Last year we launched our Pulse of Industrial Supply survey, and subsequent report, to democratize information and provide distributors, reps, and manufacturers free marketplace information. The research, sponsored by William Blair, asks you to share quarterly performance and outlook, by key product category (if applicable) and key market segments (again, if … [Read more...] about 2026 Q1 Pulse of Industrial Supply Survey
AI
Winning Orders with AI-Powered Sales Quoting & Ordering
Last month I participated on Prokeep’s webinar on order quotation and order automation. For a pre-launch event, the attendance was great. Winning Nowadays Goes to the Quickest - Customers Don't Have Time to Waste Customers want speedy responses to quote and questions. The reason – they are running fast. Not enough time, or maintenance labor, to get all the work done so … [Read more...] about Winning Orders with AI-Powered Sales Quoting & Ordering
AI for HR
How AI Can Transform HR for Industrial Distributors The Bottom Line: People are a distributor’s largest asset — and AI can now automate the HR burdens that slow leaders down. HR expert Tracie Sponenberg identifies five accessible, affordable AI tools distributors can pilot today to streamline onboarding, scheduling, performance reviews, employee experience, and HR … [Read more...] about AI for HR
AI for Industrial Supply IMR’s
From a tech viewpoint, AI is what companies talk about. Distributors are implementing it or at least discussing it. Not much gets shared within the manufacturer environment but it is well in use. Independent manufacturer reps (IMRs) have also asked the question. Some have dappled. Few are advanced. Most are intrigued but lack expertise and/or are concerned about … [Read more...] about AI for Industrial Supply IMR’s
AI Update: How do you keep your Industrial teams in the loop
The news is full of how rapidly AI is evolving, with a spate of recent articles predicting mass layoffs and massive disruptions. Advances are certainly breathtaking – when OpenAI launched ChatGPT in November 2022, it added a million users in 5 days; in April 2025, it achieved this in one hour; and reportedly one-third of companies are using AI agents to automate and improve … [Read more...] about AI Update: How do you keep your Industrial teams in the loop
