In only three years, CEO Eric Chernik has grown Building Controls & Solutions by 700% while retaining the entrepreneurial culture of each company BC&S has acquired. Eric knows that employee engagement drives customer engagement, so he enrolls his team in the company’s goals and strategy with transparency and a healthy culture. He embraces great internal communication and employee recognition. In this episode of Wholesale Change we talked with Eric about his path to becoming a CEO...

Tony Harris, founder of THINC B2B, brought his energy and passion for growth to the Wholesale Change Show. He held nothing back in his conversation with hosts Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein on how and why distributors need to realign business intelligence, sales and marketing, finance and IT to drive growth in 2023. He’s a highly regarded CEO coach, senior executive mentor and thought leader. He’s also the author of “FADS Marketing: Food, Alcohol, Drugs, Sex and the New Marketing World...

Some inside sales programs produce marginal results, while others are veritable home runs. What is different in the execution of these home run programs? The superior performance happens in their day-to-day activities as inside sales reps contact customers and prospects, understand their needs, position your products against those needs, close sales and ultimately build strong long-term customer relationships. Hosts Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein welcome Mark Peck to discuss the following...

When done properly, proactive inside sales should: Grow midsize accounts 15% to 20% Increase gross profit through revenue in higher margin accounts Reduce sales comp for midsize accounts 30% to 40% Increase retention In our experience creating proactive inside sales programs, we have seen the best – and worst - practices for achieving these results. In this episode we look at six keys in creating a successful proactive inside sales program including organization design, management support,...

Ed Gerber, CEO of Summit Electric Supply, joins us on this episode of Wholesale Change. Before joining Summit Electric, Ed was the CEO of the Industrial Supply Association (ISA) after holding a number of senior executive roles for industrial distributors. We ask Ed what it was like to switch from the industrial industry to electrical. During our conversation, we explore topics like sales force optimization, digital transformation, value-added services and what it takes for a regional...

Every distributor does an annual budget – but that’s not the same thing as formulating a strategy. The budget process is very tactical, focused on current operations and does not typically account for broad industry trends, disruptors or major technology changes. If you don’t want to get blindsided, you need a strategic plan. A strategic planning process will allow you to think about the positioning of your company and how you need to adapt your value proposition over time. On this...

In this episode of Wholesale Change we are joined by Alex Tomey, the Senior Vice President of Merchandising for Global Industrial. Global Industrial is a billion-dollar value-added industrial distributor. Global Industrial offers customers more than a million products — from material handling to packaging and supplies — including its own proprietary brands. Alex was previously the Co-Chief Merchandising Officer at Petco. Before that, he served as Senior Vice President and GMM of...

Most distributors we talk to are disappointed in the ROI of their ecommerce investments. When we dig into their complaints, we find that while they know their expenses, the sales attributed to their websites are way off because they only look at shopping-cart revenue. But the shopping cart is usually the smallest part of the direct revenue generated by your website. Customers must use purchase orders, so instead of checking out, they shop on your website and then buy through other channels...

Conventional thinking claims that only distributors larger than a billion dollars can build successful marketplaces. Bay Supply is much smaller than that, but its fastener marketplace is taking off. Like most wholesalers, Bay Supply is facing new marketplace entrants supported by tech startups, national distributors, manufacturers and even software providers that are fighting to reach the buyer directly through these rapidly evolving platforms. Unlike other distributors, Bay Supply jumped...

In nearly 20 years with Specialty Building Products, Jeff has served as CFO, President and COO, and now CEO. Throughout his long career, which has included many acquisitions, a company name change (SBP was formerly known as U.S. LUMBER) and most recently, new ownership, Jeff has focused on building great teams. Jeff knows this means recruiting great new talent to go along with the experienced veterans. SBP has earned a reputation as a great place to work for Millennials and Generation Z...

Eric Hoplin, CEO of the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW), joined us on this episode of Wholesale Change. He shared his take on key concerns and trends – including labor, supply chain disruption, digital transformation and more – based on his ongoing conversations with dozens of senior distribution company leaders. He also provided an update on NAW, including the work they are doing to support distributors in Washington D.C.

Alex Moazed burst onto the scene as a platform business expert when he co-authored the best-selling book, “Modern Monopolies” in 2016. Since then, Alex has been widely acclaimed as an expert on marketplaces and has appeared on multiple television shows, including Fox Business News and Bloomberg TV. He’s a featured keynote speaker at many conferences. He joined us on this episode of the Wholesale Change Show. Alex shared his unmatched experience working with major distributors, technology...

Monte Salsman, President of the Winsupply Acquisitions Group, joined us on this episode of the Wholesale Change Show. We explored the company’s unique entrepreneurial business model, where they strive to have “an ownership team under every roof.” Winsupply owns a majority equity stake in more than 640 local companies across the United States in many categories, including plumbing supplies, HVACR equipment, pipes, tubing, water heaters, wires, cable and more. Monte shared principles he has...

Our hosts spoke with profitability expert Jonathan Byrnes, senior lecturer at MIT and author of Islands of Profit in a Sea of Red Ink and Choose Your Customer: How to Compete Against the Digital Giants and Thrive. They discussed how distributors can take back control in this unpredictable market – slowing the profit drain and bolstering their bottom line with Enterprise Profit Management.

Tune in now to hear Erik Gershwind, President and CEO of MSC Industrial Supply Co., talk about how the company has reimagined its value proposition, driven digital transformation and learned to build its culture and retain talent in a virtual world. In 2021, MSC rolled out a three-year plan called “Mission Critical” to accelerate market-share gains and earn a higher return on invested capital. The company has transformed its sales force from focusing on spot buys to delivering on new, more...

The very nature of leadership has changed because of COVID, supply chain uncertainty and other disruptive forces. And distributors know this. In his research, Dirk Beveridge, Founder of We Supply America and UnleashWD, found that most distributors recognize that the ground underneath them has shifted – and that leadership must shift their perspective, as well. In this episode of Wholesale Change, Dirk shared why distributors must adopt new ways of leading their companies to build a...

Profitability expert Dr. Al Bates joined us on the Wholesale Change show to talk about why distributors are stuck in a profitability “rut” and how they can escape. Al identified the three action steps distributors can take to improve profitability and explained why sales compensation practices, supplier “special deals” and ongoing price increases are contributing to the problem. Unlike some consultants who specialize in profitability, Al believes distributors should fire customers only in...

Randy Eddy, President and CEO of US Electrical Services (USESI), holds his leaders accountable for financial results, of course, but has equally high standards when it comes to building a great culture. Lots of leaders say that, but at this electrical distributor, it’s not just about a mission statement or company values – the company uses a series of analytical tools to select the right candidates; measure culture success; and hold managers accountable. Watch this webinar now to learn...

Dakota Supply Group grew more than 20% in 2021 – not counting inflation. Of this, the biggest driver was organic, same-store sales growth. During the pandemic, the company implemented, “DSG Let’s Grow!” where sales teams proactively helped customers solve problems on the phone when they couldn’t be in shops or jobsites. Dakota Supply Group differs from many other distributors because they focus on multiple types of contractors (electrical, plumbing, HVAC, waterworks, telecom and utility)....

Most distributors know that losing customers costs them money. Despite this, few have specific plans for reducing defection – and even fewer have someone in charge of this important task. But losing customers costs more than you think for one very important reason: Customers that defect can only drop to zero sales dollars. Customers you retain tend to grow over time. That means when you improve retention, you not only keep the sales you would have lost, but you also add growing accounts...

In a Distribution Strategy Group survey, 88% of distributors’ customers reported buying from at least one B2B marketplace, and 33% bought from five or more. It’s clear many distributors’ customers are making simple purchases regularly from marketplaces, and this trend is likely to accelerate over time. Our research shows that Zoro is the most common marketplace these companies sell on, with Amazon Business a close second. In this episode Zoro President Kevin Weadick joined hosts Ian Heller...

Brent Grover is one of the leading experts on mergers and acquisitions in the wholesale distribution industry. One of only four NAW Fellows, Brent has offered insight and expert counsel on hundreds of deals involving distributors. In this episode we had an entertaining and informative discussion with Brent about trends and best practices in M&A in the distribution industry.

Ian and Jonathan reveal the biggest mistakes distributors make that prevent marketing from becoming a driving force for growth and profits. Ian has led marketing for four large distributors and Jonathan has analyzed customer and financial data for dozens. Listen now to hear why distributors often fail at marketing — and how you can succeed.

Two major deals at the end of 2021 ensured the year would end with a bang. Lawson Products, Gexpro Services and Test Equity joined forces, and Motion Industries acquired Kaman Distribution Group. Do these deals signal a renewed round of mergers and acquisitions in the distribution industry? Our hosts Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein reviewed these big deals and others. They also discussed what may be coming in 2022 and what it means for your business.

Can distributors give customers new reasons to visit physical stores? Mark Dancer thinks so. On this episode of The Wholesale Change Show Dancer joined our hosts Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein to share how he thinks B2B innovators can reimagine physical stores and other real-world spaces to create new value for customers and open a new front in the war against disruptors.