Lawson Products has been looking for a way to revitalize the company. Declining sales, leadership changes and a relocation all contributed to the recognition that something had to change.
After several years of implementing new standards, the company finds itself on a growth trajectory once again, according to President and CEO Michael DeCata in a recent interview with MDM.
"A lot has happened over the last several years to revitalize the company, and we feel very good about where we are today," DeCata says.
One of the key pieces behind the revitalization was the redefinition of expectations for sales reps. In 2013, the company converted all of its U.S. independent sales agents to sales employees. The move, according to DeCata, allows the company to invest more in the sales reps, from training to technology.
"Across the board, whether it’s an investment in training or an investment in giving sales reps tools that we know they’ll use, all of those things are easier when the people you’re associated with are employees versus independent agents – and I want to emphasize that word independent," DeCata says. "Now we’re more interdependent, with the sales team and the headquarters all pulling in the same direction."
Read more from the interview with Lawson Products' Michael DeCata here.
