This May, IRCG’s Mike Marks and Mike Emerson will be participating once again in the Sales GPS conference in Chicago, Ill.

The biggest mistake management teams make, when it comes to sales compensation, is using the pay plan to manage salespeople.

I’ve worked with dozens and dozens of distributors and manufacturers over the past couple of decades, and in that time, I’ve heard more times than I can count that the field sales team is imperative to building customer relationships and gaining mindshare, justifying the massive expense.

2020 is here, and we’re still hearing some rumbling of an economic slowdown. Some might consider holding back on new investments until the economic future is more certain. And yet, thriving amid disruption is a differentiator in today’s market. Put another way: Disruption creates opportunity.

This May, IRCG’s Mike Marks and Mike Emerson will be participating once again in the Sales GPS conference in Chicago, Ill.

Just because Amazon is a household name doesn’t mean distributors must emulate its every move to compete.

IRCG Managing Partner Mike Marks’s latest guest post for the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors offers up suggestions for distributors looking to succeed in the shadow of Amazon. It’s not about beating the online behemoth, but about creating more value in your own niche, for your own customers.

On Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020 at 1 p.m. ET, Indian River Consulting Group Managing Partner Mike Marks will present a free webcast on how to make 2020 your best year yet, focused on sales models that perform better than ever.

This May, IRCG’s Mike Marks and Mike Emerson will be participating once again in the Sales GPS conference in Chicago, Ill.

The terms “gross profit” and “gross margin” are often used interchangeably as they are both calculated the same way: the amount for which goods or services were sold minus the amount for which they were purchased. True, the mathematical values are ultimately the same, but what many folks understand those terms to represent are quite different.

We know market access starts with coverage, but do all your potential customers see you how you want to be seen?

Just as with any other relationship, when distributors and manufacturers break up, poor communication is often to blame.

Supplier scorecards can be a highly useful tool that directly drive profitability. Or they can spark friction and permanently fray relationships between distributors and suppliers.

Just because Amazon is a household name doesn’t mean distributors must emulate its every move to compete.

IRCG Managing Partner Mike Marks’s latest guest post for the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors offers up suggestions for distributors looking to succeed in the shadow of Amazon. It’s not about beating the online behemoth, but about creating more value in your own niche, for your own customers.

Indian River Consulting Group managing partner Mike Marks spoke at the Barnes Dennig annual Seminar for the Wholesale/Distribution Niche. He presented on “Creating a Digital Roadmap to Drive Profits.”

Indian River Consulting Group Managing Partner Mike Marks is one of the permanent faculty members at the University of Innovative Distribution (UID). He helps define and lead courses in operations, executive management, sales, marketing and more. The program is tailored to wholesale distributors and manufacturers selling through wholesale distribution, and focused on developing actionable plans.

Of the 56 sessions offered at the University of Innovative Distribution in 2020, IRCG consultants will lead eight. Senior Associate Consultant Dan Horan will be presenting as a faculty member for the first time at the 2020 University of Industrial Distribution (UID). With a background in marketing and advertising, Dan will dissect the four aspects of an effective and profitable branding strategy in his session, “B2B Branding Strategies for the 2020s.”

In the digital age, branding is no longer just advertising, or logos and slogans. Now, successful branding requires a comprehensive strategy and it has to include the entire customer experience. 

Your customers are used to making purchases online in their daily lives. And, more and more, they expect ecommerce in the working world, too. Too many distributors don’t focus enough on their B2B ecommerce – in some cases because they believe in-person field sales is their one and only go-to sales method, or because they feel they can’t compete with Amazon, so it’s pointless to invest in ecommerce.

On Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020 at 1 p.m. ET, Indian River Consulting Group Managing Partner Mike Marks will present a free webcast on how to make 2020 your best year yet, focused on sales models that perform better than ever.

Forecasters are pointing to market slowdowns in early 2020. And while things are expected to pick up again in the back half of the new year, this is no time to abandon your playbook.

If you’re a distributor, you’re going to disagree with your suppliers from time to time. If you’re starting to deploy your sales force more strategically (See: 3 Reasons the Field Sales Role Must Change), these disagreements are even more likely to come up. If you’re reducing your cost to serve by moving some customers to an inside sales model, for example, suppliers with mandates on outside sales representation may take issue.

Regardless of the reason for disagreement, the No. 1 tool at your disposal is to change the dynamic of the distributor-manufacturer meeting.

On Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020 at 1 p.m. ET, Indian River Consulting Group Managing Partner Mike Marks will present a free webcast on how to make 2020 your best year yet, focused on sales models that perform better than ever.

Indian River Consulting Group managing partner Mike Marks spoke at the Barnes Dennig annual Seminar for the Wholesale/Distribution Niche. He presented on “Creating a Digital Roadmap to Drive Profits.”

The terms “gross profit” and “gross margin” are often used interchangeably as they are both calculated the same way: the amount for which goods or services were sold minus the amount for which they were purchased. True, the mathematical values are ultimately the same, but what many folks understand those terms to represent are quite different.

If branded manufacturer margins decline, some distributors may consider expanding their model to add private label revenue. This could be a good idea for the company, but it’s only one component within the greater plan.

Forecasters are pointing to market slowdowns in early 2020. And while things are expected to pick up again in the back half of the new year, this is no time to abandon your playbook.

We know market access starts with coverage, but do all your potential customers see you how you want to be seen?