There are unprecedented challenges facing wholesale distribution companies. What can you do to meet them? More and more wholesale distribution executives have recognized an urgent need to take positive action. But the driving factors are not entirely new. The industry has often struggled to understand and adapt to macroeconomic forces such as globalization, accelerating product life cycles, and [...]

In my research for my book, Getting the Most Out of CRM, I found that the majority (61%) of wholesaler-distributors surveyed already use CRM in implementations that range from basic to advanced. If you’re looking for perspectives to get to a “go” decision for adopting CRM or expanding its use at your company, here are five strategic findings that may help you: Distribution leaders [...]

1. Manage customer contact information. Perhaps the most basic of benefits, CRM helps salespeople create and maintain a database of customer information from basic information about names and positions, to personal information about business goals, professional affiliations, and family members. 2. Manage sales pipeline or territory results. CRM has the potential to transform a salesperson [...]

We found that wholesaler-distributors that have not adopted CRM are cautious, seeking greater assurance that their investments of time and cash will deliver results for their businesses. Few distributors reject the premise that there is a fundamental need for automation of the sales management process, much as automation has improved other aspects of their business. Despite wariness expressed [...]

Our conversations with executives and sales leaders for my book, Getting the Most Out of CRM, identified four immediate analytical uses for the data that CRM can provide: 1. Account profitability: One wholesaler-distributor is already using data to segment customers on two dimensions: valued services and account profitability. On the first dimension, valued services, sales and marketing teams [...]