What happens to wholesale distribution when tariffs rise, interest rates stay high, and customers expect more with less friction? 

In this episode of Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution from LeadSmart Channel Cloud, Kevin Brown and Tom Burton sit down with Modern Distribution Management editor and market analyst Mike Hockett to unpack the data behind the headlines and what it means for revenue leaders in distribution. 

You will hear a practical, numbers-driven outlook for 2025 that connects GDP forecasts, Fed policy, and tariff risk with real impacts on margins, inventory, and channel relationships. The conversation stays grounded in what wholesalers, manufacturers, and reps can control, and how to use planning, consultative commerce, and better pipeline visibility to future-proof distribution businesses through uncertainty.  

What You Will Learn: 

• Why November’s softer numbers do not necessarily signal a collapse, and how MDM thinks about “soft landing” versus “stall.”
• How tariffs, elections, and Fed policy are likely to affect pricing power, imports, and inventory strategy for wholesale distribution teams.
• Where distributors are still leaving money on the table because of weak forecasting, poor CRM adoption, and limited collaboration with suppliers and reps.
• How to connect market forecasts to practical decisions about hiring, territory coverage, and hybrid selling models.

Episode Highlights:

• 00:00 – Why this conversation matters now
  08:15 – Inside MDM’s latest distribution data
  18:40 – Are we heading toward a soft landing or a stall?
  30:10 – Tariffs, trade policy, and pricing pressure
  42:35 – Forecasting failures inside distribution organizations
  55:20 – Hybrid selling and channel conflict
  1:07:45 – Technology, CRM adoption, and operational readiness
  1:21:30 – M&A, succession planning, and consolidation signals
  1:33:10 – Practical priorities for the next 12 months
   

Meet the Guest:

Mike Hockett is an editor and market analyst with Modern Distribution Management (MDM) and the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors. He spends his time inside the data and conversations that shape the future of wholesale distribution, from sector forecasts and benchmarking to technology, talent, and channel strategy.

Tools, Frameworks, or Strategies Mentioned:

• MDM’s annual distribution forecast and benchmark reporting.
• Practical approaches to collaborative planning and forecasting between manufacturers, reps, and distributors.
• CRM and pipeline practices that give revenue leaders in distribution a clearer “ground truth” for planning.

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