New learning series offers practical data and AI advice for sales and finance people across distribution

Phocas is launching Tomorrow's Distributor, a new interactive learning series designed to help sales and finance professionals tackle everyday business challenges, make better use of their data and prepare for the future of distribution.

We know the distribution industry is constantly changing. This year consolidation has proliferated, especially in America, where merger and acquisition transactions are up 7.7% year over year according to AXIA data. These new, larger companies create complex working environments that require systems that can ingest data from many systems into one platform for multi-entity reporting and consolidation. 

At the same time, 49% of distributors are using AI for sales but with limited impact according to our new State of Sales in Distribution Report.  As Phocas works with distributors every day, we decided to respond to these changes by offering a free program to address some of these data and tech challenges featuring Phocas experts and customers.  

Two streams focused on sales and finance

Sales and finance teams have different responsibilities, but they share a common goal of helping their businesses grow profitably.

Sales professionals need to understand customers, identify opportunities, protect margins and make the most of their time. Finance teams need to explain performance, manage costs, improve forecasting and provide valuable cross-functional advice.

Tomorrow's Distributor recognizes these differences with two learning streams that address the specific challenges of each function.

The sessions will be interactive, giving participants opportunities to ask questions and learn from their peers and tech experts serving the distribution industry.

Tomorrow's Distributor for Sales

How do you help every sales rep perform at their best while giving them more time to build customer relationships? That's one of the practical challenges the sales stream will explore.

Distribution sales teams manage hundreds of customers, thousands of products and constantly changing account priorities. Reps need to know which customers to contact, what products to recommend and where the most profitable opportunities lie so they need relaible and accurate insights for guided selling. 

The upcoming sessions will explore the following topics: 

1) Getting every rep performing like your best rep

What makes a top-performing sales rep successful, and how can managers help the rest of the team adopt those habits? This session will explore how customer intelligence, sales data and guided selling can help reps prioritize their activities, prepare for customer conversations and make more informed recommendations.

2) Uncovering hidden revenue in existing accounts

Your next sales opportunity might already be sitting in your customer base. Learn how to identify customers who are buying less, spot gaps in product purchasing and find opportunities to grow existing accounts. The session will explore how sales teams can use buying patterns and account data to turn these insights into meaningful conversations with customers.

Across the series, participants can expect discussions about sales performance, customer retention, account growth and how AI can support better selling.

Tomorrow's Distributor for Finance

Finance professionals are being asked to manage the data flow and AI as well as  provide advice across many aspects of the business from sales performance to cost cutting. They are also integral to developing budgets and reforecasting based on changing conditions or external circumstances.

The finance stream will focus on making financial information more accessible, improving reporting and giving finance teams more time to work alongside the business.

Some of the upcoming sessions include:

1) Plugging the margin leaks across your business

Small changes in pricing, discounts, freight costs and product mix can have a significant impact on profitability. This session will explore how finance teams can identify where margins are being eroded, understand the causes and work with sales and operations to protect profitability.

2) Reporting from boardroom to branch

Different people need different views of financial performance. A board wants a clear picture of overall profitability and future performance, while branch managers need to understand the numbers they can influence every day. Discover how connected financial and operational data can help finance teams deliver relevant and customized reporting across the business.

Future discussions will also explore financial planning, forecasting, performance analysis and the changing role of finance as AI becomes part of everyday business processes.

Practical learning from all of our experts

Tomorrow's Distributor has a focus on helping business people understand AI technology and provide new ways to apply it in their work.

Participants can expect practical examples, industry perspectives and ideas they can take back to their teams. The interactive format also creates opportunities to learn from other distribution professionals facing similar challenges.

Importantly, the program will explore how data and AI can build on the industry knowledge that sales and finance professionals already have.

Subscribe to Tomorrow's Distributor

The future of distribution will be shaped by people who know their industry and have the right information to make better decisions.

Subscribe to the Tomorrow's Distributor learning series to receive each month's webinar topic and related content directly in your inbox, no form filling required.

Choose the sales or finance stream that interests you and join the conversations about how distributors can work smarter, improve performance and prepare for what's next.

Subscribe to Tomorrow's Distributor, here.