Distributing Ideas, The NAW Blog
Can Gig Technician Services Pay Distributors for Value? – Distributors in the Digital Era #53
When it comes to getting compensated for value, there is a massive elephant in the room — distributors are in the wrong business. Or, more accurately, they have the wrong business model. Distributors are service companies built around a business model designed to sell products. Customers buy products and reap value created by distributor services for free. Granted, distributors attempt to [...]
How Often Should Sales Reps Call on Customers? – Value Creation Strategy #1
How frequently should sales reps call on existing customers? It's a good question, because most distributors we've worked with are investing $75 or $80 per sales call once they account for all expenses associated with hiring, training, managing, transporting, supporting and compensating an outside sales rep. In some ways, though, this question misses the mark by assuming that outside [...]
Make Performance Management TRULY Work – Developing Your Workforce #5
In digital times, performance has taken on broader meanings, and how to improve performance at both the individual and organizational levels has topped the CEO’s agenda. Many organizations are questioning the effectiveness of semi-annual/annual performance reviews and commonly used performance measures. Some forward-thinking companies such as Adobe, Accenture and Google have abandoned the [...]
What Is the Purpose of Distribution in the Digital Age? – Distributors in the Digital Era #52
Recently I attended The World Innovation Network’s TWIN GLOBAL 2018 conference, led by Professor Robert C. Wolcott, Professor of Innovation at Kellogg School of Management. Readers of my research for the NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence may recognize Professor Wolcott’s name. He introduced me to the Innovation Radar framework, a tool which helped advance our investigations, [...]
Working with Millennials Doesn’t Have to Be a Pain – Developing Your Workforce #4
Did you know Millennials are the largest population in the U.S. labor market today? By 2025, Millennials will account for 75% of the U.S. workforce, and they are increasingly foreign-born with their first language being other than English. What does this reality tell us? Three messages: Working with Millennial employees is a new norm. Understanding Millennials on a deep level [...]
Can Distributors Win as “The Experience Store”? – Distributors in the Digital Era #51
As distributors look for ways to fend off disruption, many are considering how to repurpose legacy brick-and-mortar facilities. The general idea is that two or more people interacting in a physical space can create compelling and differentiated value. Some concepts include a food service equipment distributor building out a fully functional restaurant and dining facility, or a plumbing [...]
Chairman’s Column: It’s the Experience Baby!
At the NAW Executive Summit in January of 2016, Richard Balaban, formerly of Oliver Wyman, contributed a thought provoking presentation entitled, “Future Challenges for Wholesaler-Distributors to Focus on Today.” Early in that presentation he described how the role of the distributor is changing from being “a logistician of product” to becoming “the purveyor of quick and accurate [...]
Take Employee Engagement Seriously! – Developing Your Workforce #3
Imagine your workplace where employees are passionate about coming to work and feel energized by what they do. They go beyond expectations to provide quality service. They persevere in times of challenges and adapt to change quickly. They take initiatives in recommending areas for improvement. They extend themselves to help others. Isn’t this the ideal state your organization hopes to [...]
What Is Your Employee Value Proposition? – Developing Your Workforce #2
Whenever I interact with a CEO or a senior manager, I ask, “Who in your organization do you think is worth developing?” The consistent response is “All of my employees.” When I speak with employees, however, the responses are far from the same. They include: “I don’t feel valued.” “My opinion does not matter here.” “My supervisor could care less about [...]
Why Employees Leave You – Developing Your Workforce #1
A CFO asks a CEO: “What happens if we invest in developing our people and they leave?” The CEO responds: “What happens if we don’t, and they stay?” These seem to be catch-22 questions. Do employees stay because employers invest in their development, or do employers invest in employee development because employees have committed to stay? Each party is looking for a [...]
