Distributors who are thriving – and there are many -- in today’s digitally driven market are those who play to win and not to lose. But adopting a winning strategy doesn’t mean throwing money at a bigger sales team or at new technology.

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.

Digital transformation. Consolidation. Growing concerns over manufacturers’ going direct. With all the shiny objects in front of distributors right now, it’s easy to ignore (and not plan for) the next big thing: the next recession.

Students of history recognize that there are two things we know about the economy. One is that cycles of growth and recession are inevitable. The second is that we rarely see the downturn coming, and we can’t always rely on economic indicators to warn us.

A strong economy has provided distributors with more investment capital in 2018 than they've seen in over a decade. Even small, independent distributors are making investments, adding ecommerce and other technologies to reduce their cost to serve, create frictionless buying experiences and strengthen their value proposition. The most successful investments will be based on long-term goals. 

Most customers will ask for a price cut if you ask them how you can provide more value. But discounts are the surest way to erode margins and start a race to the bottom.

Mike Marks writes that the question how frequently sales reps should call on customers misses the mark. It assumes, he says, that outside sales reps should regularly be visiting existing customers.

Are your direct and inside sales teams structured to embrace or resist an e-commerce channel? If you're grappling with this very challenge, Zilliant and IRCG invite you to a free webinar: Restructuring Your Sales Team When Incorporating eCommerce.

A lot of distributors have been operating in an echo chamber without realizing it. Distributors in an echo chamber don't measure anything, so they don't understand what's working and what isn't. They also focus a lot on the day-to-day minutia without seeing the big picture.

Most distributors are offering customers things they really don't want or need.

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

Dan Horan offers distributors a pragmatic way to narrow the gap between their current brand and their ideal brand.

Your outside sales reps are your most expensive resource. Here's how to increase sales productivity and ROI.

This is the second part of a four-part series on distributor branding.

Benchmarks help distributors identify where they're furthest behind their most innovative peers.