The current economic and industry-specific forecast for the Industrial Channel do not show double digit growth. Historically when the market is slower growth the focus on how to grow with end customers shifts to gaining more share and automating tasks that your team does manually. In looking at ISA25 this year one session really jumped out to me that is all about helping automate manual (human) task that free up your sales teams to sell more.
Less time entering and managing orders = More time for your team to add value and sell more to your customers.
So, I wanted to take a deep dive into one ISA25 Session that think can really help distributors, manufacturers and reps get top insider information to fuel their growth.
ISA 25 Session – The New AI Landscape: AI’s Rapid Rise in the Channel
Description – The pace of change in AI is unlike anything the industry has ever seen. With soaring adoption rates and fewer barriers to entry, AI isn’t just for the biggest players with the deepest pockets to invest. AI is now essential for maintaining profitability and a competitive edge for all companies in the channel.
Join this session for an eye-opening look at AI’s evolution over the past year. Building on the discussions from ISA24, leaders from three top tech companies will share how their AI solutions have advanced to meet market demands, helping distributors, manufacturers, and reps drive success in an increasingly AI-driven world.
The speakers panelists include-
Mike Hockett from Modern Distribution Management is moderating the session – Mike is deeply plugged into the industrial space, as he has spent a decade writing for Industrial Distribution and Modern Distribution Management.
Kevin Brown from LeadSmart Technologies – Kevin and Tom Burton host a popular podcast Around the Horn Live Show and Podcast every Friday AM that I would recommend you put on your favorites list. His company LeadSmart Channel Cloud has been delivering AI-Enabled CRM solutions for the Industrial Channel for many years.
Chris Bauserman from Conexiom – Chris has decades of experience in B2B distribution and Conexiom has been providing “Order Automation” services to the channel for decades. In my distributor days we worked with Conexiom to help us automate human tasks at every career stop.
Paul Noble from Verusen AI – Paul at Verusen AI has been a proven provider in the channel for many years. Verusen AI provides an AI platform purpose-built to optimize inventory, spend, and risk for asset-intensive manufacturers’ MRO supply chain.
What I like about this session is it covers the key areas of what the channel needs from purchasing/inventory optimization, order and operational task automation, and sales execution.
Chris Bauserman shared a great quote on the session
“According to a recent MDM study, nearly half of manufacturers and distributors were not using AI in a meaningful way. Two headwinds holding back that adoption are finding use cases that solve important problems in a new way and using solutions that are the ‘right tool for the job’ vs. a DIY toolkit. Using AI and automation in your quote-to-cash process to help with tariff uncertainty is something everyone should be exploring right now.” Chris also shared an interesting article on tariffs that has some good data also.https://conexiom.com/blog/navigating-tariffs-how-to-protect-profits-and-customers
Kevin Brown shared the following-
“AI and technology advancements are moving fast and while most are still on the outside looking in on AI. Now is the time to start understanding capabilities, what’s needed in your company to prepare and what are the right technology tools to maximize return for the company and your team along where you can reduce risk along the way.”
In the panel, the team will share real insights from technology leaders, into how to minimize risk and maximize outcomes.
I hope to see you at ISA25 and get the chance to meet in person. You can find out more about ISA25 @ Home – ISA25
As always, we appreciate the feedback and comments. So, feel free to reach out at jgunderson@channelmkt.com
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