As a former employee/now owner of a distributorship of beauty products for 40 years, I have discovered resources that I wanted to share with my fellow distributor community. Modern Distribution Management (MDM.com) is one very valuable asset. In addition to providing research and data, they host webinars, seminars, videos, a sales GPS network and so much more. A yearly digital membership is $345 and PBA members receive a $100 discount. MDM has provided invaluable support in 2020, as they have held weekly hour-long interviews with various channels of distribution on best practices for sustainability with disruptions such as Amazon, COVID-19 and vendors changing channels of distribution. Tom Gale (MDM) and Mike Marks (Indian River Consulting) host the weekly interviews.
Another important resource is the National Association of Wholesalers (NAW.org). They have a wide array of content including publications, webinars, events and government relations. They have selected various authors to write about “Facing the Forces of Change” for decades, which has given new thought to how distribution would shift over time. NAW has a remarkable array of subject matter experts including Mark Dancer, NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence Fellow, who recently authored the book Innovate to Dominate. He spoke at our last distribution summit in Chicago. He also founded the Network for Business Innovation to create an exchange of ideas.
Distribution Strategy (distributionstrategy.com) is another resource which focuses on thought leadership for wholesale change agents. They have a weekly hour-long series with Ian G Heller and Jonathan Bein speaking on various topics including marketing innovations, compensation ideas, management and thought leadership.
We are forever grateful to these valuable resources that allow us to pivot during uncertain times, building stronger businesses and magnifying value for our clients and our vendors. We appreciate their partnership and wish them prosperity in the new year.
