The What, Why and How Behind MDM Analytics - Modern Distribution Management

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The What, Why and How Behind MDM Analytics

Bob Jordan, VP of MDM Analytics, provides a walkthrough of how that business unit works and the value it provides to the industry.
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Ready, clean, let’s grow!

At MDM Analytics, we work with many of the top-performing distributors in electrical, industrial, power transmission, fluid power, plumbing and HVAC verticals. Pairing internal analytics with outside analytics is like a fine cabernet to a great steak as a recipe for growth in a competitive market.

While the vast majority of MDM’s audience should have a good idea of the kinds of content we produce and the value it provides to wholesale distributors, lesser known is MDM Analytics. With data analytics top-of-mind more than ever before for distribution executives, a formal overview of the latter is due.

Good analytics always starts with clean data. And by clean data I mean customer records. Many clients have the standard fields of information like name, address and customer number. We have a process to supercharge a customer record, appending it with many key pieces of information like Industry, square footage of the facility, number of employees and, most importantly, a Dun & Bradstreet number.

Once customer records are appended, we can do a roll-up of customer records by industry, which allows us to understand a client’s industry segmentation. What percent of business is done with manufacturers vs construction, education or hospitality? With this information, we can quickly identify industry sweet spots serviced well, be it inventory orientation and/or the sales professionals’ proficiencies. Clients can also strategically identify other industries to expand for growth.

We have a unique proprietary model built using both government and private sources. We are able to identify prospects by products consumed, by industry and by geography in North America. The products we model fit very well with the distributors we service today in the many verticals within wholesale distribution. Dun & Bradstreet is used as the foundation for the 19 million businesses.

Clients today leverage our database to identify missed opportunities in the industries they serve. After segmenting a client’s business, the natural next step is to look for new prospects. If you are in Texas and look to expand into the refineries serviced there, MDM Analytics is used to provide a prospect list for all refineries. Now that our client has a Dun & Bradstreet number for each of their customers, those “current” customers can be removed from the full prospect list — leaving true prospects to go after.

It has been said many times that it is always easier to grow wallet share with current customers than it is to go after new customers. We recommend a combination of the two. Using our proprietary modeling, it is possible to compare sales by product sold to the full potential consumed by a current customer. Although the data may not be 100% accurate to the dollar, it is certainly directional to identify opportunities.

Bottom line, the team at MDM Analytics — with more than 60 years of experience in wholesale distribution — will work with your team to find both quick wins and long-term strategies for sustained growth. To find out more, log into www.mdm.com/mdm-analytics/ to schedule a demo and request your Top 10 Prospects report today.

Attendees of MDM’s upcoming SHIFT Conference — held Sept. 18-20 in downtown Denver — can learn a whole lot more about MDM Analytics by stopping by our table there. We’d be happy to discuss more about the why and how behind what we do and its value to the industry.

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