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.
In this episode, Benj sits down with Erik Gershwind, Vice Chair of the Board at MSC Industrial, to unpack 30 years at one of the largest industrial distributors in the U.S. and the strategic shifts that defined his 13 years as CEO.
Erik walks through repositioning MSC from a ”spot buy” supplier known for its catalog and next-day delivery into a mission-critical partner on the plant floor of North American manufacturing. He also explains how MSC leaned into technical product lines, digital, and an implant program that's grown from 1% of sales pre-COVID to 20% today.
He also shares his view on AI across the distribution value chain and why data is now a distributor's biggest asset alongside its people.
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