In the age of digital, distributors are seeking ways to get closer to their customers. Consider, if you have an electronic connection, and ideally an integration, with your customer, the relationship is deeper and you are building a moat around the customer. Your competition will still win some business (selected lines, locale, credit, perhaps price) but you win the dominant … [Read more...] about Turn Your Customers’ CRM into Revenue for You
Technology & Digital
Is CRM for Rep Agencies Still Optional?
CRM for rep agencies is a topic that has frustrated leadership teams for years, and the conversation rarely lands cleanly. Chris Atwell brings sharp, practical thinking to it, and the timing is good. I have been working on a research project focused specifically on how reps are using these tools today and what they actually want and need from them. Chris’s piece lines up with … [Read more...] about Is CRM for Rep Agencies Still Optional?
AI in Distribution: A Reality Check Before You Commit the Budget
The conversation around AI in distribution has moved past the pilot stage. Budgets are being committed, vendors are promising transformation, and the stakes on getting it right are higher than ever. Justin Johnson, founder and CEO of Motivate, offers a practical reality check for distributors weighing where AI actually moves the needle and where it just creates motion without … [Read more...] about AI in Distribution: A Reality Check Before You Commit the Budget
AI Provides the Speed to Quote Quicker, Win More Orders
Last month I participated on Prokeep’s webinar on order quotation and order automation. For a pre-launch event, the attendance was great. The timing, incidentally, coincided with meetings I had recently with some contractors who shared what is important to them. The answer … speed. They wanted speedy responses to quotes and questions. The reason – they are running fast. … [Read more...] about AI Provides the Speed to Quote Quicker, Win More Orders
AI for Distributor HR: Tools Worth Knowing About
Getting Started with AI for Distributor HR For distributors, people are the business. You can operate with a lean inventory model, but without capable people, nothing works. That reality is why AI for distributor HR is worth paying attention to now. The tools have matured enough to handle real workflows, the costs are accessible, and the administrative burden they can … [Read more...] about AI for Distributor HR: Tools Worth Knowing About
HVAC Tariff Costs: What the Supreme Court Ruling Really Changes
The Supreme Court handed down a significant trade policy decision last week, and the headlines made it sound like relief was on the way. For HVACR distributors, contractors, and manufacturers trying to manage HVAC tariff costs, the reality is more complicated than the news cycle suggests. The Court struck down one major tariff mechanism. Several others remain fully intact, a … [Read more...] about HVAC Tariff Costs: What the Supreme Court Ruling Really Changes
Prokeep Launches Distributor Order Automation With AI-Powered Quoting
Distributors talk a lot about speed. Faster quotes. Faster answers. Faster fulfillment. But the gap between talking about speed and actually building it into the quoting workflow is still wide at most branches. Prokeep is trying to close that gap with a new distributor order automation platform that uses AI to convert incoming customer messages into ERP-ready quotes, and … [Read more...] about Prokeep Launches Distributor Order Automation With AI-Powered Quoting
