Shows / The Wholesale Change Show
The Wholesale Change Show
Wholesale Change is a weekly live news show for the distribution industry, hosted by Ian Heller and Mark Brohan. Each episode dives into the stories that actually matter to distributors—earnings reports, M&A, AD and buying group developments, Amazon Business, AI, and the strategies behind the headlines.
Episodes
The Wholesale Change ShowFrom Master Distributors to Marketplaces: How companies like Amazon Business, Berkshire eSupply & Varis are changing the game
How companies like Amazon Business, Berkshire eSupply & Varis are changing the game. For decades, customers have turned to distributors to meet their everyday…
The Wholesale Change ShowADI's Digital Transformation
ADI, a leading global wholesale distributor of security, AV and low-voltage products with 2020 revenues of $3 billion, embarked on a significant digital…
The Wholesale Change ShowHow Buying Groups Help Distributors Fight Disruption
What keeps Jennifer Murphy, President of NetPlus Alliance, up at night in a time of consolidation and disruption? The independent distributor’s relevance…
The Wholesale Change ShowHow to Manage Through the Supply Chain Crisis
Product shortages, supply-chain delays, hard-to-find labor – what are the best practices in navigating through the current supply chain madness? On this…
The Wholesale Change ShowOn the Front Lines of Benco’s Digital Transformation Story
Chuck Cohen, the Managing Director of Benco, the nation’s largest independent dental product distributor, believes that top notch IT and analytics are…
The Wholesale Change ShowGlobal Industrial CEO Barry Litwin: Driving Differentiation Amid Disruption
In this episode we spoke with Barry Litwin, CEO of Global Industrial, a $1B distributor focusing on small and midsize businesses. In less than two years, Barry…
The Wholesale Change ShowThe Death of the Distributor Sales Rep Has Been Greatly Exaggerated
The rumors aren’t true. The B2B sales rep still has a long life ahead despite the (not completely true) stories that Millennials and Gen Z don’t want to meet…
The Wholesale Change ShowHow Arbill Doubled Down on its Safety Focus When the PPE Market Shifted
Julie Copeland, CEO of 75-year-old safety distributor Arbill, joined Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein to take a closer look at how the PPE industry changed…
The Wholesale Change ShowHow Gustave Larson Helps Their Customers Succeed
To Andrew Larson, CEO of HVACR distributor Gustave Larson, his business is helping his customers maximize their success. He shared with our hosts Ian Heller…
The Wholesale Change ShowHow Private Equity Leaders Evaluate Distributors
Deal-making is off to a strong start in 2021, and private equity continues to play a large part in that equation. Private equity firms have long been attracted…
The Wholesale Change ShowDistributors’ Quarterly Checkup: Notable Results, Surprises & Market Moves
In our regular quarterly checkup, Wholesale Change hosts Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein dug into public distributors’ earnings reports from Home Depot, Fastenal…
The Wholesale Change ShowCreating Value-Add in a Commoditized Industry
Standing out in today’s market is more critical than ever. Distributors can’t just lean on product know-how and great customer service to differentiate. They…
The Wholesale Change ShowThe Distributor’s Fee-Based Services Imperative
If distributors don’t change their revenue model, they’ll perish. That’s the message from Frank Hurtte, author of The Distributor’s Fee-Based Services…
The Wholesale Change ShowA Way Around Amazon: Portfolio Management for Distributors
Distributors need to rethink how they add value to their customer base with a portfolio management strategy. Amazon isn’t designed for such a hands-on…
The Wholesale Change ShowBreaking Tradition: A Fresh Take on a 100-Year-Old Business
After three generations of family ownership, Miller Industrial found itself in new hands just two years ago. Peter Jackson, the Chicago distributor’s new…
The Wholesale Change ShowThe Lawson Products Path to Differentiation, feat. Michael DeCata, CEO of Lawson Products
Over the past decade, Michael DeCata has overseen the revitalization of industrial distributor Lawson Products. In this episode, DeCata joined Wholesale Change…
The Wholesale Change ShowQuarterly Checkup: Beyond the Numbers with Office Depot, Watsco, Motion, The Home Depot and Henry Schein
Hosts Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein are back at it, with a look at more public distributors’ quarterly results and what they mean to the market. They go beyond…
The Wholesale Change ShowThe Role of Associations Amid Uncertainty
The role of associations in the distribution industry has evolved over the past decade as they work to add value for their members in a changing market marked…
The Wholesale Change ShowDistributors’ Quarterly Checkup: Notable Results, Surprises and Market Moves from 2020
The Wholesale Change hosts Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein dug into public distributors’ earnings reports from Amazon, Grainger, Applied Industrial and Avnet. Our…
The Wholesale Change ShowThe Role of Marketing Groups & Co-Ops Amid Disruption, feat. Steve Ruane, IMARK Electrical
We had a frank conversation with Steve Ruane, Vice President of Marketing and Member Services for IMARK Electrical, about the role co-ops and marketing groups…
The Wholesale Change ShowHome Depot, HD Supply and the Multifamily Market War
Darren Rawson is the President of AZ Partsmaster, a regional facilities maintenance distributor. He joined Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein for a lively discussion…
The Wholesale Change ShowSecure Buy-in to Your Pricing Initiative
Without buy-in from your entire team – including that salesperson that complains the most – a strategic pricing project will, simply put, not yield the results…
The Wholesale Change ShowHow Distributors Can (Finally) Succeed at Cross-Selling
Despite the obvious benefits, most distributors aren’t good at cross-selling. In this episode, Debbie Paul joined Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein to talk about…
The Wholesale Change ShowHow Culture Can Be Cultivated on Zoom (with John Tisera, CEO of Johnstone Supply)
John Tisera, president/CEO of Johnstone Supply, joined Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein in this episode to talk about how the distributor has built and cultivated…
The Wholesale Change ShowLeverage Customer Loyalty Programs for Long-Term Growth
Distributors that are embracing customer loyalty programs are increasing mindshare and growing revenue with existing customers. In this episode Ian Heller and…
The Wholesale Change ShowWhy a Great Shopping Experience is More Important Than the Checkout Experience
Shopping is defined as finding, researching and evaluating products. Buying is the transaction – whether that’s online, through a sales rep or with a CSR on…
The Wholesale Change ShowWhy Distributors, Their Suppliers and Customers All Believe Disruption is Real
We’ve conducted the research, and everyone agrees: Disruption is real. They recognize the effects of emerging technologies, as well as well-capitalized…
The Wholesale Change ShowDistributors’ Quarterly Checkup: Notable Results, Surprises and Market Moves
Each quarter, the Wholesale Change hosts Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein dig into public distributors’ earnings reports from across segments to bring you insights…
The Wholesale Change ShowA Conversation with John Caplan, President of North America & Europe, Alibaba
Ian Heller welcomed Alibaba’s John Caplan to the Wholesale Change Show to discuss Alibaba’s capabilities and the marketplace’s long-term plans.
The Wholesale Change ShowAmazon’s AI-Powered Secrets to Success (and How Distributors Can Respond)
Amazon uses AI to create billions of sales and advertising dollars. In this episode, Jonathan Bein and Ian Heller will be joined by proton.ai Founder Benj…
The Wholesale Change ShowThe Real Reason Digital Fails: It’s Not Because CEOs are Dinosaurs
When we talk to distribution employees, we often hear, in hushed tones: Our CEO just doesn’t understand why we should invest in digital! When we talk to…
The Wholesale Change ShowHigh Tech vs. High Touch – The Future-Proof Distributor is Both
In this episode we explain why the old assumption that distributors can be “High Tech” or “High Touch” is a destructive myth. Distributors that will thrive in…
The Wholesale Change ShowFix Your eCommerce System
Do you feel like your ecommerce platform is broken – not delivering the ROI you expected? You’re not alone. Join hosts Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein as they…
The Wholesale Change ShowWhich Distribution Verticals Are at Most Risk of Disruption
Some distribution verticals are much more vulnerable to disruptors than others. Why was office supplies hit so hard by marketplaces but building products has…
The Wholesale Change ShowGet Over the Small-Order Hurdle
There is a way to get over the widely recognized “small-order” issue in distribution in a truly actionable way. Establishing and monitoring Minimum Order…
The Wholesale Change ShowSelling Value, Not Price
Many distributors have spent time creating a value proposition their companies rally around, but salespeople often stumble when it comes time to sell that…
The Wholesale Change ShowMany Unhappy Returns
Returned goods can hurt productivity, reduce profitability, and damage customer and supplier relationships. No wonder most distributors focus on reducing them…
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Why Your Best Accounts Have the Best Potential
Every distributor should try hard to expand its customer base but if you really want to supercharge your sales, look no further than your largest customers…
The Wholesale Change ShowFacing the Dreaded Challenge of Product Data
Distributors know that any digital initiative requires a great product database. Even after all these years, defining the requirements, nailing down the…
The Wholesale Change ShowCustomer Lifecycle and the Brand Graveyard
Where B2C brands are based on emotion and driven by advertising, B2B brands are built on rational, functional attributes that add value. B2B customers develop…
The Wholesale Change ShowThe White Cap-Construction Supply Group Deal
CD&R is buying HD Supply Construction & Industrial – once and now again known as “White Cap.” The firm is combining White Cap with Sterling’s Construction…
The Wholesale Change ShowShould You Build Your Own Marketplace?
Independent alternatives to popular third-party marketplaces like Amazon are emerging, and some distributors have found meaningful success selling through…
The Wholesale Change ShowThe Golden Rule of Distributor Marketing
Put relevant offers in front of the right customers.While you segment customers, customers also segment you. They have an opinion about what you do and what…
The Wholesale Change ShowHow to Earn and Get a Return on Supplier Marketing Co-op
Having a strategy around marketing co-op will help you to optimize your product mix, supplier relationships, and develop a strong sales and marketing game that…
The Wholesale Change ShowDoes 'Fulfillment by Amazon' Mean the Death of Distributors?
Distributors worry that Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) is assuming key distributor roles and erasing them from the equation. The service picks, packs, ships and…
The Wholesale Change ShowPainless Pricing Improvements for Distributors
Ian Heller and Jonathan Bein discuss their favorite profit-driving hacks for distributors:Learn the power of 1%.A McKinsey study from a number of years ago…
The Wholesale Change ShowAre Inside Salespeople Really Salespeople?
When most distributors talk about inside sales, they are usually referring to customer service agents. Yet, customer service personnel are generally more…
The Wholesale Change ShowWhy Distributors Are So Great at Build the Wrong Websites
As we mentioned in the recent Distribution Strategy Group article How to Build a Doomed Website, the future is now and digital capabilities are essential. Yet…
The Wholesale Change ShowWill B2B Marketplaces Kill Company-Specific Websites?
Just as the distribution industry is reaching a tipping point where most companies can sell online, it looks like having a company-specific website isn’t good…
The Wholesale Change ShowThe Future of Value-Added Services in Wholesale Distribution
If you’re like most distributors, you already provide several value-added services at no cost to your customers. But have you analyzed the cost and value of…