For auto parts manufacturers, what was supposed to be a rebound year in 2022 has so far instead been anything but. Supply chain issues are once again rearing their ugly head, including a chip shortage that shows no sign of slowing down. Piling on, a pandemic-driven labor crisis and, more recently, R...
When does something go from trend to mainstream? When is a fad no longer a fad? When does a novelty proliferate to become commonplace? When do the statistics for an emerging development become so ordinary we must look for a new one?According to social commentator Malcolm Gladwell, the "tipping point...
As we mentioned in our 2021 B2B manufacturing and distribution previews last January, the start of a new calendar year is not a clean slate, but it is an opportunity to take stock of the previous 12 months and prepare for the road ahead. In lieu of making predictions for 2022, some of our in-house p...
In January 2020, we checked in on the building products manufacturing industry in detail. We found that a broad labor shortage in the space was particularly harmful to sales teams, who were seeing an ongoing “brain drain” of older sellers, a shallow pool of younger reps and a sharp learning curve fo...
Resurgent demand, coupled with industry’s inability to acquire raw materials, manufacture products, and stock distribution centers, is causing prices to soar on everything from diapers to steel. “The big question is whether shortages and price hikes are temporary byproducts of the pandemic, or if th...
Although cities are opening up and cautiously returning to a semblance of normalcy after a pandemic-stricken 2020, global supply chain shortages, delays, and disruptions have significantly impacted pricing. All types of commodities, including lumber, steel, copper and even chicken, are currently see...
There’s a shortage of inventory across the board. We as consumers are the last to feel it. B2B manufacturers, distributors and logistics providers have been living with the squeeze for months.The SituationYou’ve seen the headlines, and probably experienced the impact in your personal life. There’s a...
I’m of an age where I can remember in B2B when the internet was a novelty (“I just sent a customer an email!”) and big data consisted of a room filled with filing cabinets that contained 300 years' worth of green b...
With U.S. jobless claims at an all-time high, hospitals in large cities becoming overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases and supply chains in disarray, a natural human response is to panic. We’re all feeling a mix of uncertainty and fear, two emotions that can lead to rash decisions in our personal lives an...
Perhaps you’ve heard the saying, “He or she who hesitates is lost,” or “He/She who hesitates is last”? The 1930’s iconic actress Mae West once remarked “He who hesitates is a damned fool.” Hesitation can be a more comfortable stance, especially in uncertain times such as we’ve seen in 2020 and carry...
Be honest with yourself. How many accounts have you lost in the last 12 months where you had no indication that things were about to churn? If your business is responsible for many thousands of customers, the answer is quite likely, “I’m just not sure.” It’s fine to say this. Aft...
What happens when “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” runs headlong into “Necessity is the mother of invention?” The manufacturing industry showed us in 2020 that the latter wins out in this battle of aphorisms. Rarely have we seen a time in which the stuck-in-its-ways manufacturing sector trans...
With MindShare 2020 wrapping up today, we sat down with Zilliant President and Chief Executive Officer Greg Peters for a candid discussion on 2020’s economic impact on B2B companies, why now is the time to embrace commercial innovation, his vision for the future of pricing and sales, and more.Q: We...
As the leading price optimization and management solution provider, Zilliant is often called on to provide insights into the latest B2B industry trends and tactics to navigate unprecedented disruption. In August, Chief Marketing Officer Lindsay Duran and Chief Scientist Jon Higbi...
Over the course of the past few decades, the organization and structure of B2B sales teams has settled into a nice, predictable pattern. The best, most tenured reps are out in the field, making the daily donut drop with the very best customers, building relationships and taking orders. An inside sal...
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