No one teaches you how to run a distribution business. There’s no playbook for navigating shifting markets, growing sales, or making the right bets on technology. The best distributors figure it out by talking to the right people and learning from experience. That’s what In the Mind of a Distributor is all about. Each month, Benj Cohen—founder of Proton, the CRM built for distributors—sits down with industry leaders, from owners to operators to sales pros, to break down what’s working, what’ ...
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Benj Cohen Podcasts
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Navigating private equity partnerships | Larry Stoddard
34:07
34:07
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34:07
In this episode, Benj talks with Larry Stoddard, a distribution industry veteran who's led companies through massive growth phases at Ferguson, Bradco, and RelaDyne. Larry pulls back the curtain on what private equity partnerships actually look like in distribution: from why PE firms are drawn to distributors, to the real operational challenges of …
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Building a value‑added services strategy that works | Matt Cohen
23:49
23:49
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23:49
In this episode, Benj talks with Matt Cohen, President of Replenex, about joining his family business and leading a shift towards a model built around offerings that truly matter to customers and the business. In the first half, Matt shares what it took to align the team around value-added services. The second half gets tactical, covering: what mos…
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Building a growth engine through M&A | Jeff McLendon
29:29
29:29
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29:29
In this episode, Benj talks with Jeff McLendon, CEO and President of Specialty Building Products, about how he scaled the company from $500 million to $4 billion by pairing intentional acquisitions with disciplined organic growth. He unpacks how the two strategies fuel each other and why the operations and people side of acquisitions are just as cr…
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1
Selling to enterprise customers | Joyce Lansdale
33:31
33:31
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33:31
In this episode, Joyce Lansdale—Vallen's VP of Enterprise Business Development and Chairman of the Industrial Supply Association Board—shares her deep insights on selling to enterprise customers. With over 30 years in distribution, she explains exactly what these big clients are looking for, which internal and customer teams have to collaborate in …
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Building a billion dollar distribution business | Chuck Cohen
28:50
28:50
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28:50
In this episode, Benj talks with Chuck Cohen, Managing Director of Benco Dental, about what it really takes to build and sustain a growing distribution business over the long haul. Chuck shares the story of growing Benco from $85 million to over $1 billion in revenue. Along the way, he reflects on the decisions that made that growth possible: from …
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