The Wholesale Change Show

By Ian Heller, Jonathan Bein

Industry veterans Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein are here to turn up the heat, debating timely and tough topics affecting businesses in wholesale distribution channels.... more

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FAQs about The Wholesale Change Show:

How many episodes does The Wholesale Change Show have?

The podcast currently has 102 episodes available.

The Wholesale Change Show episodes:

June 13, 2022 Take Back Control of Your Profitability
Inflation and supply chain disruption are wreaking havoc on distributors’ ability to drive profitability. But the time has passed for stopgap fixes. Companies need a plan to mitigate the impact. Leaders’ most urgent task is to secure their companies’ long-term profitability by managing the effect of inflation and supply chain disruption on their customers.
In this episode, our hosts spoke with profitability expert Jonathan Byrnes, senior lecturer at MIT and author of Islands of Profit in a Sea of Red Ink and Choose Your Customer: How to Compete Against the Digital Giants and Thrive. They discussed how distributors can take back control in this unpredictable market – slowing the profit drain and bolstering their bottom line with Enterprise Profit Management.
Learn how distributors can evaluate and categorize their customer base – profit peaks, profit drains and profit deserts – and make a plan to act. Treating all customers the same won’t cut it.
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56min
May 31, 2022 MSC Industrial’s Reimagined Value Proposition for a Digital World
Tune in now to hear Erik Gershwind, President and CEO of MSC Industrial Supply Co., talk about how the company has reimagined its value proposition, driven digital transformation and learned to build its culture and retain talent in a virtual world.
In 2021, MSC rolled out a three-year plan called “Mission Critical” to accelerate market-share gains and earn a higher return on invested capital. The company has transformed its sales force from focusing on spot buys to delivering on new, more complex and high-touch solutions that help customers achieve higher levels of productivity, profitability and growth. MSC is adding value deeper in its customers’ organizations while simultaneously expanding the portion of its sales that come through digital channels.
In our conversation with Erik, we walked through MSC’s journey and asked him what he’s learned along the way.
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50min
May 16, 2022 Creating Relevancy in an Age of Disruption
The very nature of leadership has changed because of COVID, supply chain uncertainty and other disruptive forces.
And distributors know this. In his research, Dirk Beveridge, Founder of We Supply America and UnleashWD, found that most distributors recognize that the ground underneath them has shifted – and that leadership must shift their perspective, as well.
In this episode of Wholesale Change, Dirk shared why distributors must adopt new ways of leading their companies to build a sustainable business today. Dirk believes distributors have a unique opportunity to bring deeper meaning and purpose to their organizations to create relevancy in the face of disruption.
He shared some of the research he’s done on the topic of leadership in a post-pandemic world, as well as stories from distributors he has met on the road during his We Supply America tour across the country.
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54min
May 02, 2022 Can Distributors Get Out of the Profit Rut?
Profitability expert Dr. Al Bates joined us on the Wholesale Change show to talk about why distributors are stuck in a profitability “rut” and how they can escape.
Al identified the three action steps distributors can take to improve profitability and explained why sales compensation practices, supplier “special deals” and ongoing price increases are contributing to the problem.
Unlike some consultants who specialize in profitability, Al believes distributors should fire customers only in very rare cases. “I’m not anti-sales,” Bates likes to say, “I just want profitable sales.”
Al also explained why distributor CFOs are often a key part of the problem and how they can instead contribute to the solution.
Al is one of the most popular speakers in the industry and when you tune into this episode of the Wholesale Change show, you’ll see why. He combines extensive experience, straight talk, an entertaining style and compelling arguments to provide insights and takeaways you can use to improve your company’s profitability immediately and on an ongoing basis.
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48min
April 19, 2022 The Critical Link Between Culture and Business Results, feat. Randy Eddy, CEO of U.S. Electrical Services
Randy Eddy, President and CEO of US Electrical Services (USESI), holds his leaders accountable for financial results, of course, but has equally high standards when it comes to building a great culture.
Lots of leaders say that, but at this electrical distributor, it’s not just about a mission statement or company values – the company uses a series of analytical tools to select the right candidates; measure culture success; and hold managers accountable.
Watch this webinar now to learn how Randy’s impressive focus on culture is directly tied to business results.
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56min
April 04, 2022 Dakota Supply Group: Doubling Down on Service to Drive Organic Growth
Dakota Supply Group grew more than 20% in 2021 – not counting inflation. Of this, the biggest driver was organic, same-store sales growth. During the pandemic, the company implemented, “DSG Let’s Grow!” where sales teams proactively helped customers solve problems on the phone when they couldn’t be in shops or jobsites.
Dakota Supply Group differs from many other distributors because they focus on multiple types of contractors (electrical, plumbing, HVAC, waterworks, telecom and utility). The distributor also has an extensive service menu that includes training on how customers can run better businesses, for example, including their P4 Learning Lab.
On this episode of the Wholesale Change Show we talked with Dakota Supply Group CEO Paul Kennedy about how the company’s focus on customer experience has driven profitable growth. Learn:
• Why the company targets multiple segments
• How they service such disparate needs
• Why they doubled-down on inventory in 2021 – and how that helped them win business
• How being an ESOP helps drive their success – and enhances their acquisition strategy
Dakota Supply Group is growing quickly. Listen to Paul talk about how they’re doing it. Come with your own questions for our speakers.
...more
49min
March 28, 2022 Why Losing Customers Costs More Than You Think
Most distributors know that losing customers costs them money. Despite this, few have specific plans for reducing defection – and even fewer have someone in charge of this important task.
But losing customers costs more than you think for one very important reason: Customers that defect can only drop to zero sales dollars. Customers you retain tend to grow over time. That means when you improve retention, you not only keep the sales you would have lost, but you also add growing accounts over time. The multiplier effect of retaining more accounts means distributors should invest more in retention than they think. The opportunity cost is much greater than the lost sales alone.
In this episode of Wholesale Change hosts Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein share the true costs of customer defection – and the real upside of reducing it.
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44min
March 08, 2022 How Distributors Win with Third-Party Marketplaces, Feat. Kevin Weadick, President of Zoro US
In a Distribution Strategy Group survey, 88% of distributors’ customers reported buying from at least one B2B marketplace, and 33% bought from five or more. It’s clear many distributors’ customers are making simple purchases regularly from marketplaces, and this trend is likely to accelerate over time.
Our research shows that Zoro is the most common marketplace these companies sell on, with Amazon Business a close second. In this episode Zoro President Kevin Weadick joined hosts Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein for a discussion on the role third-party marketplaces can play in distributors’ strategies today.
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53min
February 21, 2022 2022 M&A in Distribution – Trends and Best Practices
Brent Grover is one of the leading experts on mergers and acquisitions in the wholesale distribution industry. One of only four NAW Fellows, Brent has offered insight and expert counsel on hundreds of deals involving distributors. In this episode we had an entertaining and informative discussion with Brent about trends and best practices in M&A in the distribution industry.
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58min
February 07, 2022 The 5 Biggest Distributor Marketing Mistakes
Ian and Jonathan reveal the biggest mistakes distributors make that prevent marketing from becoming a driving force for growth and profits. Ian has led marketing for four large distributors and Jonathan has analyzed customer and financial data for dozens. Listen now to hear why distributors often fail at marketing — and how you can succeed.
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35min

FAQs about The Wholesale Change Show:

How many episodes does The Wholesale Change Show have?

The podcast currently has 102 episodes available.

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