Distribution Talk
162 episodes - English - Latest episode: 6 days ago - ★★★★★ - 18 ratingsDive into the stories, struggles, and solutions from business owners and thought leaders in the wholesale distribution market.
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Episodes
Michael Meier on recruiting, training, passion, and personal development
August 14, 2019 09:00 - 30 minutes - 28.5 MBWhat have you done to secure your company’s future? Beyond upgrades to your tech, your warehouse space, and your fleet, what investments have you made in your people? Michael Meier, VP and COO of Meier Supply Company, discusses how his own professional growth has translated into a passion for training company talent and clientele. Michael laughs when he tells his origin story and it probably resonates for a lot of listeners. He spent his post-college years as an HVAC tech, happily turn...
Dan Esch on business expansion, service, and successful recruitment
August 07, 2019 09:00 - 29 minutes - 27.3 MBWant to know the secrets to a successful expansion? For Dan Esch of Esch Construction Supply based in St. Paul, Minnesota, a company’s mission is just as important as the advanced field work and the financial analysis. “This business is all about service.” That’s a sentiment you’ll hear Dan repeat throughout our conversation. He’s positioned Esch within the concrete cutting niche as a key collaborator, the customer’s go-to source for products, service, and information. “We go out and so...
Ankit Sharma on company culture, scaling, and recruiting scorecards
July 31, 2019 09:00 - 25 minutes - 23.5 MBAnkit Sharma, CEO of Kitply Industries LTD. in Vancouver, British Columbia, didn’t just take a leap of faith when he started his distribution business a decade ago; he set fire to all of his bridges for good measure. I caught up with Ankit to find out what motivates this award-winning entrepreneur and why he’s on a mission to make wood sexy. His strategy to attract the same employees that typically head into consumer marketing and high-end tech companies is to operate more like those bus...
Paul Reilly on value added selling, pricing pressures, and having better customer conversations
July 24, 2019 09:00 - 26 minutes - 24.4 MBWhat are you selling? Beyond the parts and pieces, what differentiates you from your competitors? Don’t answer, at least not until you’ve listened to my conversation with Paul Reilly, president of Tom Reilly Training. His company has been on a 40 year mission to show sales teams that value-driven conversations can help them sell more profitably. The message has never been more relevant than in today’s market. “My father Tom started the company back in the early 80s. What really got us ...
Eric Wessinger on building your sales force, client customization and website overhauls
July 17, 2019 09:00 - 28 minutes - 26.7 MBWhat does your sales force look like in five years? In ten? If you don’t have an answer yet, my chat with Eric Wessinger, president of Richards Supply, will definitely spark some ideas. Officially, he’s lead the company for a little over six years. Unofficially, Eric’s been in and around the distribution business since childhood. As a second generation leader, he’s drawing on his decade of outside work experience as well as his lifetime of insider knowledge to tackle the company’s million...
Bill Morse on solid banking relationships, finding the right employees, and successful corporate buyouts
July 10, 2019 09:00 - 26 minutes - 25.1 MBYes! It’s possible to remain laid back and move your business forward. Bill Morse, former owner of Constar Supply out of Clovis, California, is proof. Bill sat down to discuss the philosophies that have lead him to create solid banking relationships, honor employee freedoms over management scrutiny, and find the right corporate fit for his company’s next chapter. There’s a lot to learn from a guy who’s been around since the dinosaur years, when deals were made over coffee and a handshake ...
Michelle St. John on private labeling, trade associations, and getting out of the comfort zone
July 03, 2019 09:00 - 27 minutes - 25.9 MBIf the prospect of business growth makes you uneasy, you’ll find a lot to relate to in this episode. Jason chats with Michelle St. John, owner and president of IBS Incorporated, a self-proclaimed risk-averse leader whose company continues to find creative solutions to industry challenges in spite of, or perhaps because of, her conservative mindset. Maintenance, repair, and operational supply has proven to be an almost recession-proof market for IBS. “When there's a recession, people are ma...
Cameron Overacker on transitioning leadership and working with outside advisors
June 26, 2019 09:00 - 27 minutes - 25.7 MB“If you live by that example, those around you will do the same and the more people live that philosophy, the stronger your team becomes. And the stronger the team is, the stronger your business becomes.” ~Cameron Overacker When it comes to the family business, there’s the clan you’re born into and the people that you surround yourself with. Jason talks with Cameron Overacker, president of Canadian flooring distributor Primco, to learn how DiSC assessment has helped his company get the ver...
Tully Brewer on the profit first approach and planning for a healthy succession
June 19, 2019 09:00 - 29 minutes - 27.4 MB“Most business owners try to grow our way out of our problems. But the result is simply a bigger monster. You can't grow out in your profit problem. You need to fix the profit first, then you grow.” -Tully Brewer In this episode, Jason and Tully Brewer, president of Littlejohn, Inc., chat about the profit first approach and planning for a healthy succession. Littlejohn, Inc. began selling tank trailers in the 1930s but it wasn’t until the family firm opened its parts business in the late...
Gabriel Curry on data, client retention, and business expansion
June 12, 2019 09:00 - 34 minutes - 31.8 MB"There are three things that we ask when we make a call: what should we start doing? What should we stop doing? What should we continue doing? What should we stop doing is usually some of the best feedback." ~Gabriel Curry Jason sits down with Gabriel Curry, president of G&S Nursery and Impact Media, to discuss client retention, business expansion, and the myriad ways data informs decisions. Gabriel credits The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes with helping uncover his customer’s ne...
Marshall Jones on taking over the family business, training and employee testing
May 27, 2019 00:40 - 30 minutes - 28.5 MB“I think salespeople do a fantastic job accomplishing the task that they’ve been given. That said, none of what they produce out there can really come to fruition without the support of a wide network of folks within the organization.” --Marshall Jones Jason catches up with Marshall Jones, former owner of Marco Supply Company. They cover a lot of ground from life in and out of the family business to the merits of various talent assessment methods. And, if you’ve got kids of your own in th...
Jason Bader on the origin of Distribution Talk
May 17, 2019 04:05 - 4 minutes - 4.24 MBMeet Jason Bader, executive coach, speaker, and owner of The Distribution Team, and find out the origin story of the Distribution Talk podcast (the idea for which came like a 2x4 to the back of the head.) Get ready to hear stories, struggles and solutions from business owners and thought leaders in the wholesale distribution industry. Thanks to Michael and Greg at Get a Grip on Lighting for helping to inspire this show, and to podcast coach/editor Andrea Klunder at The Creative Impostor ...