RESOURCES
“We must never be too busy to take time to sharpen the saw”
- Stephen Covey
Article Archives
These articles are compiled works from The Distribution Team. They can be downloaded for your private use. We do ask that if you wish to republish them, please send us a note prior to use.
You can search a specific topic by entering key words below
From Peddler to Prospector: The Changing Role of Outside Sales
Post by: Jason Bader - Principal, The Distribution Team
Several years ago, I was given the honor of serving as the president of my trade association, the Specialty Tool and Fastener Distributors Association or STAFDA. One of the long-standing traditions is to give the president a small statue depicting “The Peddler”. Imagine an older gentleman with a knapsack and walking stick wandering around and peddling his wares from town to town. Obviously, the profession has grown from these humble beginnings, but our current crop of “peddlers” still retains some of the characteristics of the gentleman salesperson. They often wander from office to office, site to site, looking...
Acquisitions are Tough: Integrations Don’t Have to Be
Post by: Jason Bader - Principal, The Distribution Team
The distribution world is on fire with mergers and acquisitions. It seems like everyone is either looking to
buy or looking to sell a privately held wholesale distributorship. Why are we doing it? Interest rates are
up and there is still some uncertainty in the economy. Wouldn’t this be a time where we are battening
down the hatches and marshalling our resources? Apparently not. The economic prosperity, for some
verticals, and an easing of supply chain issues has emboldened many companies to go out on the hunt...
Are We Excuse Makers or Problem Solvers?
Post by: Jason Bader - Principal, The Distribution Team
A couple of months ago, I was sitting through the parent meeting for my son’s basketball program. The coach talked about the upcoming season but focused most of his discussion about parental conduct and character-building elements of their program. It was a sharp reminder that the parents needed to keep their personal opinions in check and let the kids have fun. From academic to athletic, it was one of the best presentations I have seen from any of my children’s areas of involvement. I was most impressed by the coach emphasizing work ethic and the shaping of these young boys. One of the goals of his program, from 5 th grade all the way through high school, is to teach the boys to be “problem solvers, not excuse makers”. Although he related it to their involvement
with basketball, I was struck how this simple concept resonated though....
Newsletter
Subscribe to the Distribution Team Newsletter!
- Receive new articles first
- Stay up to date with news and events
Suggested Reading
I have been a subscriber to GetAbstracts.com for the past two years. Like many, I struggle to read all the business book recommendations that people share with me. Truth be told, I am not patient enough to slog through a 300 page tome to get to the good stuff. A couple of years ago, my brother turned me on to GetAbstracts.com. Essentially, the service is like the “Cliff Notes” for business books. I look up a book, download the 5-7 page abstract, and get to the meat and potatoes. If I really like the book, I might go buy it for my shelf. One of my clients has used these short abstracts as the basis for a monthly discussion with his executive team. The possibilities are endless. Going forward, I plan to share some recommendations for subscribers to download. Check out the free trial and start “sharpening the saw” today.
Enjoy 10% off annual subscription with this link
Endorsed Services
At The Distribution Team, our goal is to help our clients with any challenge that may arise. Unfortunately, some problems might be a little outside our wheelhouse. This is why we have aligned ourselves with top-notch service providers that excel in their area of expertise. Whether you are interested in gathering information about customer preferences or looking to create a vendor managed inventory program, our endorsed professionals with get you going in the right direction.
- Interaction Metrics
Customer feedback design and analysis programs - HMI Performance Incentives
Loyalty point program design and implementation - Global Logistics Incorporated
Freight management consulting and auditing - Profit 2
Pricing management consulting and implementation - Shelf Aware
RFID Vendor managed inventory solutions