In the Mind of a Distributor
In the Mind of a Distributor
Podcast Description
No one teaches you how to run a distribution business. There’s no playbook for navigating shifting markets, growing sales, or making the right bets on technology. The best distributors figure it out by talking to the right people and learning from experience.That’s what In the Mind of a Distributor is all about. Each month, Benj Cohen—founder of Proton, the CRM built for distributors—sits down with industry leaders, from owners to operators to sales pros, to break down what’s working, what’s not, and where the industry is headed.If all goes well, listeners will leave each episode a little sharper, a little more informed, and a step ahead of the competition.
Podcast Insights
Content Themes
Covers various aspects of the distribution business including sales strategies, market trends, and technological advancements, with episodes like the one featuring Chuck Cohen discussing scaling a business from $85 million to over $1 billion, emphasizing long-term planning and customer-centric services.
No one teaches you how to run a distribution business. There’s no playbook for navigating shifting markets, growing sales, or making the right bets on technology. The best distributors figure it out by talking to the right people and learning from experience.
That’s what In the Mind of a Distributor is all about. Each month, Benj Cohen—founder of Proton, the CRM built for distributors—sits down with industry leaders, from owners to operators to sales pros, to break down what’s working, what’s not, and where the industry is headed.
If all goes well, listeners will leave each episode a little sharper, a little more informed, and a step ahead of the competition.
Benj sits down with his grandfather, Benco's second-generation owner and chief customer advocate, to find out how Larry grew Benco from $200K to $100M.
Larry recalls the price comparison that won him an argument and lost him a customer, and the day after the 1972 flood wiped out Benco's office and inventory, when his employees asked him what to do next.
He also explains his decision to hand off his own customers so the company could grow. Larry once outsold Benco's other three reps combined, but one salesman can only cover so much ground. He hired six salespeople to take over the route he'd been driving alone, and kept one territory so he'd still hear from dentists directly.
Larry grew Benco by reinvesting in it. If he made $30,000, he'd take home less than half of it.
”Everything in inventory, all the time,” he says.
With that work ethic and reinvestment, Larry grew Benco to $100 million. When his son Chuck took over and said he'd run it differently, Larry agreed. Chuck and his brother Rick took Benco to about $1 billion.
Listen if you're building a sales team that doesn't depend on you for every decision, or preparing to hand the business to someone who'll change it.
About the guest
Larry Cohen is Benco Dental's chief customer advocate and second-generation owner. He started in the company's tooth department, moved into outside sales, and later ran Benco as president before passing it to his sons, Chuck and Rick. He's also the grandfather of Proton founder and CEO Benj Cohen.
In this episode
- How Larry closed a sale a competitor spent 20 minutes pitching
- The friend's advice that helped build Benco's sales team
- The lower price that cost him a customer for good
- Why he gave away his best territory, and the one he kept for years
- The 1972 flood, and the 1% loan that put Benco back in business
- ”I'm the budget”: what changed when his sons took over
- The buyer who lost the deal by closing a branch without asking
In the Mind of a Distributor is a podcast by Proton.ai.
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