Best Practice Study
State of Distributor CRM and Sales
Wednesday, August 26 , 9:00 AM PDT / 12:00 PM EDT – 10:00 AM PDT / 1:00 PM EDT
New distributor research meets top-performer science — find out how CRM and smarter selling practices are separating the winners from the field.
Sales in wholesale distribution is under pressure from every direction — automated purchasing, new competitors, rising customer expectations, and inside sales models that are still catching up to the realities of modern B2B commerce, and the ever-expanding presence of AI.
In this Best Practice Study, Mike Kunkle, internationally recognized sales transformation expert, and Jonathan Bein, Managing Partner of Distribution Strategy Group, present new research and frameworks on how CRM adoption, data strategy, and top-performer sales practices are reshaping what it takes to win in wholesale distribution.
They’ll cover how leading distributors are using CRM and analytics to drive smarter selling, the strategies and practices that separate top sales performers from the rest, and the management methods that allow sales leaders to raise the performance of their entire teams.
Key Takeaways
- Current benchmarks on distributor CRM adoption, sales performance, and where the industry stands against other verticals
- How top-performing distributors are aligning sales strategy with changing customer behavior
- What the very best salespeople do differently—and the impacts these practices can have on distributors
- Practical coaching and management practices for sales leaders looking to optimize sales performance in 2026 and beyond
Guest
Mike Kunkle
Managing Director, Sales Effectiveness Consultant, Transforming Sales Results, LLC
Sponsor
Guest
Mike Kunkle
Managing Director, Sales Effectiveness Consultant, Transforming Sales Results, LLC
Mike Kunkle is an internationally recognized expert on sales effectiveness, sales management, sales coaching, and sales enablement. He’s spent more than thirty years helping companies drive revenue growth through proven sales systems and enablement strategies, including more than seven years in industrial B2B and distribution. His work has produced revenue lifts of 12% to 34% across multiple client organizations in six to nine months, along with new-hire ramp time reductions ranging from 23% to 52%.
Host
Jonathan Bein, Ph.D.
Managing Partner, Distribution Strategy Group
Jonathan Bein Ph.D. has worked with over 100 distributors to apply advanced analytics and AI to improve customer experience, define value proposition, estimate sales potential, and create digital strategy.