Connecting the strategic framework from "Beyond Price Hikes" (PHCPros, July 2025) with tactical wholesale cost strategy implementation from our June 2025 workshop. Three months ago, I wrote "Beyond Price Hikes," outlining four ways to manage rising costs in wholesale distribution. Many leaders then asked: "How do we actually do this?" They all described the same…
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Last month, during our Stop the Bleeding workshop for distribution leaders, we heard something that stopped us cold. A company owner, discussing his pricing software rollout, said this: "We have a good portion of our salespeople that are old school. They won't like this because they've been setting margins at 23% for 10 years. But…
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The Million-Dollar Question Every Distribution Leader Must Answer During our recent Stop the Bleeding workshop, while contrasting successful distribution companies versus those struggling with manual processes, our CEO made a striking observation: While distribution executives lose sleep over tariffs and supply chains, they're missing the crisis hiding in plain sight: their most valuable asset—decades of…
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Economic downturns bring uncertainty and stress to businesses of all sizes. However, with strategic planning and proactive management, businesses can not only survive but also emerge stronger. Here are key areas to evaluate and actionable tips to guide your business through tough times! 1. Evaluate Your Cash Runway Understanding your financial position is crucial. Having…
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Research shows 70-85% of pricing optimization initiatives fail because distributors underestimate complexity—Excel models break under 50,000+ SKUs, custom development drags on for months, and teams lack specialized expertise. Partnership approaches achieve 87-99% adoption rates. The hidden complexity iceberg: basic pricing rules visible above water, but 50,000+ SKUs, customer contracts, competitive dynamics, and team alignment challenges…
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The supply chain is the lifeblood of your business, spanning from product creation to delivery to the end user. To stay competitive and resilient, it's essential to implement robust strategies that enhance your supply chain operations. Here are five innovative strategies to help you optimize inventory management and boost your ROI. 5 Innovative Strategies 1…
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Three distributors ($10M-$45M) transformed pricing chaos into competitive advantage, achieving 87-99% adoption rates and $92K-$120K margin improvements through systematic approaches that addressed both technology and team dynamics. Success isn't about company size or industry—it's about systematic implementation that treats pricing as a strategic capability, not just an operational task. The Confession That Changed Everything "We…
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As a distributor, staying ahead of market trends and making data-driven decisions are crucial for maximizing your ROI. One effective tool that aids distributors in achieving this is rate-of-change analysis. This post dives into leveraging rate-of-change data to optimize prices and streamline inventories, ultimately enhancing your bottomline. Understanding Rate of Change Metrics We illustrate the…
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