Leverage human resources - not just technology - to bridge the gap between raw data and actionable insights.

Are you ignoring customers that have bought from you once and never came back? You may be missing out.

There's nothing wrong with a "lifestyle" approach to management... unless you want your business to grow beyond your own contributions.

Specialized sales roles are more efficient and effective, as the medical industry well knows.

Loyal customers will give reps the opportunity to fix problems when they arise.

Distributors playing to win in 2018 – not just to not lose – must be proactive.

In the wake of Amazon's announcement that it will offer a Prime option with unlimited free two-day shipping to Amazon Business customers, some distributors may react impulsively, which can lead to poor decisions.

The lighting distribution market is rife with change. In a recent interview with LightED Magazine, Indian River Consulting Group's Mike Marks called the market “the wild, wild west.” Read Welcome To The Wild, Wild West! in LightED Magazine for Marks' take on who the winners will be in this "frothy" market.

Company CEOs and board members are facing increasing financial accountability for the success of M&A deals, according to a 2017 survey by PWC of Fortune 1,000 executives and senior management recently active in M&A. Are you responsible for an upcoming deal? Early planning can increase the odds of successfully creating value and meeting deal goals.

Charley Hale, former CEO of industrial distributor FCX Performance, will be the keynote speaker at the Distribution M&A Executive Workshop, to be held Oct. 9-11, 2017, in Austin, Texas.

Some distributors think that when they buy a company that the integration will go smoothly without their having to invest time getting to know current employees. Unfortunately, it’s more complicated than that.

Buying a company can be an emotional experience. The closer many distributors get to completing a deal, the more they tend to fall in love with it. The reality is that M&A transactions should be based on financial return, not passion, but that’s the No. 1 mistake I’ve seen distributors make when buying another company.

Watch the video below to learn the two things you can do help keep emotion out of the equation when buying a distribution company. This video was created to address common questions we’ve received since announcing the opening of registration for the Distribution M&A Executive Workshop we’re hosting in partnership with Modern Distribution Management.

Did you enjoy listening to Mike speak about how to avoid common problems in M&A? Join us for IRCG’s and MDM’s M&A Executive Workshop. Sign up today.

I moderated a panel discussion on the future of the independent distributor in the electrical channel at this week’s National Association of Electrical Distributors National Meeting in Boston.

A lot of distributors are worried about Amazon’s growing influence in B2B markets. Despite Amazon’s replacement of AmazonSupply with the somewhat less-threatening Amazon Business in 2015, the increased competition in B2B markets created by Amazon Business still outweighs the new selling opportunities it has created.