Welcome to the Proton Thought Bubble

Dirk Van Dongen, who recently retired from a 54-year tenure at the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW), ... Read More

I recently visited the website of a large industrial distributor. On a product page for a work glove, “related products” included thread locker, a replacement filter and duct tape.There seemed to be no rhyme or reason for these recommendation... Read More

One of the most valuable resources distributors have is their data. Data can reveal what your customers are likely to buy, what growth opportunities you’re missing out on and where you can cut costs. Distributors with the right data can meet customer needs and dominate competitors. But acquiring ... Read More

Today, distributors can choose from an array of sales tools that all promise data-driven results. In theory, this should help distributors understand their customers and enhance their sales processes. In reality, however, many of these “smart” sales solutions end up causing more problems than the... Read More

Amazon was already collecting hundreds of billions of dollars in annual sales from consumers. But Amazon is coming for distributors’ business, too. Amazon Business, the company’s B2B marketplace, is projected to make ... Read More