The industrial market continues to be one the economic highlights and that, coupled with data centers, is helping to drive the industrial distribution segment. While many may wonder how data center construction benefits the industrial distribution industry, there are three elements: Fastenal reported a strong August. They were up 16.6% (15.5% in the US) with their OEM … [Read more...] about Q3 Pulse of Industrial Supply Survey Open
Market Insights
NetPlus Q3 Outlook: Focusing on Fundamentals
NetPlus Alliance distributors reported another quarter of growth after the close of the second quarter. According to its Q3 Outlook report, "members remain focused on sales fundamentals while many upgrade their systems and processes." The Industry Outlook, a quarterly report based on a survey of NetPlus members, tracks business results and trends in the industrial and … [Read more...] about NetPlus Q3 Outlook: Focusing on Fundamentals
3M Shares 1st Half Insights
Recently I received some information that 3M shared regarding first half insights: The key takeaways are not so much the market, or sales, performance, as that is company-specific and/or projections from Cleveland Research, and the information is as of June. The key is considering market trends. Key "strong" markets are: Further, anything tied to data centers ... … [Read more...] about 3M Shares 1st Half Insights
Grainger Grows – High‑Touch Momentum, Tariff Rebates, and the Demand Cycle
Grainger, considered the industrial supply industry’s leading distributor, or at least bellwether as it relates to offered services and products, reported 2Q 2026 results on August 4, with sales of $5 billion, up 10.3%, or 13.7% on a daily, organic constant currency basis). Grainger achieved operating margin of 16.1% on a reported basis, up 120 basis points y-o-y. Growth was … [Read more...] about Grainger Grows – High‑Touch Momentum, Tariff Rebates, and the Demand Cycle
Motion, DSG – Two Different Approaches to The Distribution Market
Genuine Auto Parts Company (GPC), and Distributor Solutions Group (DSG), are choosing two different ownership paths going forward. Both transactions make sense as each respective entity operates in the distribution space – GPC as part of a larger company, so a spin-off is logical. GPC Spins Off Motion GPC is splitting into two stand-alone companies, with Motion … [Read more...] about Motion, DSG – Two Different Approaches to The Distribution Market
The Death of “Trust Me” Selling
How One Distributor Turned a Top Performer's Instinct into a Methodology Their Whole Sales Team Could Use Recently I was talking to Susan Merlo from The Digital Distributor, and we were discussing the industrial distribution market and distributor challenges. One of the topics was how distributors need to adjust their sales techniques in order to differentiate themselves to … [Read more...] about The Death of “Trust Me” Selling
Are You a Market Maker or a Market Server?
With this article we're introducing a new contributor - Frank Hurtte from River Heights Consulting. Frank is known for his industrial sales expertise and has written two books on industrial sales - The Distributor Specialist: Customer Champion, Profit Generator and The New Sales Guy Project. Frank and I talk regularly, and we've collaborated on some projects together. Now … [Read more...] about Are You a Market Maker or a Market Server?
“Be Like Mike?” Perhaps Data Like Grainger
Grainger probably has more eCommerce experience than any distributor. I remember back when they acquired a stake in MRO.com to form FindMRO.com. People thought they were crazy. In reality, it was probably a great experience from a learning perspective. They've built an eCommerce machine that also enables them to power Grainger.com and Zoro.com but also is the backbone of the … [Read more...] about “Be Like Mike?” Perhaps Data Like Grainger
Was there an Elephant in the Room at the Applied AI for Distributors Conference?
Mark McGready, Director Data Analytics and Solutions for IDEA, attended the 2026 Applied AI for Distributors Conference organized by Distribution Strategy Group. While he spoke to attendees about IDEA's Data Whispers solution and how Nudge (its avatar) helps drive sales, profits and acts as a virtual sales coach and information resource tailored to each distributor's offering … [Read more...] about Was there an Elephant in the Room at the Applied AI for Distributors Conference?
Adding a Nudge to Sales Coaching to Accelerate Sales
Every conference has some session about AI. And every reception at every conference has someone asking about what you’re doing with AI. So, imagine being at a conference that is all about AI and where everyone is talking AI 24x7x3. This is what will happen next week at DSG’s Applied AI conference in Chicago. If you are attending get ready to hear from many AI companies about … [Read more...] about Adding a Nudge to Sales Coaching to Accelerate Sales
