IRCG Insights Blog

Each week, we be track a snapshot of year-over-year distributor revenue with our Pandemic Revenue Index (PRI).

Each week, we’ll be tracking a snapshot of year-over-year distributor revenue with our Pandemic Revenue Index (PRI).

This week’s index shows a sales increase of 4.8% versus the same week in 2019. The eccentricities of the calendar are unlikely to be impacting the reported growth as both weeks in 2019 and 2020 included the last day of the month.   

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.

When asked how you can provide them with more value, most customers will instantly suggest a price cut. After all, it is the easiest way to compare multiple vendors and as the old adage goes, “It never hurts to ask!”

As practices continue to shift, there are two trends distributors should be paying close attention to in today’s market. One is understanding the role of technology, and the other is attracting and retaining talent.

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.

Is your sales organization in February the same organization that you want as you rebuild? Or should you take this opportunity in the midst of disruption to restructure your sales force?

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 pandemic has produced no shortage of articles telling you that the world has changed, and we should all prepare for the “new normal.” While the “new normal” will undoubtedly change many aspects of business, waiting for it does not address the problems and demands of today.

As we face ongoing shocks to the economy, everybody in the value chain will face the same challenges: Some price increases won’t stick, some cost reductions won’t be enough, and businesses that are undercapitalized will continue to fail.

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

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.

Hear from MDM’s Tom Gale and IRCG’s Mike Marks as they talk with Mike DeCata, president and CEO of Lawson Products Inc., a $370 million Chicago-based national distributor of MRO products.

In this September 25 MDM LIVE MDM’s Tom Gale and IRCG’s Mike Marks discuss innovative ways distribution leaders are creating new value propositions for their customers and carving out stronger competitive differentiation for 2021.

Hear from MDM’s Tom Gale and IRCG’s Mike Marks as they speak with distributors about how they continue to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic on this recording of MDM Live from August 14.

When asked how you can provide them with more value, most customers will instantly suggest a price cut. After all, it is the easiest way to compare multiple vendors and as the old adage goes, “It never hurts to ask!”

Is your sales organization in February the same organization that you want as you rebuild? Or should you take this opportunity in the midst of disruption to restructure your sales force?

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

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?