Distribution Strategy Group
Distribution Strategy Group Webinars
May 25 – 9 AM PT / Noon ET
MSC Industrial’s Reimagined Value Proposition for a Digital World
Please join us on May 25 when Erik Gershwind, President and CEO of MSC Industrial Supply Co., will talk about how the company has reimagined its value proposition, driven digital transformation and learned to build its culture and retain talent in a virtual world.
Last year, MSC rolled out a three-year plan called “Mission Critical” to accelerate market-share gains and earn a higher return on invested capital. The company has transformed its sales force from focusing on spot buys to delivering on new, more complex and high-touch solutions that help customers achieve higher levels of productivity, profitability and growth. MSC is adding value deeper in its customers’ organizations while simultaneously expanding the portion of its sales that come through digital channels.
In our conversation with Erik, we’ll walk through MSC’s journey and ask him what he’s learned along the way. This is a rare opportunity to join in the conversation and ask one of distribution’s leading CEOs questions that will help you complete your own journey of transformation.
May 25
MSC Industrial’s Reimagined Value Proposition for a Digital World
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June 1
2022 State of Distributor Sales: Rewriting the Distributor Sales Playbook for a New Era
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Check out the Wholesale Change Show – the webcast and podcast from Distribution Strategy Group. New episodes, every other Wednesday at Noon ET.
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Past Webinars
How Distributors Can Act Now to Mitigate Supply Chain Disruption
May 18, 2022
In this webinar, we asked distributors about their strategies to mitigate the impacts of supply chain uncertainty. We’ll share what’s working in this webinar, as well our expertise on building resiliency in your supply chain.
Watch on-demand >
True Omnichannel: Digital, Sales, Branches & Phones – Part 2: Distributors That Do It Right
In Part 2 of our exploration of True Omnichannel, we use real world examples from distributors who have figured out how to ensure customers get the same experience across channels.
Watch on-demand >
The State of Distributor Customer Experience: What Customers Want
In this webinar, we shared the definitive guide on how to cultivate a unique customer journey to drive a real connection with buyers. The result: greater customer loyalty and increased wallet share.
Watch on-demand >
State of Distributor Technology: A Guide for Growth
April 6, 2022
In this free webinar, we share our survey data, as well as our own expertise from working with dozens of distribution companies, to help you think about how to build your own technology stack.
Watch on-demand >
How to Manage and Recover from Supply Chain Disruptions, Part 1
March 23, 2022
In this webinar, we present the findings from our survey and add our own expertise so you can learn the best practices to detect, manage and recover from disruption.
Watch on-demand >
True Omnichannel: Digital, Sales, Branches & Phones – Part 1: Best Practices in Omnichannel and Unified Commerce
March 9, 2022
In this webinar DSG identified, explored and explained best practices in omnichannel and what it means for various distributor business models, including sales and branch-driven, distribution center-based and pure digital.
Watch on-demand >
2022 State of eCommerce in Distribution, Part 2: Next Steps to Building the Right Customer Experience Online
(February 23, 2022)
In part of the State of eCommerce we shared how your distributor peers are planning to enhance and augment their ecommerce capabilities over the next three years – and how you can differentiate by keeping customer experience front and center.
Watch on-demand >
Thriving Through Disruption
(February 9, 2022)
Ian Heller discusses how marketplaces and other disruptors compete with distributors, how to estimate your company’s vulnerability to alternate channels and how to build moats around your business to create effective, sustainable differentiation.
Watch on-demand >
2022 State of eCommerce in Distribution, Part 1: Distributors’ Digital Revolution
(February 2, 2022)
The first of two webinars featuring the results of our exclusive 12th-annual State of eCommerce in Distribution research, a leading benchmark in the industry for adoption and drivers of ecommerce.
Watch on-demand >
A New Sales Model for Distributors: How to Implement, Manage and Measure It
(December 1, 2021)
As digital channels grow in importance to the buyer, Customer Service Reps will do less order entry and other repeat tasks. That opens a big opportunity for CSRs to add more value, including providing technical support and supporting customer operations.
Watch on-demand >
The Reinvention of Distributor Sales & Service:
Integrating Field Sales, Telephone-Based Sales and Customer Service
(November 17, 2021)
In the second of three webinars in this series, you’ll learn the compelling economic case for an integrated sales model. Learn the process for creating a team of professional account managers who will work proactively over the phone in our Reinvention of Distributor Sales and Service webinar series.
Watch on-demand >
The Future of e-Business in B2B
(November 4, 2021)
How to compete on digital customer experience in 5 years. In this webinar we provided strategies to take action now so you can position yourself to adapt and remain resilient long into the future online.
Getting the Most from Cloud ERP: New Capabilities and a Strong ROI
(October 27, 2021)
Barb Zimmerman joined us to share her expertise on how distributors can use the capabilities of cloud ERP to run better, more profitable companies.
A New Sales Channel – Telephone-Based Sales Reps
(October 20, 2021)
Watch a discussion on how distributors have historically used telephone-based sales reps, how successful these programs have been, and how this has led to a new sales channel.
2021 State of Manufacturer Sales Channels: Suppliers’ Reliance on Distributors Decreases
(October 6, 2021)
Get the latest research on manufacturers’ plans to reach the end-user, and how distributors fit into the picture.
The Case for Cloud ERP: Fast ROI
(September 23, 2021)
We looked at the quantitative and qualitative benefits of a cloud ERP and present a detailed framework for evaluating the move.
Is Your Product Data Making You Money or Costing You Sales?
(September 8, 2021)
Join us for a fireside chat with Dawn Zassick, VP Customer Solutions at Magnitude Agility, for insider tips on using your product data to stand out in front of the crowd.
State of Shopping and Buying in Distribution
(August 3, 2021)
We shared the results of our research on what your customers want in 2021 and beyond.
State of Analytics in Distribution: Uncovering and Driving Value with Data
(July 14, 2021)
We reveal the results of our survey of distributors on how they’re using analytics now and their plans for leveraging data in the future.
10X Tech Stack: Supercharge Your Procure-to-Pay and Order-to-Cash Cycles
(June 30, 2021)
Jonathan Bein and Rob Kelley examine technologies that dramatically shorten the time from procurement to payment while reducing errors, rework and eliminating unnecessary labor most payment operations require.
State of Technology in Distribution
(June 3, 2021)
We discussed how and where distributors are automating the customer journey, from searching for the right product to the purchase and support after the sale. We examined available technology, including tried-and-true solutions and emerging technology such as AI-enabled sales tools that are providing a better experience for the customer.
State of Sales in Distribution, Part 2
(Apr. 21, 2021)
COVID gave us the ability to look at things in a different way and adapt. In a post-pandemic normal, distributors can truly differentiate themselves with a consultative selling approach. In the second part of this two-part webinar series, Debbie Paul and Ian Heller will discuss how to build a sales force that will differentiate by using consultative selling.
State of Sales in Distribution, Part 1
(Mar. 24, 2021)
The pandemic fundamentally changed how distributor sales organizations went to market in 2020. The effects continue in 2021. Join Distribution Strategy Group on Wednesday, March 24, at 9 PT / 12 ET for a first look at the results of the 2021 State of Sales in Distribution survey. In the first part of this two-part webinar series, Debbie Paul and Ian Heller will look at the current state of sales in the industry.
State of eCommerce in Distribution, Part 2
(Feb. 25, 2021)
Distribution Strategy Group’s 2021 State of eCommerce in Distribution research revealed that adoption rates have soared over the past year, in part driven by shifts in buying behaviors due to the pandemic. In this webinar Distribution Strategy Group’s experts provide a playbook on what to do in response to our survey data in 2021 and beyond.
State of eCommerce in Distribution, Part 1
(Jan. 26, 2021)
Adoption of ecommerce continued to rise in 2020, driven by distributors’ desire to improve the customer experience in a year when in-person sales interactions were limited. Our research shows that increased online purchasing is here to stay and will likely continue to accelerate.
Download the free State of eCommerce in Distribution report.