For any growth planning to be successful, distributors need to plan for sustained growth. However, many spend most of their time generating growth and not enough on managing and maintaining it. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has made quick wins... Read More
In planning for growth, distributors need a clear idea of their capabilities in all relevant areas of their business. These areas break out into seven critical groups: Source, Stock, Store, Sell, Ship, Supply chain planning and Support services.... Read More
To get the most out of their sales training programs, distributors need to move away from a blanket approach toward a customized, individualized method that accounts for varying levels of experience and skill. Doing so may sound complex, but the... Read More
Many of the methods distributors used to generate growth before the pandemic are less applicable today. Remote selling has meant less on-site interaction with customers, resulting in fewer raw insights into those customers’ operations and needs. Read More
At ActVantage, we developed a Growth Cube Framework to help distributors plan for robust and sustained growth. We created this framework by analyzing the financial statements of hundreds of independent distributors and over 40 public distributors,... Read More
Distributors who still use traditional pricing methods like cost-plus and market-based pricing often leave margin on the table. Instead, distributors should update their approach to be value-based. A value-based pricing strategy takes customers’... Read More
Amazon poses quite a threat to the distribution industry, considering its capabilities and its size. It’s reminiscent of how discount brokers disrupted the personal finance industry, threatening to devalue full-service brokers entirely. Read More
In a companion piece to his MDM article explaining portfolio management and its benefits in distribution, Brent Johnstone provides a guideline to help distributors apply the strategy. Read More
There are distinct parallels between the financial world and the distribution world. One that particularly stands out is the disruption of a “discount” option in the market. In personal finance, it was discount brokers like E*Trade. For... Read More
In distribution, pricing is as critical as it is complex. Yet, when pricing decisions are being made, the many variables involved are often condensed and scanned in a moment rather than being strategically analyzed to determine the most optimal... Read More
