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The Real Barrier to Value‑Driven Selling (Hint: It’s Not the Salespeople)

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The Real Barrier to Value‑Driven Selling (Hint: It’s Not the Salespeople) Abridged Every distributor says they want value‑driven selling. Fewer are willing to change the behaviors, measurements, and habits that keep the old model alive. And that’s the real barrier, not the sales team. Most leaders genuinely believe in value‑driven selling. They just want it layered neatly on top of the relationship‑based model that made them successful. They want better results without discomfort, disruption, or delayed revenue. That’s understandable. It’s also unrealistic. Traditional selling feels good because it’s familiar. But today’s buyers, especially younger ones, care far less about tenure and far more about insight, data, and financial impact. Even long‑time customers are under pressure to justify decisions internally. Loyalty doesn’t disappear, but it does get audited. When value‑driven selling stalls, leadership often blames compensation or field capability. But compensation plans simply en...
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The Real Barrier to Value‑Driven Selling (Hint: It’s Not the Salespeople)

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The Real Barrier to Value‑Driven Selling (Hint: It’s Not the Salespeople) When distributors talk about shifting from their old sales model to something more data‑driven, knowledge‑based, and value‑centric, the discussion usually turns into a heated three‑way debate. Is the problem leadership mindset? Compensation structure? Or field capability? Everyone has a favorite culprit. Conveniently, it’s rarely the one staring back at them from the mirror. In my experience, the biggest barrier is leadership mindset. Not because leaders don’t believe in value‑driven selling, but because many want it without the discomfort of changing anything meaningful. They want the benefits of value‑driven selling layered neatly on top of the old model that made them successful. They want change with minimal disruption and results by next quarter. Setting a strong goal? Maybe. Wishful thinking? Perhaps. A real strategy? Definitely not. Old‑school, reactive, relationship‑based selling feels good. It’s familia...
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Location: Davenport, IA 52803, USA
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Your Warehouse Isn’t Your Greatest Asset. Your People Are!

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Your Greatest Competitive Advantage Is Your People. Are You Investing Accordingly? In distribution, people are not just an expense line. They are the business. Depending on your trade, employee costs often account for 60–70% of operating spend . When acquisitions happen, buyers rarely start with the building or the trucks. They start with one question: Will your people stay, and can they perform? Without the team, a distributor is an empty warehouse, aging equipment, and a customer list worth less than a well-run operation. Yet many distributors still treat workforce investment as secondary to equipment, software, or expansion. That’s a mistake, especially in today’s market.   Growth Mode Requires Talent Strategy Economists continue to point toward growth phases across many distribution sectors. Growth periods are the ideal time to strengthen capability, not just infrastructure. But too often, “investing in the business” translates into buying things. T...
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What Can a Carnival Fortune-Teller Teach Us About Customer Experience?

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What Can a Carnival Fortune-Teller Teach Us About Customer Experience? By Desiree Grace Imagine a fortune-teller at a carnival. You walk into her tent, engulfed in the smell of incense, and there she sits with her crystal ball. “Welcome,” she says. “I am Madame Desdemona. I know you have questions. With the help of the spirit world, I have answers. Sit, and I will tell you what you need to know about the future of customer experience in the B2B world.” I’ve sat in enough customer experience reviews to know the questions sound eerily similar. She gazes deeply into your eyes, as if she can see into your soul. “I see you have concerns about AI,” she says. “If AI could replace good customer service, it would have already done it.” The conversation continues. You discuss how AI can improve and predict problem resolution, especially for routine issues like lost order tracking, proof of delivery, and invoice discrepancies. You realize that many of these challenges can be anticipat...
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Super Bowl Ads: Advertising’s Most Expensive Bargain

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A Distributor Channel Marketing Moment Super Bowl Ads:  Advertising’s Most Expensive Bargain By Desiree Grace What do celebrities, generative AI, and nostalgia all have in common? The Super Bowl. You can expect all three on Super Bowl Sunday this February. Super Bowl LX has sold all available advertising at an average cost of $7 million per 30-second spot . With last year’s viewership totaling 127.7 million viewers , that’s a lot of eyeballs. With consumer brands like Budweiser, Grubhub, Pringles, and Ritz on the advertiser list, you can also expect celebrity appearances from names like Sabrina Carpenter, Post Malone, and Peyton Manning . Rumor has it the Clydesdale horses will make an appearance, too. So why all the hype? Studies consistently show that people actually pay attention to Super Bowl commercials. They’re often controversial, funny, emotional, and occasionally ridiculous. That alone sets them apart from the average TV ad and makes them great fodder for watercooler co...
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Retailing Done Right: The Art and Science of the Sales Counter

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Retailing Done Right: The Art and Science of the Sales Counter By Desiree Grace Reading the latest news about yet another bankrupt retail legend, I shake my head. In‑person shopping is not dead. What is dead is retail done wrong . An overemphasis on cost‑cutting instead of value‑adding led to the demise of K‑Mart, Sears, and now Saks Fifth Avenue. I’ve been in retailers, large and small, recently that are busy. Retail spaces also exist inside distribution businesses, often in the form of sales counters. These spaces can drive sales, influence customer engagement, and spark lucrative impulse purchases. Even in a B2B environment, the counter matters. Ignore it, or underinvest in it, and you leave money and loyalty on the table. There are lessons to be learned from those who survive and thrive.  Retail done right looks like this: Staff with knowledgeable people who care A counter should never feel like a wasteland. Greet customers when they enter and ask if they need help. If the an...
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Numbers Speak Truth

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Numbers Speak Truth By Frank Hurtte We work in a world obsessed with numbers. Measurements on schematics. Gross margin percentages. Sales quotas. Minutes on our phones. Days until vacation. I’ll admit it, I like numbers, too. Numbers give us something concrete. They help us understand where we’re performing well, and they make it harder to ignore where improvement is needed. Many times, we think we’re producing at a certain level until we see it on paper. Reality has a way of showing up when the numbers are clear. That same truth applies when evaluating business relationships. Whether you’re trying to understand the value of an employee, a distributor, or a manufacturer partner, it’s important to have a clear and consistent way to measure performance . Without that, discussions quickly become emotional, subjective, or based on assumptions rather than facts. The challenge, of course, is honesty. It’s much easier to evaluate others than it is to evaluate ourselves. But self-eval...
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