Talent Matters
Training drives distributor growth.
by Bharani Nagarathnam
I have argued in previous columns that people are your competitive advantage and people execute your strategies. Brilliant strategies go to the frontline to die — not because they are not good strategies, but frontline employees are not trained to implement them effectively.
Employees don’t rise to the level of our expectations; employees fall to the level of our training. This is a quote from Greek poet Archilochus — I replaced “we” in his quote with “employees.” For most distributors, training and development are anywhere from an expense to an afterthought.
TRAINING IS A STRATEGIC ADVANTAGE
While relationships are an important part of distribution business, customers expect a lot more value from distributors than ever before: everything from technical expertise, value-added services, and project management to helping customers be more productive and profitable. The level of competition, complexity, and speed of service customers expect needs employees who are knowledgeable in products, applications, software tools, as well as sales, financial, problem-solving, and soft skills.
Fact: The closer the employee is to the frontline, the greater the need for training. Customers do business with people they trust. Employees who are responsive, solve problems, and communicate with customers effectively build trust and reduce the friction of doing business.
SWIM OR SINK IS NOT TRAINING
Distributors face many real and perceived challenges to providing training and development for employees. These include leadership buy-in, budget constraints, and geographically dispersed teams. Additionally, taking people off their jobs (especially sales) for training, labor shortages during peak seasons, and employee aversion/ resistance to training add to the reasons for skipping formal training. Some distributors use the swim-or-sink approach with having new employees shadow someone for a week, then start doing the job on their own. Lack of formal, structured training prevents the new employees from being fully prepared for their role and reaching their full potential. Gen-Z employees also feel frustrated if there are no training opportunities as they place a high value on learning and developing.
Training is critical for new hires and for entry-level positions. Beyond compliance and safety training, which are mostly required by law and regulations, training can be grouped into the following categories: (1) Entry level. Training for warehouse associates, entry-level sales professionals (counter sales, customer service reps, buyer etc.). This should be on products, processes, systems, and customers. Depending on the role, this can be from a few weeks to a few months. (2) Functional. These are for experienced or promoted functional specialists in sales, operations, purchasing and accounting. A good place to start is the supplier-provided product and application training, or your software provided training (ERP/CRM/AI). Beyond that, training in solution-based sales, overcoming objections, pricing, and value presentation, etc., are good topics. (3) First-time managers. The most important decision a company can make is to decide who they promote as managers — and setting them up for success is crucial. This training can start even before the promotion. High potentials should be provided people management skills before they become a manager. (4) Soft skills. The modern workplace has become soft skills intensive. Soft skills are just as valuable as technical skills. Soft skills are power skills. These include communication, problem-solving, initiative, time management, and empathy. Training on these areas yields long-term results.
TRAINING METHODS
Retention from lectures or demonstrations is about 10% to 30%. Participatory methods such as on-the-job training and teaching are 75% to 90%. Learning-by-doing is one of the oldest and best learning methods. Learning methods include in a classroom, online, self-paced, rotation, job shadowing. The following are some methods to consider: (1) Leverage free or low-cost training. Options such as trade association webinars and online courses. (2) Adopt peer-to-peer or on-the-job training. This includes shadowing, mentoring, or an expert teaching new employees. (3) Experiential learning. Think role-playing and application learn-by-doing exercises. (4) Integrate training into daily workflows. Ten- to 15-minute quick learning sessions for learning new skills. (5) Use technology efficiently. Use e-learning platforms and virtual meetings for low-cost engagement. Use open resources such as LinkedIn learning, Coursera, and YouTube.
One-and-done training isn’t enough in today’s distribution landscape. Training is an ongoing process of developing employees to do their jobs effectively and drive the business. Connecting training to the job and business goals are important to make training stick. Create a culture of training in your company. It is not an expense; it is an investment.
Dr. Bharani Nagarathnam is an associate professor and director of the Master of Industrial Distribution at the Industrial Distribution Program at Texas A&M University. He is the co-founder of the school's Talent Development Council and works with distributors on talent acquisition, management, development, and retention practices. Connect with him at: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bharanin/
This article originally appeared in the July/August 2026 issue of Industrial Supply magazine. Copyright 2026, Direct Business Media.
INDUSTRIAL SUPPLY MAGAZINE
The July/August issue of Industrial Supply magazine features an in-depth cover story about Global Industrial. Plus, we're featuring articles by contributing writers Dr. Bharani Nagarathnam and Frank Hurtte, as well as interviews with numerous product and distribution industry experts.
