Distributors. Manufacturers. Software firms. Associations.
Solve the problem,
earn the order.
Consulting, customer research and fractional management for distributors and manufacturers.
40+
Years in distribution and manufacturing
15+
Years of face‑to‑face research
6
Books on B2B marketing mix and channels
2
Generations, one firm
Clients (examples)
Avnet · GE Supply · Sonepar (Irby Co., Summit Electric) · Illinois Tool Works · Epicor · Infor · Madison Industries · eBay · NAW · International Monetary Fund
Step 1 · The problems
We know where it hurts.
Six areas we work on for distributors and manufacturers.
1 The problems · 2 How we find answers · 3 Three ways in · 4 Plain terms
Pricing
Rebates, SPAs and Capturing Value with Pricing.
AI
AI optimization or replace existing functions.
Channels
Channels: Leverage, Management, and Compensation.
Sales
Sales efficiency and outside sales models.
UX & UI
UX Research and UI Design Advisory.
Product
Product Development and Management.
Step 2 · How we find answers
“Walk me through the last time you ordered.”
Most consultants guess. We ask your customers, then watch them buy.
Step 3 · How to work with us
Three ways in.
Start small. Go further only if it pays.
Assessment
2 weeks
Where you're losing orders and margin, and what to fix first.
Audit & Plan
4 to 12 weeks
Projects in functional areas of pricing, channels, sales structure, product management, product development, UX, and UI Advisory.
Fractional advisory
4 to 12 months
We run the plan with your team, part time, until it sticks.
Step 4 · Plain terms
Clear fees. Real follow‑through.
You'll know the cost before we start, and we see the work through.
Our side
Quotes are good for 60 days.
Fees include travel.
Remote work runs on Teams or Zoom.
Billed every two weeks, net 15.
Your side
A signed letter of agreement.
A small team with time to give.
Your data, shared early.
One senior person who can make decisions.
Next step
Start with a call.
Thirty minutes. No slides. If we're the wrong fit, we'll say so.
Or call Scott: (630) 640‑5605
About
A family firm, like many of yours.
Benfield & Associates is a father with four decades in distribution and a son who researches how customers actually buy.
Scott Benfield
Commercial strategy
Scott leads the commercial work: pricing, channels and sales. He has advised distributors and manufacturers since 2000, after twenty years managing sales and marketing for Fortune‑rated manufacturers and national distributors. Clients have included Avnet, GE Supply, Epicor and Illinois Tool Works. The author of six books on distribution, he has been quoted in Forbes and the Financial Times. BA and MBA, Wake Forest University.
Edward Benfield
Field research
Edward leads the field research, which he has done face to face for more than fifteen years. He spent five years as a customer researcher at Lowe's, studying in‑home sales, installers and the tools customers use to order. He has run research for eBay and the International Monetary Fund, and spent three years on staff at National Geographic. Degrees from George Washington University and University College London.
Written by Scott Benfield · Edited by Edward Benfield
Journal
Field notes on how distributors sell, price and take orders, and how their customers actually buy.
Up next · Coming soon
A new article from Scott Benfield
Pricing · September 2020
Argues that a new discipline, revenue management, could help reverse a decade of decline in branch-based wholesale distribution.
Digital strategy · June 2020
Why many B2B digital strategies lose money from the start: no clear market need, and weak follow-through.
Channel · March 2020
How transaction economics and e-business are reshaping the roughly $7 trillion North American wholesale channel.
Channel · December 2019
Distributors stuck fighting over small slices of market share can find a way out by redesigning their channels around e-business.
Outlook · October 2019
Why distributors will need to move from a sales- and branch-heavy model toward online commerce over the coming decade.
Manufacturers · September 2019
Manufacturers who sell through distributors and dealers risk losing sales to low-cost online competitors unless they learn the new channels.
Column · Since 2008
Scott's column at Supply House Times, running since 2008.
Contact
Start a conversation.
Tell us how your customers order today and what's going wrong. If we're the wrong fit, we'll say so.
Or reach Scott directly:
[email protected]
(630) 640‑5605
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NOT YET PUBLISHED
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In the meantime, the other articles are here.
Questions about this? Start a conversation.
NOT YET PUBLISHED
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This article hasn't been published yet.
In the meantime, the other articles are here.
Questions about this? Start a conversation.