Sales and marketing - Articles | Supply House Times

Your Best Sales Rep Just Retired. Now What?

June 3, 2026

The PHCP-PVF supply chain is facing a generational shift in its sales workforce. Retirements are outpacing new hires, and the institutional knowledge that veteran sellers carry is not the kind that fits neatly into an onboarding document.

Your Sales Team Isn’t Posting and It’s Costing You Millions

It’s easy to think of social media as optional or secondary. But, the cost of not showing up compounds quickly

Alicia Branham

May 22, 2026

This isn't something to brush off or circle back to when things “slow down.” It’s not a marketing problem sitting neatly in someone else’s department.

Why Day-To-Day Firefighting Douses Distributors’ Profit

A shift to order-level visibility and process discipline can help distributors eliminate margin leaks and regain control of performance.

Michael Biwer

May 4, 2026

Ask a distributor to describe their day-to-day, and there’s an excellent chance that they’ll use the term “fighting fires.” It makes sense that this term has become so popular – the work sounds urgent and important, even heroic.

Marketing Matters | Alicia Branham

AI Is Moving Faster Than Your Security Policies

Artificial intelligence gives companies power to grow, but not without risk.

Alicia Branham

April 17, 2026

AI is evolving faster than the policies, security systems, and safeguards designed to manage it. The smartest companies won’t ignore AI, they also won’t hand over the keys to their business until the technology proves it can be trusted with them.

Marketing Matters | Alicia Branham

Why conservative branding and hesitant messaging may be limiting distributor growth more than market conditions

You can’t grow if you’re afraid to be seen

Alicia Branham

March 20, 2026

Being visible invites judgment. Once your company is seen, it can be critiqued, compared, misunderstood, or challenged. In industries where reputation matters and tradition runs deep, that exposure feels risky.

ASA News

Experience is the product you are actually selling: What 5,000-plus customer responses reveal

Brian Hopkins Jonathan Bein

March 13, 2026

Analysis of 5,063 customer responses from 10 MEP distributors confirms what many suspected but few have quantified — customer experience has become the primary differentiator in wholesale distribution. Companies prioritizing experience demonstrate higher retention rates, greater wallet share, and reduced cost-to-serve.

Marketing Matters | Alicia Branham

Seven signs you’ve outgrown DIY marketing

How to recognize when scrappy, do-it-yourself marketing quietly starts holding a growing business back.

Alicia Branham

February 18, 2026

There are clear warning signs that your business has outgrown DIY marketing. Here are seven ways to know when DIY marketing is no longer serving your business — and may hold it back.

A cropped image of a man holding a glowing digital globe in his hand, with “E-Commerce” text and business icons against a blue background.

ASA News

The state of e-commerce in plumbing distribution

Insights courtesy of Distribution Strategy Group

January 23, 2026

Digital revenue penetration tiers show concentrated distribution patterns and progression across three measurement periods. Firms achieving more than 10% e-commerce revenue increased from 28% in 2023 to 33% in 2024 and 41% in 2025, representing a 13 percentage point gain over two years. The more than 20% tier grew from 13% to 19% and stabilized, while the more than 30% tier progressed from 8% to 10% before declining to 7% in 2025.

Hands, calculator, and various data charts and graphs on a white background.

Marketing Matters | Alicia Branham

New year, new strategies: How to kickstart your marketing goals

Turning ambition into measurable progress.

Alicia Branham

January 6, 2026

A strong marketing strategy is the bridge between where your business stands today and where you want it to go. Whether you’re a manufacturer looking to increase brand visibility, a rep firm aiming to secure more partnerships, or a distributor working to grow market share, success starts with clear, actionable goals and a structured roadmap.

Illustration of businesspeople in a training session, a large white board with pinned papers and icons on it.

Marketing Matters | Alicia Branham

Train for growth: Why your team is the key to modern marketing success

Alicia Branham

November 14, 2025

Whether your team needs training on your latest CRM system, new quoting software, or how to confidently represent your company on social media — the principle is the same. People can’t perform at their best without clarity, direction, and alignment. Every process, from managing leads to creating customer-facing content, is only as strong as the training behind it.