Turning Buyers into Investors
JASON BADER
How can owners and managers get their purchasing people to start thinking about the financial impact of their purchases? Jason Bader, a 30-year distribution industry veteran and principal of The Distribution Team, will provide FEDA members with ways to drive a return-on-investment mentality using inventory metrics and data analytics during his session, “Us-
ing Data to Turn Buyers into Investors.” “This analysis will help FEDA members develop a customer-centric view of inventory management,” says Bader. “By focusing on what the customer is really asking for through their transaction patterns, distributors will provide superior customer service while living within their own financial constraints.”
During his presentation, Bader hopes attendees will learn how to perform data-driven ROI analysis, discover strategies to improve poor-performing buy lines and use ROI data as a tool in vendor negotiations. “I think attendees might be surprised how much information about their customers’ wants and needs is captured by their distribution software,” he says. “They might also be surprised how simple these concepts are and that they are probably almost 70 percent there.”
Sales Technology Solutions
MICHAEL BERRO ANDREW JOHNSON
Customers come to distributors because they want to work with a business that possesses exper- tise in their field and is better equipped to solve their problems. Finding ways to enhance the customer experience can further differentiate distributors from transaction-based competitors, says Michael Berro, CEO of MMS Distribution. Drawing from his own experience as the director of special projects for convenience store distributor HLA, Berro will host “Making the Connection Part I– Integrating Consumer Touch Points,” a session that will explore how to create a sales technology strategy that will impact both your customers and sales process. Immediately following his session, Andrew Johnson, vice president of business development at Ai2, will be hosting “Making the Con-
nection Part 2– Improving the Customer Experience.” During their sessions, Berro and Johnson will address the role of sales technology in B2B and B2C shopping experiences; what implementing an omnichannel sales strategy does for an organization and its future; how to create realistic technology adoption targets; and other topics to help distributors navigate through the new landscape.
Foodservice equipment distributors will not only need to be great customer service machines and supply chain experts, they also will need to be technology com- panies, say Johnson and Berro, adding that judging by their backend systems, many are not equipped to make the transformation. “Michael and I will be bringing our real-world experience into a presentation series that will create awareness and prepare distributors to engage in commerce the way it is done today and will be done tomorrow—both from a strategic standpoint and at a sales level,” Johnson says.
Differentiate Yourself What motivates buyers to purchase from distributors and which services help distributors differentiate themselves from the competition? Angela Baraks, the director of sales and marketing at DATAgility, will be leading the conversation on “Differentiating Your Brand through Value-Added Services,” helping FEDA attend- ees develop a strategy to not only promote the value-added services they offer, but position themselves with identifiable benefits to the buyer.
During Baraks’ session, executives, salespeople and mangers with influence over the mix of products and services their company sells will learn how other industries are using new technologies and discover what can be applied to the foodservice equipment industry for capturing
ANGELA BARAKS
ANNA TAYLOR
new sales opportunities. Key takeaways will include finding new ways to market products and value-added services, discovering new ways to bundle products and services for personalized selling and applying the latest technologies to your business.
“Value-added services help companies differentiate their brand from other distributors,” says Baraks. “As more threats to the channel are identified, distributors must find ways to stand out and offer services to their customers that help them truly partner with them and offer solutions.”
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