Distributors in the fourth quarter of 2016 sought ways to adapt their field sales teams, recruit and retain millennials, and tap into other trends affecting the industry – including a host of disruptions.
Here are the Top 5 premium articles on mdm.com in the fourth quarter:
1. Gorilla in the Room, Part 1: Why Field Sales Must Evolve
How customers buy is challenging the traditional role, function and purpose of the distributor field sales position. But many distributors have resisted changing their approach to sales for fear of losing sales reps, customers or both to the competition. This article, the first of a two-part series on the changing role of distribution sales reps, examines what’s driving the shift and why distributors should act. (Join Indian River Consulting Group and MDM for Sales GPS 2017, a live event on the future of field sales. Learn more at SalesGPS2017.com.)
There are many assumptions about what millennials want from a workplace, but those assumptions may be misguided. MDM recently conducted a survey of students in industrial distribution programs at three universities about what they’re looking for in a workplace. This article examines some of the misconceptions and how distributors can adapt to the younger workforce.
3. 2016 Wholesale Distribution Trends Special Issue
This seventh edition of our Distribution Trends Special Issue provides an overview of the most important issues facing distribution, researched and written by MDM based on interviews with dozens of distributors, industry experts and manufacturers, as well as a survey of readers. Top trends in 2016 included a focus on technology, customer engagement, growing competitive threats and HR challenges.
4. Gorilla in the Room, Part 2: The Future of Relationship Selling
The economics of relationship selling are changing, and that means distributors must change, as well. This article – part 2 in a series on the role of the distribution sales rep – examines that change and paints a picture of the future of field sales, including its role, function and purpose for the successful distributor.
5. Wholesale Distribution Disrupted
After years of evolutionary change, the wholesale distribution industry faces major disruption and a true inflection point. The current inflection point will likely produce a marked division in future performance between visionary distributors willing and able to chart a new course for their business and those too constrained by orthodoxies to keep their business from declining.
Read more from MDM's Premium archive here.
