IDEA’s eBiz Isn’t Just for Tech Heads

Mary Derrick (Schneider Electric), Danna Stone (Graybar), Brian DiBella (Legrand), Larry Stern (Standard Electric Supply), Tessa Myers (Rockwell), George Vorwick (United Electric Supply), Martina Schubert (Van Meter) … are all key business people in the industry. We’ll respected by senior management of distributors and manufacturers. They are not the people “in the bowels” of a company dealing with product data … and presumably will be at the conference or have key management representing their company attend.

These industry leaders, and others, know that digital initiatives have the ability to differentiate.

While it starts with data, the data needs to be operationalized. It needs to be used in an ERP system, it needs to be transmitted between distributors, reps, and manufacturers for orders to be placed and shipped. Further, it needs to be used to drive sales … both as sales insights and eCommerce. And if you are even thinking about AI … it needs data.

IDEA’s eBiz, October 8-10 in Nashville … only 30 days away, is important for

• Manufacturer sales management … if you don’t understand data and the utilization of it, or your regional managers are intimidated to talk about data or EDI, your sales team needs to be represented.
• Distributor sales management that needs to gain insights from the information in your ERP system, you need to attend to understand Data Whispers but, more importantly, how “tidbit sales management,” which Mark McGready will explain, can support every management style, and drive incremental sales, improve gross margins, and net profitability.
• Operations, eCommerce, Product Management and IT personnel from manufacturers and distributors should be attending … and the “why” is self-evident. Effectively developing, communicating, and using data should help make your business more frictionless. If it is not, there is lost opportunities.
  • And while we’ve heard that some larger companies have travel restrictions, if you cannot afford at least one person to attend for a couple of days and find a way to make benefit from the insights … (IMHO).

And in a year when so many manufacturers and distributors are considering, piloting, and/or implementing an AI initiative to improve efficiency and/or profitability, every AI company will tell you that a key element is “quality” data. Whether this is attributed data to power initiatives that require product descriptions or sales data to power insights, data is what will power better operations and empower sales and marketing to generate opportunities.

If you haven’t seen the agenda, check it out. Personally, I’m most interested in:

• Zack Kass’ keynote on AI. With many electrical distributors and manufacturers talking AI, some implementing AI, many digital companies offering AI-powered tools for distributors (we have a list of at least 40!), every distributor that will succeed long-term in the industry will use some AI tool to improve productivity or gain insights – guaranteed! And every distributor needs an AI vision for their company. This can help inform it. And Zack knows AI … he was at OpenAI.
  • Whoever from your company that is responsible for your AI strategy should be attending.
• Mark McGready’s sessions on IDEA’s new initiative, Data Whispers where he will share secrets on how to think about customer account strategies differently as well as
• Pratik Chakraborty’s (Bluemeteor) session on enhancing product content (what it is, I don’t know, which is why I’m interested!)

And there are a number of companies that will also be there that can help distributors, and maybe manufacturers, improve their data, their profitability and/or their content. They include Bluemeteor, Canals AI, Siemens, TradeHounds, Loren Data, PROS, 1EDISource, #ecgrid, ContentStatus, TradeTech Solutions, and Intellitide

So, why am I more passionate about this year’s eBiz than ever before? A few reasons

• We’ve been working more with companies that have developed AI initiatives, so data is more important than ever.
• Channel Marketing Group is a sponsor of eBiz.

Yes, that is new. Perhaps unbeknownst to most, I was involved with IDEA back in the late ‘90’s when it was first being formed and when I was at IMARK … when the Connector was known as the IDW (Industry Data Warehouse.)

So, why attend? Because digital matters more than ever to your operations, to supply chain management initiatives, to driving sales and to interaction with your customers.

I encourage you to register for IDEA’s eBiz today.