Why Relationships Alone Are Not a Growth Strategy Stop Waiting for Competitors to Retire By Frank Hurtte Relationships matter. If everything else is equal, the salesperson with the relationship usually wins the order. But if your only competitive advantage is that customers like you, you’re setting yourself up for trouble. Your competitor has a relationship, too. And if your growth plan depends on waiting for that competitor to retire, transfer, or die, that’s not a strategy. That’s wishful thinking. I’ve watched salespeople play this waiting game for decades. Their “growth plan” often sounds like this: “I’ll keep showing up. I’ll answer the phone at night. I’ll jump when there’s a problem. I’ll build trust. And when the competitor eventually slips up, I’ll move up the food chain.” Relationships can open doors. The keyword is "eventually." Eventually might mean a year. It might mean five. I’ve seen reps wait a decade for a competitor to “finally mess up.” Meanwhile, the accou...

How AI Turns Missed Quotes Into Real Revenue AI May Finally Solve One of Distribution’s Oldest Sales Problems: Quote Follow-Up By Frank Hurtte Hundreds of quotes go out each week. Most are never followed up on. That’s not a process issue. It’s a revenue leak. Nobody likes to admit it, but we've all seen it happen. Every experienced distributor sales leader knows this. Everyone agrees follow-up matters. Yet in most organizations, it happens inconsistently, sporadically, or not at all. The average distributor produces hundreds of quotes each week. That volume alone represents a major opportunity. If a distributor issues 500 quotes a week and even 5 percent of the unfollowed quotes would have converted, that’s roughly 1,300 additional orders a year. There is nothing worse than losing an order simply because the customer never actually received the quote. It happens more often than anyone wants to admit. Emails get buried. Spam filters intervene. A customer hesitates because the quote ...

Lose the Order? Or Lose the Customer? A Marketing Moment By Desiree Grace For many salespeople, the knee‑jerk reaction is to tell the customer what they want to hear and figure out the rest later. That’s a BIG mistake. You may win the order, but what you lose is far more valuable: trust. Let’s get real. Lead times and supply chain snarls are still the norm. Every contractor, distributor, and panel shop is supporting a data center project with the patience of a toddler. The idea that you can “figure it out later” is wishful thinking. You may not be able to move mountains internally. And when you overpromise, you don’t just lose credibility with the customer. You lose it with your own team.  Your colleagues start wondering what else you’re not telling them. We all HATE losing orders. We wouldn’t be in this business if we weren’t competitive, driven sales professionals. But the worst outcome isn’t losing the order. It’s losing the customer.  Anyone who has spent more th...

A note from River Heights Consulting: Frank is somewhere warm with a drink in hand, pretending not to check email. While he’s off the grid, he’s handing the mic to our friend and industry colleague, Chuck Kitchen, for a sharp look at the Mutual 3 Cs. Beyond the Model: The Mutual 3 Cs of Channel Performance Editor’s Note: This article explores the “Mutual 3 Cs” framework, a practical approach to aligning manufacturers, independent representatives, and distributors. By moving beyond one-sided expectations toward a shared commercial reality, channel relationships can operate with greater consistency, clearer coordination, and stronger long-term stability. In a recent article by Desiree Grace , Choosing the Right Sales Model , she outlines key considerations in selecting between direct, rep, and hybrid sales organizations. Once that decision is made, manufacturers must focus on how effectively the chosen structure performs in the market, particularly when independent representatives a...

Against the Grain: How Guinness Wins in a Declining Market By Desiree Grace If you’re still recovering from St. Patrick’s Day or catching your breath after your March Madness bracket busted, it’s the perfect moment to appreciate a bit of irony. After the Super Bowl, St. Patrick’s Day, and the biggest tip-off of the year, overall beer consumption in the U.S. continues to decline. But not all beer. Guinness is growing, up roughly 14% in some markets, and in some areas...demand has even outpaced supply. Not bad for a beer that’s been around since 1759. In a shrinking category, Guinness is going against the grain. Why? Most explanations stop at surface-level observations: lower alcohol content, strong branding, social media buzz. All true. But they miss the deeper point. Guinness hasn’t just sold more beer. It has turned a commodity product into a controlled, shareable experience. That distinction matters. Guinness Isn’t Just Selling Beer, It’s Selling the Pour Yes, younger consumers, esp...

Recruiting Is a Contact Sport By Desiree Grace You think boxing is tough? Wrestling? Try recruiting in today’s labor market. Recruiting in a tight labor market is tough. Recruiting for an industry that flies under the radar is tougher. When you work in the B2B space, you need to be a tough, creative recruiter. Don’t try to snag another company’s A player and spend big bucks. Instead, investigate the worlds of retail and hospitality. Why? Retail and hospitality professionals already do the hardest part of customer-facing work. People in hospitality and retail have the skills you need: interpersonal skills, the ability to stay calm under pressure, and adaptability. Interpersonal skills: They know how to look people in the eye. They can quickly assess mood and personality. They can smile, be friendly, and lift the customer’s mood. This matters. Stay calm: When people have experienced the worst, such as being stuck in a snowstorm and missing their meeting or vacation, they ...