AI can now turn quotes and orders around in minutes, but speed alone won’t create a competitive advantage. This article explains how distributors can convert newly freed capacity into proactive selling — directing reps toward the accounts, products and conversations most likely to generate growth.
The Quote Writes Itself Now. But That Won’t Be Your Advantage. Read More »
Our newly-revamped Premium Monthly report — formerly a PDF often spanning 30-40 pages — provides a consise, synthesized eight-page briefing that extracts the biggest takeaways and themes from the articles published each month. It’s perfect for busy executives. Premium members can get our August Intelligence Brief here or from their Premium Dashboard.
MDM’s August Premium Monthly Intelligence Brief is Here Read More »
Every distributor loses deals to money that was never really there. This piece analyzes what happens when a rep does everything right and still can’t book the revenue.
Sales Deals Stall. Here’s How to Tell Which Ones Were Never Funded. Read More »
New NAW survey data show that sub-$100M distributors respond to cost pressure with a single blunt instrument, even as that pressure arrives through at least three different channels at once.
Research: Your Costs Changed in 3 Places During 2Q26. Your Pricing Changed Once. Read More »
With B2B buyer expectations shifting as quickly as the AI technology that supports them, wholesale distributors can no longer rely on outdated sales playbooks to protect margins and drive growth. Modern buyers demand seamless digital options for routine reordering, forcing traditional field representatives to evolve from manual order-takers into high-value consultative partners. Transforming your distribution
5 Steps to Transform Your Distribution Sales Model Read More »
Outside sales reps spend hours each week reconstructing customer visits in CRM systems built around reporting rather than field work. This piece examines the hidden data-entry tax — and where rep-approved AI could help close the gap between what happens on the road and what makes it into the pipeline.
Outside Sales is Still Retyping the Day Read More »
Five years goes fast — and chasing revenue won’t maximize your exit. This piece lays out a profit-first playbook to boost valuation, eliminate margin leaks and build the predictable performance buyers demand in today’s distribution M&A market.
5 Years from Exit? Here’s Where to Focus Now Read More »
This this Q&A piece, Ducker Carlisle’s Amy Marzonie and Chris Fisher explain how consolidators are using inventory turns, delivery performance and cost-to-serve to assess distributor scalability — and why operational discipline alone won’t maximize growth or valuation.
The KPIs Raising the Bar for Mid-Market Distributors Read More »
We’ve revamped our Premium Monthly report — formerly a PDF often spanning 30-40 pages — into a consise, synthesized six-page briefing that extracts the biggest takeaways and themes from the articles published each month. It’s perfect for busy executives. Get our July and June briefs here.
MDM’s July Premium Monthly Intelligence Brief is Here Read More »
ADI Global Distribution’s launch as an independent public company and Ferguson’s elevation to the S&P 500 delivered a rare double milestone for wholesale distribution — and a timely reminder of the industry’s scale, resilience and economic importance.
ADI’s NYSE Debut, Ferguson’s S&P 500 Entry Give Distribution a Week to Celebrate Read More »
Wholesale distributors are sitting on an overlooked asset: the judgment and institutional knowledge of their most experienced employees. This article explains how AI can help companies capture that “tenure capital” before a historic retirement wave carries it out the door for good.
Tenure Capital: The Asset Distribution Companies Don’t Know They’re Losing Read More »
MDM’s 2Q26 MarketPulse Report consists of the quarterly results, analysis and commentary from the latest Baird-MDM Industrial Distribution Survey — conducted early July — that explored revenue performance, pricing and business expectations for the current quarter and rest-of-year. It includes a wealth of market-specific data and commentary from survey respondents.
The B2B marketplace added $25 billion to its annual GMV since its previous update three years ago, while expanding its customer base and building out AI, procurement and delivery capabilities. Here’s the key details, context and competitive analysis.
Amazon Business Surpasses $60B in Annualized Gross Sales. Here’s What to Know Read More »
If your company lacks a plan or yours is gathering dust, follow these guidelines.
The Top 5 Components of a Distributor Business Plan Read More »
See our updated monthly deal counts; a year-to-date breakdown of M&A activity by product category; the latest EBITDA trading multiples for 27 publicly traded industrial distributors; our latest M&A-led Premium article; and our detailed recap of dealmaking activity during April-June, which saw decelerated but still healthy activity.
See NAW’s 2Q26 M&A Report Read More »
This comprehensive NAW 3Q26 Forecast Report is a guide to the U.S. wholesale distribution economy, providing a historical, current and future snapshot of numerous key economic indicators in one convenient place along with our exclusive sector-specific forecasts for 19 different product categories.
Now Available: NAW’s 3Q26 Forecast Report Read More »
At the company’s annual TUG conference for distribution customers, CEO Kevin Samuelson and AI Innovation leader Rick Rider outlined how the company is positioning AI for distributors — not as a standalone product, but as an ongoing service built around industry context, co-innovation, process intelligence and governed automation. Here are our key takeaways.
Infor: Distribution is Where AI Moves from Promise to Practice Read More »
Our latest MDM Case Study examines how Stellar Industrial Supply built a differentiated growth model around documented customer savings, service-first selling and digital execution — turning measurable value creation into a durable platform for customer loyalty, expansion and operational excellence. It’s available now for Premium subscribers and in the MDM Store.
MDM’s Stellar Industrial Supply Case Study Report Now Available Read More »
June’s Premium content covered the keys to Grainger’s business model success; AI’s role in Lean Six Sigma; what 3M’s “Ask 3M” AI customer tool means for distributors; City Electric Supply’s new services rollout; the growing pricing power gap between large and small distributors; and our monthly MDM Forecast and M&A Roundup. Get the condensed rundown here.
MDM’s June Premium Monthly Recap Read More »
You’ve seen our new Top Distributors Lists. Now, see which companies remained as MDM Industry Titans and which ones joined the exclusive club that recognizes companies that have been in the top 3 of one of our Top Distributors Lists for at least five consecutive years — a testament to sustained market leadership.
See MDM’s 2026 Industry Titans Read More »
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