What happens when data-driven decision-making meets the chaos of tariffs, AI disruption, and a retiring workforce?

In this episode, Kevin Brown and Tom Burton sit down with Mark Gilham of Enable to unpack the big shifts impacting manufacturers, distributors, and the global supply chain.

From trade policy to pricing strategy, sales transformation to skilled labor shortages, this wide-ranging episode explores how wholesale leaders can future-proof their organizations using AI-enabled tools, smarter rebate programs, and cross-functional data insights, all while staying resilient in an evolving economy.

What You’ll Learn:

• Why most distributors are absorbing, not passing on, the full impact of tariffs
  
  
• How intelligent rebate management creates agility in pricing without damaging trust
  
  
• The rising importance of contextual data and why Ralph the “institutional memory” employee matters more than ever
  
  
• Why skilled labor shortages may delay reshoring and how automation both helps and complicates this
  
  
• What B2B buyers really want from your sales team

Episode Highlights:

• 03:22 – How the podcast was born from a LinkedIn Live experiment
• 12:41 – Mark Gilham on why clean rebate data changed everything
• 25:07 – Are tariffs really driving up prices? A look beneath the macro data
• 33:50 – Why “Ralph” is the key to contextualizing data for AI systems
• 46:18 – Robots vs. the trades: The future of skilled labor in reshoring
• 1:06:02 – How to evolve your brand value and CRM strategy for B2B buyers
• 1:19:33 – Change management as the #1 success lever in digital adoption

👤 Meet the Guest:

A former distributor turned Enable evangelist, Mark Gilham specializes in helping manufacturers and distributors turn their rebate strategies into competitive advantages. With firsthand experience in data transformation, Mark brings deep expertise in pricing dynamics, supplier relations, and industry resilience.

Tools, Frameworks, or Strategies Mentioned:

• Enable: Cloud-based rebate management and collaboration platform
  
  
• LeadSmart Technologies: AI-enabled smart CRM for wholesale distribution
  
  
• The Ralph Framework: A metaphor for preserving institutional knowledge through AI and CRM
  
  
• The JOLT Effect (Matt Dixon): A framework for overcoming customer indecision in B2B sales

Closing Insight & CTA:

“Data without context is noise. But with Ralph’s insights? It becomes a strategy.”

This episode is a reminder that the future of wholesale distribution lies at the intersection of data fluency, adaptable tech stacks, and empathy-driven sales. If you're navigating economic uncertainty, evolving buyer behavior, or the AI transformation of your workforce, this is yo

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