Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution Podcast

The #1 Podcast For Manufacturers & Wholesale Distribution! News on Tech, M&A, Sales, Marketing, AI, the Economy, and much more!

[Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution Podcast @ATHPod]

Underlying issues blamed on the front lines! Well said @Mike_Kunkle

[Mike Kunkle @Mike_Kunkle]

𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝘁 𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮 𝗦𝗮𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺

Revenue misses don't start in Sales. They start in the commercial system, and Sales is just the last stop before the number.

🔹When products miss in the market
🔹When demand gen produces volume without quality
🔹When onboarding is an SME parade instead of skill development
🔹When compensation drives the wrong behaviors...

...that's not a sales execution failure. That's a system problem wearing a sales problem's clothes.

Blaming Sales when the commercial system is misaligned is like blaming the point of the spear for the throw.

My new post introduces the Commercial Effectiveness Framework, an architecture that extends the Building Blocks logic across all five commercial functions: Product Enablement, Marketing Enablement, Sales Enablement, Sales Operations, and Customer Success Enablement.

Five functions. Five sets of building blocks. One shared architecture. And a development process for turning the diagnosis into an actionable plan.

If you've ever watched a well-designed sales initiative fail to move the needle and suspected the root cause was upstream or downstream of Sales, this one was written for you.

🔹𝗥𝗘𝗔𝗗 𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗘 ➡️ https://t.co/9fO6A2rhLO

𝘿𝙄𝙎𝘾𝙇𝘼𝙄𝙈𝙀𝙍: I can almost see the comments coming. For clarity, I'm not letting Sales off the accountability hook or giving them a "get out of jail free" card. The point is, the commercial enterprise is a complete system. You can't fix a drive train problem in your car with new tires. 'Nuff said.

[Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution Podcast @ATHPod]

👏👏👏

[Kevin Brown @LeadSmartCEO]

The jump from chatbots to an army of autonomous agents is across a HUGE chasm that most SMBs will not be ready to cross in the short term or possibly ever.

Software won’t go away, strategic software that manages workflows, builds and embeds the agents, secures the agents, manages the agents and returns ROI with many traditional software outcomes and then becomes a central source of work and truth seems the most viable solution

Never a better time to be a @salesforce #oem partner! Thanks @Benioff and team

[Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution Podcast @ATHPod]

POO 👏👏👏

Products-Processes and Operations

[McKinsey & Company @McKinsey]

The companies truly innovating with AI do something different from their peers.

They’re building AI capabilities that reshape products, processes and operations. The advantage isn’t the tech—it’s how fast they apply it to business problems at scale. https://t.co/auDe8wKNfo

[McKinsey & Company @McKinsey]

The companies truly innovating with AI do something different from their peers.

They’re building AI capabilities that reshape products, processes and operations. The advantage isn’t the tech—it’s how fast they apply it to business problems at scale. https://t.co/auDe8wKNfo

[Chelsea L. Andrews ✨ @Chels_LA]

Guess where I am 👀

Boston for @IBM Think 2026 - and the theme says it all: Win the agentic AI race.

Agentic AI + data + automation + hybrid cloud = how work actually gets done (at scale)

And yes…quantum 😊

Follow @BevEve & I live!

#IBMPartner #Think2026 #AI #AgenticAI

[Kevin Brown @LeadSmartCEO]

@levie This seems like a very manageable and viable solution to tech pricing

Prices will be far less for agent access and I’ll go out on a limb and say that there may be a middle layer of reduced access to traditional SaaS and AI for a user who needs less features and access because of what his agents are doing headless

@tomburtonsb thoughts

[Anhthu Nguyen 🇺🇸 @MissAnhthu]

SBA just put out an RFI for a potential grant program.

They're asking the public to identify supply chain gaps and choke points that, if unlocked, would rapidly expand domestic production and national resilience.

Tell them, and likely the other agencies watching, where.
Also tell your friends. Comments due May 18, 2026.

https://t.co/ReY4wAAqiL

[Jay Timmons @JayTimmonsNAM]

Small businesses are the backbone of this country. H.R. 1 created a permanent, pro-growth tax code that allows small manufacturers to make greater investments in their shop floors and communities.@MariaBartiromo @MorningsMaria

[ITR Economics® @ITROutlook]

Uncertainty is constant. Shifting demand, rising costs, and tighter planning cycles make confident decisions harder. ITR Insider helps leaders anticipate what’s next and then act with clarity. Explore what it can do for your strategy: https://t.co/lMKfr2cqER

[Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution Podcast @ATHPod]

https://t.co/Gu2sfQAIGT

[Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution Podcast @ATHPod]

Are we getting another rate cut this year? #InterestRates https://t.co/ULPRndGXQi via @YouTube

[Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution Podcast @ATHPod]

Great chat on yesterdays show about whats next with tariffs and what happens if you get stranded in Europe in 8 weeks if jet fuel runs out! https://t.co/7JbuEmZY8R

[Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution Podcast @ATHPod]

Great show yesterday with @achausovsky from 3DM Consulting! Lots of economic gems dropped!
#tariffs #supplychain #wholesaledistribution #wholesale #manufacturing

https://t.co/lI43dTy8lF

[Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution Podcast @ATHPod]

Will companies need a plan before getting tariff refunds? #Tariffs https://t.co/6I1cBaDKIJ via @YouTube

[Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution Podcast @ATHPod]

Will companies need a plan before getting tariff refunds? #Tariffs https://t.co/yTduoD86TZ via @YouTube

[Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution Podcast @ATHPod]

Steve Levy from @Infor sharing some nuggets with us!
@LeadSmartTech @LeadSmartCEO
https://t.co/ZRH1Y3LLXK

[Jay Timmons @JayTimmonsNAM]

Our industry is evolving by the minute, and with over 400,000 open jobs on our shop floors, we need more people, not fewer—with more skills, not less—from across our great country and from beyond our borders.

That’s why we are proud to support @RepSmucker’s legislation.

By making sure our nation’s immigration system matches the needs and ambitions of America’s manufacturers, the Essential Workers for American Advancement Act gets it right. This legislation will drive even more skilled workers to our shop floors. It will make manufacturers across our country even more innovative and even more productive.
That’s the kind of immigration reform our nation needs.

https://t.co/Oo9OrjaAlV

[Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution Podcast @ATHPod]

Don’t miss Taylor! Always a great talk

[ITR Economics® @ITROutlook]

This week on TrendsTalk, ITR Economist and Speaker Taylor St. Germain breaks down how AI is reshaping the labor market and why white-collar industries are seeing a different impact than blue-collar sectors. https://t.co/EdzlaseaOL

[ITR Economics® @ITROutlook]

The insurance landscape is shifting, bringing new risks and opportunities. 📊What trends should you be watching now?
https://t.co/Jk2pVJGrRM

[Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution Podcast @ATHPod]

Excited for this weeks show with @achausovsky Alex Chausovsky

Come join us on @LinkedIn, @YouTube or @ApplePodcasts

https://t.co/fIoOwGQc0B