This week’s index shows a sales decline of 11.4% over the same week in 2019. The sample size for the week of May 18-22 is ten firms, which is the same as last week. We now have nine weeks of double-digit average declines. The 11.4% decline represents the smallest decline since mid-March.   

This week’s index shows a sales decline over the same week in 2019 of 14.9%. The sample size for the week of May 11-15 is 10 firms, which is the same as last week. We now have eight weeks of double-digit average declines and five consecutive weeks with declines in the mid-teens.

Each week, we’ll be tracking a snapshot of year-over-year distributor revenue with our Pandemic Revenue Index (PRI). We would like to increase the sample size and are asking you to consider helping the industry through these uncertain and unprecedented times.  If you are interested, reach out to Mike Emerson, at memerson@ircg.com.

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.

The need for a strong strategy does not stop because of unprecedented times. If anything, troubling times should highlight the importance of a sound strategy based on customer needs and market realities.

On April 17 MDM CEO Tom Gale and IRCG Founding Partner Mike Marks held a Live webinar you can now watch on demand. Learn the latest updates on how the Covid-19 pandemic is impacting customers, suppliers, operations and teams.

Given double-digit declines in weekly sales year over year, many distributors are evaluating how, when and where they should cut costs to protect future cash flows in these unpredictable times due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Indian River Consulting Group Managing Partner Mike Marks presented 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.

This Friday, May 29 at 2 PM EDT, Tom Gale of MDM and Mike Marks of IRCG will host a special one-hour edition of MDM LIVE. Join us to learn the latest intel on how distributors are creating competitive advantages amid the shift from face-to-face to low-touch sales engagement. 

Join us for a one-hour weekly webinar series with MDM LIVE where we connect with distribution leaders to discuss how they are addressing the impact of COVID-19.

This one-hour MDM LIVE webinar with Modern Distribution Management aired on May 15, 2020. You can watch it now, on demand. 

IRCG Managing Partner Mike Marks joins Modern Distribution Management for another live webinar event on how distributors can respond to the COVID-19 crisis.

Given double-digit declines in weekly sales year over year, many distributors are evaluating how, when and where they should cut costs to protect future cash flows in these unpredictable times due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This cash-flow modeling webinar illustrates how with not a lot of work a management team can quickly identify actions they should be considering.

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?