Distributors need value selling support from manufacturers NOW

Distributors today are caught in a squeeze—facing higher supplier costs and increasingly price-sensitive customers. But the answer isn’t just more discounting. It’s smarter selling. In this episode, we explore how value selling—when done right—can help distributors navigate economic volatility and strengthen customer loyalty.

But here’s the kicker: Distributors can’t go it alone. They need structured, sustained support from manufacturers. Together, they can shift the sales conversation from “What’s your price?” to “What’s the impact?”

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

📦 Why Price-Only Selling is a Dead End

• Eroding margins and brand value
• Training customers to always demand discounts
• Undermining long-term sustainability

🤝 How Manufacturers Can Support Value Selling

• Clear value propositions tailored to customer segments
• Market intelligence: Voice-of-customer data, willingness-to-pay studies
• Sales enablement: Battle cards, ROI calculators, and objection handling guides
• Training and field coaching for distributor reps
• Aligned incentives based on outcomes, not just volume
• Proof tools: Dashboards and data to show value delivered post-sale

🚀 What Distributors Should Be Doing Now

• Audit which suppliers provide true value-selling support
• Proactively request toolkits and tariff-response playbooks
• Make value collaboration part of quarterly reviews and supplier scorecards
• Share back frontline insights to deepen the partnership

Key Takeaways:

• Reactive discounting is a race to the bottom.
• Distributors need more than talking points—they need proof, training, and tools.
• Manufacturers that invest in their channel partners will build long-term resilience and loyalty.
• Value selling only works when it’s a shared, strategic effort.

Subscribe to our podcast for smart takes on B2B resilience, pricing, and channel partnerships.  Explore more at The Future of Commerce for insights on how commerce is evolving.  Share this episode with sales leaders, partner managers, and manufacturers ready to level up their go-to-market strategy.