Featured Stories Archives

MDM-Baird Distribution Survey: 4 Burning Questions as Pandemic Market Disruption Persists

MDM’s quarterly survey in partnership with investment banking firm Baird reveals that distributor revenues decelerated sharply in 2Q but not as bad as feared at the beginning of the pandemic shutdown. One consensus among more than 550 participants: Distributors began rethinking the way they manage talent.

July 27, 2020

Free

Global Industrial’s R3 Program Preps Customers for Post-COVID-19 Work

Beginning in late April, Global Industrial started to pack an R3 Program Guide in with all shipped orders.

June 10, 2020

Operations

An Action Plan to Improve Long-Term Company Performance

This is the third article in a three-part series for distributors to improve long-term financial performance. Part one addressed steps to create an appraisal of your firms current financial position. Part two tackled profit improvement variables and key mistakes distributors make.

June 10, 2020

Free

How to Calculate Your Profit Drivers and Profit Drains

This is the second article in a three-part series for distributors to improve long-term financial performance. Part one addressed first steps to create a financial appraisal of your firms current financial position. Part two tackles profit improvement variables and key mistakes distributors make.

May 26, 2020

Research & Analytics

State of Distributor Marketing, Pt. 1: Combine Digital with Traditional Marketing to Grow the Revenue Pie

The race to embrace digital marketing can put you in a strong position with clients, the MDM/Real Results Marketing 2019 State of Distributor Marketing survey shows, but dont elevate online efforts at the expense of traditionally profitable opportunities.

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December 20, 2019

Technology

Protect Your Company from Ransomware With These Inexpensive Tips

Ransomware has evolved into a billion-dollar enterprise, affecting two-thirds of small to medium-size businesses in the past 12 months, the Ponemon Institute and Keeper Security reported in a recent study. Yet many in this group most often targeted by cybercriminals do not feel an imperative to make cybersecurity a priority. Blame it on the number of publicized attacks highlighting big companies, municipalities, or just about any organization in the healthcare sector and something even more prevalent: a false sense of security in data backup technology.

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December 20, 2019

Research & Analytics

Building a Ferguson for the Future

Through its technical investments, Ferguson, No. 1 on MDMs Top Distributors List in 2019, is working to create seamless connections with customers across all touchpoints.

December 10, 2019

Featured Stories

Wholesale Distribution Value Series: Creating Value with a Clear Value Proposition

Given increased global competition and the rise in digital as a major sales channel, a value proposition has never been more important for independent distributors today. Consolidation is also likely to accelerate over the next five years; distributors who have not differentiated will either get acquired or go out of business.

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December 10, 2019

Operations

Beyond the Basics of Inventory Management

There are well-known quick fixes an inventory management solution can bring to a distributor, such as cutting back on disappearing products or eliminating user error from incorrectly typed SKUs on a manual tracking spreadsheet. But the data available from inventory management platforms can also present a long-term strategic opportunity in the form of improved demand planning, exposure of costly trends and even visibility into competitors share of customer spend.

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December 10, 2019

Sales & Marketing

Wholesale Distribution Value Series: Creating Value with Inside Sales

Most distributors dont view their inside sales team as a proactive sales force. Its relatively rare for inside sales reps to make outbound calls to generate more business or to employ active selling techniques. In fact, in a survey, nearly two-thirds of distributor respondents told Real Results Marketing their inside sales force spends less than 25% of their time proactively selling.

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November 25, 2019

Strategy

Build a More Efficient Operation

Distributors site improved efficiency as a panacea for growing competitive pressures in a slowing economy, but often dont know where to start.

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November 25, 2019

Operations

What Do You Have to Offer the Next Generation of Employees?

Add recruiting to the list of processes that distributors should consider overhauling to successfully compete and engage the increasing numbers of Gen Z prospects perusing social media to find the ideal workplace.

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November 25, 2019

Featured Stories

Seeing Green: The Business Case for Improving Sustainability

Distributors that are on the path to sustainability are realizing a long list of benefits that come from operating as a good corporate citizen in their communities.

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November 12, 2019

Featured Stories

Operating in a Downturn: Avoiding the Mistakes of the Past

MDM has frequently and carefully noted that growth for most distribution sectors is slowing down. Slowing down does not mean sales are declining, just continuing to grow, but at a slower rate. At some point slower could well be a precursor to decline.

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November 12, 2019

Featured Stories

Wholesale Distribution Value Series: Creating Value with E-Business at Scale

We saw a dramatic shift in 2017 and 2018 in the amount of revenue coming through e-business channels for distributors in part due to a lower barrier to entry for smaller companies. Platform costs are less expensive, better product data is available and distributors in general have more know-how around how to use these technologies.

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November 12, 2019

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