MDM strengthens research and industry analysis capability with seasoned business writer’s return. Smith returns to MDM after a two-year stint in the outdoor equipment business media, where he reported on industry M&A, trend analysis, competitive landscape and corporate profiles. He previously was part of MDM’s research and content team for nearly four years.

Products, features and benefits. How are we doing (or not doing) on monthly goals set up with Supplier A or Supplier B? These are the day-to-day conversations that, while particularly urgent in the current uncharted pandemic-infested waters, can get in the way of deeper strategic conversations about how to create more value for customers. In this third podcast of our three-part series on innovation, Dorn Group’s J Schneider maps how to rethink your business model to build a more customer-centric and innovative organization.

MDM's Tom Gale is optimistic that over the next several months distribution will play such a critical role in getting our economy off its back and to fully functioning capacity as quickly as possible.

MDM's Tom Gale is optimistic that over the next several months distribution will play such a critical role in getting our economy off its back and to fully functioning capacity as quickly as possible.

In a time when optimism and clarity are hard to come by, I’m moved by how the fundamental value of distribution is in the right place, at the right time. At one level it’s about moving product, but it’s much deeper than that – distributors keep the economy running.

In a time when optimism and clarity are hard to come by, I’m moved by how the fundamental value of distribution is in the right place, at the right time. At one level it’s about moving product, but it’s much deeper than that – distributors keep the economy running.

In this second of our three-part conversation on innovation in distribution, J Schneider of strategy and consulting firm Dorn joins host Tom Gale to discuss what innovation looks like in 2020 for distributors and manufacturers. In this episode, we look at the ways smaller distributors often have an advantage to identify opportunities for innovation, the need to be selective in building manufacturer-distributor partnerships around a shared vision for innovation, and how to build a culture of innovation.

A major part of the equation that has built so many incredible ongoing success stories in distribution – face-to-face communication and interaction – has virtually overnight been removed from the table indefinitely. But the real strength has always been in the depth and quality of our personal relationships, writes MDM’s Tom Gale. That won't change.

A major part of the equation that has built so many incredible ongoing success stories in distribution – face-to-face communication and interaction – has virtually overnight been removed from the table indefinitely. But the real strength has always been in the depth and quality of our personal relationships, writes MDM’s Tom Gale. That won't change.

Customers continue to leverage digital and e-commerce tools to improve their buying processes. But for many distributors, their outside sales model isn’t working as effectively as in the past to keep up with how customers want to buy. That growing gap is why a dedicated part of our research and coverage has been on the strategies, best practices and tactics for how to transform the sales process to reduce selling costs and increase efficiency and customer engagement. And it’s why the prize when it comes to increasing sales performance is on specific ways to become a more buyer-centric seller.

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