Category Archives: Index

153. Analytics for Silos to Supply Chains

2020 Companies, AmazonBusiness, Big Data, Index, Line Item Profit Analytics, LIPA, Supply Chain Partners, WayPoint Analytics

Invent Your Own Analytical Insights

Analytics software is big news.  But, your richest analytical insights are hiding under foot. To uncover these insights, get curious. Make specific observations about the good and bad activity that you know intuitively exists within your business.  Are these observations symptoms of what underlying root-causes? Write down the questions and theories that arise. Do some customer field research and quick statistical analysis to test and refine your questions and theories. Then, do small, fast, learning-forward experiments to find the golden insights.

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151. Share the Secret: “Profit” Is a Clean Word!

Big Data, Core Renewal, Cost-to-Serve Math, Distribution Industry Sales, Distribution Strategy, Index, LIPA, WayPoint Analytics

PROBLEM:

Many distributors do not share general financial numbers with all employees on a regular basis. So, new plays and innovation metrics (based on insights from customer and SKU net-profit analytics) can’t be pursued. Too bad! All stakeholder groups would benefit enormously. 

WHY NOT SHARE?

In many of my presentations over the years, I’ve asked roomfuls of distributor principals:

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152. Don’t Misapply: “Keep It Simple Stupid” (KISS)

2020 Companies, Big Data, Core Renewal, Distribution Strategy, Index, Service Value Innovation Guidelines, Supply Chain Partners, WayPoint Analytics

“Bruce, KISS It!”

For years on the distribution speaking circuit, Polished Pleasers have advised me to: “Make your message simple, appealing, dumbed-down – with memorable sound-bites or key distributor folks won’t listen. Your advice on service-value innovation for net-profitable customers and customer niches is too complicated.  Tell them what they want to hear. (Be an edutainer!)”

Some distributors (along with my own turnarounds) have pursued what I preach for great results. Wins keep you going! But, many distributors are still not suffering enough (yet) to want to upgrade their simplistic, operating, financial beliefs.

The intent behind KISS was not to adopt simplistic notions for success. Simplistic always yields weak, commodity, follow-the-herd returns! What was KISS’s intent? How did it get distorted? What should you do about it? Read on!    

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150. Increase and Improve Your Beliefs

2020 Companies, AmazonBusiness, Core Renewal, Distribution Strategy, Index, Service Value Innovation Guidelines, WayPoint Analytics

Humans are Belief Inventors

Human brains evolved to survive as a tribe in a hunter-gathering world. We accumulated both practical and magical beliefs through experience. If belief-guided actions worked (we didn’t die or got lucky), then we kept doing them. (Lucky Charms v Gremlins!)      

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149. What Distributor Roll-Ups Will Become Zombies?

2020 Companies, AmazonBusiness, Core Renewal, Cost-to-Serve Math, Distribution Industry Sales, Distribution Strategy, Index, Supply Chain Partners, WayPoint Analytics

Private Equity (PE) Distributor Roll-Ups: The Good, Bad, and Ugly

PE Good News:

In ’08: The Central Banks rescued PE firms from their over-paid, over-leveraged ’07 deals. By lowering interest rates to near-zero for 10 years good things happened:

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148. A Distributor’s New “Innovation Department 1.0”

2020 Companies, Concierge Customer Service, Core Renewal, Index, Service Value Innovation Guidelines, WayPoint Analytics

Questions About “Innovation”

True or False:

  • Innovation is key to faster growth and greater profitability
  • Amazon has changed the buying expectations of your next-gen, millennial, B2B buyers
  • If you don’t digitally oblige next-gen buyers, you will lose business to faster-moving, traditional competitors and/or to Amazon Business
  • Companies like Amazon and Google allocate huge funds to R&D to invent new (disruptive) solutions for unmet needs
  • You currently have an effective R&D department
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