Last week I was honored to lead a discussion on fee-based services at the Association for High Technology Distribution ( AHTD.org ). For those of you not familiar with the group, allow me an introduction: AHTD is the trade association for distributors, Automation Solution Providers and manufacturers providing a long list of technical “products” (things like programmable controllers, software, sensors, motion control, machine vision and robotics) into the North American manufacturing segment. It’s a highly technical group and literally all members provide some very expensive products and service bundles. Historically, the members of this group have provided a wide array of both technical and logistical services to their customer base. Most openly admit salespeople are the gatekeepers for these services. Further, management oversight of service deployment ranges from “informal” to “talked about it in a sales meeting last year.” Ironically, even companies with well-developed...