State of Distributor Sales

Sales in wholesale distribution is under pressure from every direction — digital buyers, new competitors, rising customer expectations, and inside sales models that are still catching up to the realities of modern B2B commerce. Understanding where the industry actually stands, not where leaders hope it is, is the first step toward building a sales organization that wins.

In this Best Practice Study, Mike Kunkle, internationally recognized sales transformation expert and founder of Transforming Sales Results, LLC, presents new research on the state of distributor sales — covering how organizations are structured, where performance is strongest, and what the data reveals about the strategies and practices that separate top performers from the field.

Key Takeaways

• Current benchmarks on distributor sales performance, structure, and investment
• Where inside sales, outside sales, and digital selling models are gaining and losing ground
• How top-performing distributors are aligning sales strategy with changing customer behavior
• The role of data, analytics, and AI in building a modern distribution sales organization
• Practical priorities for sales leaders looking to close the performance gap in 2026 and beyond

What You’ll Learn

What the data reveals about the intersection of sales strategy, digital capability, and analytics maturity in high-growth distribution companies.

How distributors across the industry are structuring and investing in their sales organizations today, and what the research says about what works.

Where the biggest performance gaps exist between top-performing distributors and the broader field, and what drives those differences.

How customer expectations and buying behavior are reshaping the role of the sales rep, and how leading organizations are responding.