Home Depot, HD Supply and the Multifamily Market War (January 6, 2021)

We had a lively discussion about trends in the multifamily market, as well as the recent Home Depot-HD Supply acquisition.
  • Ian Heller
  • January 8, 2021
How to Build Successful B2B Customer Loyalty Programs
Distribution Marketing

How to Build Successful B2B Customer Loyalty Programs

Customer loyalty and incentive programs can help wholesale distribution companies build meaningful relationships with their customers to gain mindshare and wallet share.
  • Ian Heller
  • January 4, 2021
8 Reasons Distributors Fail at Digital
Digital Strategy

8 Reasons Distributors Fail at Digital

No matter how hard you try, it’s really easy to build a doomed website. In a recent episode of the Wholesale Change webcast and
  • Ian Heller
  • December 28, 2020
Secure Buy-in to Your Pricing Initiative
Wholesale Change Show

Wholesale Change: Secure Buy-in to Your Pricing Initiative (December 16, 2020)

Without buy-in from your entire team – including that salesperson that complains the most – a strategic pricing project will, simply put, not yield
  • Ian Heller
  • December 17, 2020
How Distributors Can (Finally) Succeed at Cross-Selling
Wholesale Change Show

Wholesale Change: How Distributors Can (Finally) Succeed at Cross-Selling

Debbie Paul joined Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein to talk about what’s in distributors’ way, and how emerging technologies are making it easier to
  • Ian Heller
  • December 10, 2020
Digitally Native Vertical Brands: Lessons for B2B Channels
Digital Strategy

Digitally Native Vertical Brands: Lessons for B2B Channels

As of yet, the Digitally Native Vertical Brand is not common in B2B markets. But B2B channels can learn from the success of DNVBs.
  • Jonathan Bein
  • December 9, 2020
How Culture Can Be Cultivated on Zoom (with John Tisera, CEO of Johnstone Supply)
Wholesale Change Show

Wholesale Change: How Culture Can Be Cultivated on Zoom (with John Tisera, CEO of Johnstone Supply)

John Tisera, president/CEO of Johnstone Supply, joined Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein in this episode to talk about how the distributor has built and
  • Ian Heller
  • December 2, 2020
High-Tech AND High-Touch: How Distributors Can Win in a B2C World
Digital Strategy

High-Tech AND High-Touch: How Distributors Can Win in a B2C World

If you aren’t building high-tech platforms that make it hyper-efficient for your customers to execute simple transactions, you’re losing the game. But simply adopting
  • Ian Heller
  • December 2, 2020
3 Technologies That Deliver 10X Returns for Distributors
Digital Strategy

3 Technologies That Deliver 10X Returns for Distributors

Based on our extensive work with distributors, we distill your list of technology choices to the investments that we believe can have the greatest
  • Jonathan Bein
  • December 1, 2020
How to Get Your Brand Out of the Graveyard
Distribution Marketing

How to Get Your Brand Out of the Graveyard

You’ll know you’re stuck in a brand graveyard if your customers only buy a small percentage of your product offering, only buy big products
  • Jonathan Bein
  • November 30, 2020
If Marketplaces are a Must, Should You Build Your Own?
Digital Strategy

If Marketplaces are a Must, Should You Build Your Own?

Independent alternatives to third-party marketplaces like Amazon are emerging, and some distributors have found success selling through them. This has many wondering if they
  • Ian Heller
  • November 25, 2020
How Fastenal is Outperforming the Market in 2020
Digital Strategy

How Fastenal is Outperforming the Market in 2020

Fastenal is outperforming its peer distributors in 2020 despite the recession. They’ve recovered quickly by capitalizing on their end market and excellent company culture,
  • Jonathan Bein
  • November 23, 2020
AI vs BI in Sales: Why Distributors Should Choose Artificial Intelligence
Digital Strategy

AI vs BI in Sales: Why Distributors Should Choose Artificial Intelligence

Today, distributors can choose from an array of sales tools that all promise data-driven results. In theory, this should help distributors understand their customers
  • Benj Cohen
  • November 20, 2020
Leverage Customer Loyalty Programs for Long-Term Growth
Wholesale Change Show

Wholesale Change: Leverage Customer Loyalty Programs for Long-Term Growth (November 18, 2020)

Learn why loyalty is a powerful emotion and how to leverage it in B2B, best practices in designing loyalty and incentive programs, and how
  • Ian Heller
  • November 18, 2020
Home Depot
B2B eCommerce

Home Depot Buys Back HD Supply; MRO Distributors Get Squeezed

Home Depot pays a 25% premium for an enterprise value of $8 billion to reacquire HD Supply, putting branch-based distributors square in the middle
  • Ian Heller
  • November 18, 2020
Prevent Customers From Leaving You
Distribution Sales Strategy

Prevent Customers From Leaving You

For some companies, an annual increase of 1% in customer retention over each of the next ten years results in 20% increase in annual
  • Robert Kelley
  • November 12, 2020
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