Distribution Talk Jason Bader, Distribution Team

When Tyler Yelland, vice president of sales and marketing at Primco, approached the company’s president, Cam Overacker, about starting a podcast, the pair quickly realized the show’s potential beyond sales. Jason chats with the Canada-based duo about telegraphing Primco’s company culture via Know Where You Stand (KWYS), their trendsetting podcast in the ordinarily conservative floor covering industry. From honest talk about podcasting’s ROI to its power as a vehicle for inspiring the next generation of distribution professionals, Cam, Tyler, and Jason share their experiences and insights with the pod-curious.
 
There’s a simple explanation for how a Primco podcast came about: a marketing consultant proposed a blog. “I just wanted to do something more unique and something different [in] the market,” says Tyler. Ten episodes into recording KWYS, his instincts have proven sound. The show comes across exactly as intended––an informative chat among colleagues who just happen to be friends. “It doesn't feel like work. It's just like Cam and I having another meeting except, instead of talking KPIs, we're just talking about what we would normally talk about.” 
 
“I had no idea what I was getting in for,” Cam jokes. All kidding aside, he quickly embraced a bigger picture mentality. “The transparency that the podcast gives us is, ‘trust us, this is really who we are, and this is what we're going to say.’” Cam and Tyler aren’t product reviewers; they’re industry advocates inviting manufacturers, retail partners, and, yes, even consumers behind the scenes. “For me, it's more about that one person that you turn to, maybe, being open to hearing more about the Primco story and our products... To me, that’s more important than any stat you can get,” Cam says.
 
Still, KWYS has an impressive reach thus far, and it’s easy to understand why. With episode topics running the gamut from technology to shipping (a top-of-mind consideration given COVID import delays across every vertical), KWYS is a data-driven listen as well as an engaging access point for future business leaders. Tyler agrees. “There were so many times when I was younger and just thought I knew everything,” he says. “It would have been nice to be able to flip something like this on and just listen to it and get ideas and get those juices flowing.”
 
When asked to share their number one podcasting tip, the Primco guys echo one of Jason’s own: “Call Andrea,” Cam says, a shoutout to Andrea Klunder, producer of both KWYS and DT. The response is also a nod to Cam’s overall business investment strategy. “When we look back on [Primco’s] failures over 74 years of business, it's the times when you can see that [we] didn't go all in.”
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE The Q and A Sales Podcast w/ Paul Reilly 
V Strategies - Calgary Video & Production
Surfaces: The International Surfaces Event
NAFCD
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CONNECT WITH CAM LinkedIn
CONNECT WITH TYLER LinkedIn
CONNECT WITH JASON LinkedIn
***
Distribution Talk is produced by The Distribution Team, a consulting services firm dedicated to helping wholesale distribution clients remove barriers to profitability, generate wealth and achieve personal goals.   
This episode was edited & mixed by The Creative Impostor Studios. 
http://www.distributionteam.com
Special thanks to our sponsor for this episode: HMI Performance Incentives, providing innovative, data-driven B2B incentive solutions.

Reports of massive employee turnover and dissatisfaction are everywhere––except at Stafford-Smith, Inc. Jason chats with David Stafford, third generation president and CEO of the Kalamazoo-based foodservice equipment distributor, about his company’s remarkable retention rate. With 19 locations across 11 states and an overwhelmingly Millennial workforce, Stafford-Smith’s culture of loyalty flourishes under David’s open-door policy, an office-wide environment of mutual respect, and a few well-timed pranks. “It's been a very good ride so far. We make money; we are very profitable. We work hard. [ ] I don't ask anybody ever to do anything I'm not willing to do myself or have not done.” Although David’s lead from the front style is a hallmark of successful privately-held distribution companies, it’s his repeated acknowledgement of team contributions that make him a standout in the industry.
Competitive by nature, David applies lessons learned from his college football days to business, preferring a team approach to execution and a coach’s mindset to decision-making. “It takes a village, and so we all need to do this together,” he says, referring to the pandemic-related challenges of the last 18 months. “But again, we also have another edict: business is not a democracy. There comes a time where somebody has to be the head coach, general manager, and owner.”
Access to the key decision maker lays the groundwork for job satisfaction and loyalty, regardless of an employee’s generational cohort. While many businesses are frantically trying to rework company culture issues exposed by the pandemic, Stafford-Smith is benefiting from well-established practices. “You see a lot of people having a hard time hiring people. Everybody came back to work for us,” David says with pride. Even the five employees (out of over 200) who wanted to retain wfh status were replaced within a week.
Stafford-Smith’s enviable position as a top-tier employer is one of the reasons they’re also exceptionally successful at acquisitions. For companies interested in pursuing an acquisition or greenfield startup, figuring out the perfect formula can seem daunting. David relies on data and his gut. “The formula is, really, I have to feel with these people what's going on. I gotta feel it's the right decision.” Again, he goes back to the importance of everyone involved, not only the bottom line. “You gotta make sure you handle it right, that you treat the people right,” he says, ever mindful that the new employees will assimilate into Stafford-Smith’s well-established ecosystem. 
Stafford-Smith’s gameplan for a post-COVID environment begins with the folks on the floor and ends on David’s doorstep––and his office is always open.
 
MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE Check out Jason’s recent interview with Dirk Beveridge.
 
CONNECT WITH JASON
LinkedIn
***
Distribution Talk is produced by The Distribution Team, a consulting services firm dedicated to helping wholesale distribution clients remove barriers to profitability, generate wealth and achieve personal goals.   
This episode was edited & mixed by The Creative Impostor Studios. 
http://www.distributionteam.com
Special thanks to our sponsor for this episode: INxSQL Distribution Software, integrated distribution ERP software designed for the wholesale and distribution industry.

Why would anyone spend 97 days on the road visiting 34 privately-held distributors in the middle of a pandemic? To champion the noble cause of distribution, of course!
Jason catches up with Dirk Beveridge, fresh from his We Supply America tour. Beyond the business strategies and innovation beats the heart of this industry: humanity. Dirk shares some of the people-powered stories he captured during this epic journey, offering his patented brand of inspiration and encouragement as well as resources to spark company-wide conversations.
“Everybody in my business network tried to talk me out of it,” Dirk laughs as he launches into the impetus for his 16,000 cross-country trek. After 18 months stuck in his office, unable to get out on the road and talk to people, Dirk had had enough.  “I was looking to take control [ ] to get into my unique ability.”
Anyone who’s ever met Dirk knows this visionary entrepreneur and award-winning keynote speaker for his superpower: telling stories about the industry he loves. “This project was really about coming back and finding it, finding Dirk.” What he found instead was renewed faith in the strength and resilience inherent to distribution.
We Supply America is more than a love letter to the industry, however. It’s a compilation featuring the not-so-secret ingredients that go into making great family-run wholesale distributorships. In an age where the distribution giants seem to be overtaking the world, We Supply America reminds family-run operations that their contribution to this country goes deeper than dollars and cents.
While the C-suite is well represented throughout the eight episodes, Dirk says it’s the chats he had with drivers, warehouse pickers, and outside sales teams, among others, that provided the most compelling revelations.
“Every one of these jobs provides for the unleashing of the human spirit, provides for the individual to grow and to develop and to move towards their potential.” They form the foundation of this noble cause, he says. Their unique vantage point provides valuable insights that management can apply to innovate processes and culture. As for the top-tier decision-makers, Dirk applauds every single one for their commitment during the pandemic. 
Owners continue to grapple with a neverending storm of supply chain issues, labor issues, regulation issues––the list is long. “They have overcome every hardship,” he says, adding, “They have accepted the challenge. They have embraced the challenge. They didn't ask for it. They brought their creativity, their grit, their desire, their team, their culture to bear.”  
At the end of his travels, Dirk landed on one core truth: folks in distribution are noble; they are essentially the backbone of this country. Now he’s excited to share that message with viewers through the We Supply America series. “It's been touching. It's been enlightening. It's been inspiring, and it’s buoyed me. It's lifted me in terms of the goodness in people, and the goodness of humanity and that business, independent entrepreneurial family-owned businesses that happened to be in the business of distribution are at their core human.”
Like what you hear? Check out Dirk’s resources and his appearances on previous episodes:
We Supply America
UnleashWD
Values.com
DT039: Dirk Beveridge on coming out of crisis better than before
DT022: Dirk Beveridge on innovation, leadership, and legacy
CONNECT WITH DIRK:
LinkedIn
CONNECT WITH JASON:
LinkedIn
***
Distribution Talk is produced by The Distribution Team, a consulting services firm dedicated to helping wholesale distribution clients remove barriers to profitability, generate wealth and achieve personal goals.   
This episode was edited & mixed by The Creative Impostor Studios. 
http://www.distributionteam.com
Special thanks to our sponsor for this episode: HMI Performance Incentives, providing innovative, data-driven B2B incentive solution

Looking for concrete steps to ease the effects of languishing and regain mental fortitude? Jason and Paul Reilly, speaker, trainer, author, and host of the The Q and A Sales Podcast break down six exercises anyone can implement to improve mental resilience, regardless of company role, industry, or location. 
Whether you’re in the C-suite or the cold-call trenches, there’s no question that the challenges brought about by this pandemic are extensive––and exhaustive. It seems counterintuitive then that so many sales teams are crushing their goals from a commission standpoint. But take a closer look.
Professional performance doesn’t always reflect what’s happening personally, as Paul found out when he began conducting research for his latest book Selling Through Tough Times. While swings in success are inevitable over the course of a career, he points out that for the large cohort of salespeople who got into sales after the Great Recession, these last 18 months have hit a bit differently. “So many salespeople right now are facing tough times for the very first time and they have not built that foundation of mental resilience.”  
Even those of us who’ve weathered our share of economic storms before 2020 could use an assist right now. Paul developed his plan to appeal to everyone, no matter their experience. “I call it the Daily Mental Flex®. It's a collection of six exercises that will help you build resilience and help you build that mental strength that we need.”
His 30-day Tough-Timer Challenge supports positive mental programming, positive environmental programming, and tough-timer characteristics. So, what’s a tough-timer? “A tough-timer is kind of like an archetype. It's the individual who is able to thrive through challenging times.” 
The nearly 40 years worth of experience Paul’s company has had training salespeople provided more than enough tough-timer data. He distilled that information into a simple yet effective plan featuring daily exercises (like reps at a gym) for each of the following entries: 
Gratitude Continuous Improvement Discipline Pruning and Planting Positive Reframing Reducing Friction While his challenge is primarily inward-focused, Paul adds that one of the most critical components of resilience-building is empathy.
By committing to 30-days of self-awareness, we acknowledge those areas where we need assistance and, in return, are better able to recognize the same in our family members, co-workers, or employees. “Being able to share what you're comfortable sharing is a nice way to let [the team] know, hey, it's okay to not be okay,” he says. In times like these, that acknowledgement goes a long way in strengthening our personal and professional foundations. 
 
Like what you hear? Check out Paul’s extensive resources:
ToughTimer.com
Selling Through Tough Times
30-day Tough-Timer Challenge 
The Q and A Sales Podcast
 
CONNECT WITH PAUL
LinkedIn
CONNECT WITH JASON
LinkedIn
***
Distribution Talk is produced by The Distribution Team, a consulting services firm dedicated to helping wholesale distribution clients remove barriers to profitability, generate wealth and achieve personal goals.   
This episode was edited & mixed by The Creative Impostor Studios. 
http://www.distributionteam.com
Special thanks to our sponsor for this episode: INxSQL Distribution Software, integrated distribution ERP software designed for the wholesale and distribution industry.

How honest have you been with your team about their mental health? How honest have you been with yourself? Jason joins business partner Marshall Jones to address mental well-being in the time of COVID from an organizational and personal standpoint. 
The pair discuss anecdotal evidence, offer insights from their conversations with clients, and provide tools leaders can use to create a more empathetic working environment. No matter what you take away from this episode, know that if you’re struggling, you’re not alone. The sooner we acknowledge our shared vulnerability, the better for all. 
Does it feel like you’re working twice as hard just to tread water these days? When people consider mental health, they most often focus on one end of the spectrum or the other: flourishing or depression. The protracted uncertainty of the pandemic has exposed many of us to a middle state: languishing. Even if your organization is doing well despite the challenges, languishing is an invisible weight that seems to burden everyone. 
Then there’s the adjacent pandemic: loneliness. Once the silent torment of the elderly, Millennials report experiencing the highest degrees of loneliness. While no cohort is spared, GenY is a huge (if not the largest) percentage of the current workforce. “Senior leadership certainly needs to take a very active role in addressing this and not just, saying, ‘Well, I know HR has got it under control’ because it's really everybody's responsibility within the organization,” says Marshall. But how? 
Approaching mental well-being challenges honestly is a good foundation on which to build. The traditional route of head-down/push-through doesn’t support personal or organizational well-being. Neither does writing off employees with supposed ‘slacker’ tendencies; there is too much evidence to the contrary that there's something else going on. 
Beyond sharing our struggles with others, there are physical steps that can help ease folks back into a state of flow. Sleep, hobbies, exercise are often quoted because they work! Likewise, gathering the team for a day of community service or other gratitude-based activity can go a long way in strengthening bonds and helping everyone connect on a deeper and more meaningful level than the current crisis. 
Like what you hear? Check out the resources mentioned in this episode:
DT073 - Jason & Marshall on navigating the supply chain crisis
DT059 - Jason & Marshall on harnessing the power of peer networks
DT036 - Jason & Marshall on adapting to opportunities during the distribution crisis
The Lonely Century - by Loreena Hertz
NYT: There’s a name for the blah you’re feeling: it’s called languishing
CONNECT WITH MARSHALL JONES:
LinkedIn
CONNECT WITH JASON BADER:
LinkedIn
***
Distribution Talk is produced by The Distribution Team, a consulting services firm dedicated to helping wholesale distribution clients remove barriers to profitability, generate wealth and achieve personal goals.   
This episode was edited & mixed by The Creative Impostor Studios. 
http://www.distributionteam.com
Special thanks to our sponsor for this episode: HMI Performance Incentives, providing innovative, data-driven B2B incentive solutions.

To say Jeff New has earned his upcoming retirement after 40 years at the helm of Mid-City Supply out of Elkhart, IN, is an understatement. His legacy includes expanding the company from one location to nine and the staff from 35 employees to 130. Before he hands the keys to his sons, Jason chats with Jeff about the industry relationships that have helped Mid-City weather growing pains, multiple recessions, and that impending transition. 
“My first year of running this company, I took my father's company, which had never had a losing year [ ] and in the first year we lost $180,000,” says Jeff. “I thought I was a complete failure.” In Jeff’s defense, the late 1970s were difficult for everyone. Fast-forward four decades. Mid-City is not only a success; it’s a prime example of a company that stays competitive in the plumbing, HVAC, and industrial products industry through a willingness to learn from even the most unpleasant lessons. 
Trial and error is a less alarming process when you’re in the company of others who can commiserate and offer wise counsel. Jeff credits much of his on-the-job education to his organizational memberships. He’s an active participant in American Supply Association, taking on various leadership roles, including president in 2008 - amid yet another major recession. “Here I am, ASA president, big shot, flying around the country, giving speeches,” he laughs, remembering the extent to which everyone had to cut their budgets just to get by. “One year later, I'm cleaning my own toilets. If that doesn’t make you humble, nothing will.”
Belonging is rewarding, but only when members commit their participation. Jeff credits his connections to WIT (now Commonwealth Group) for putting him in touch with the people, strategies, and, yes, money that kept Mid-City afloat through tough times. “It really saved our company because, without that, we wouldn't have been here.” While many folks may oppose buying group membership, Jeff sees the relationship as an investment that pays big dividends. “This made us take a look at ourselves from a different viewpoint and made us a better company.”
As Jeff prepares to hand the C-suite over to his two sons, he’s looking forward to how their co-presidency will shape Mid-City’s future. “There are advantages and disadvantages of being co-president,” he admits, but his sons have a solid, forty-year foundation upon which to build. 
Like what you hear? Check out the conversations mentioned in this episode:
DT074 - Mike Adelizzi
 
CONNECT WITH JASON BADER:
LinkedIn
CONNECT WITH JEFF NEW:
LinkedIn
***
Distribution Talk is produced by The Distribution Team, a consulting services firm dedicated to helping wholesale distribution clients remove barriers to profitability, generate wealth and achieve personal goals.   
This episode was edited & mixed by The Creative Impostor Studios. 
http://www.distributionteam.com
Special thanks to our sponsor for this episode: INxSQL Distribution Software, integrated distribution ERP software designed for the wholesale and distribution industry.