Jason Bader

Jason Bader is the managing partner of The Distribution Team, a firm that specializes in helping distributors become more profitable through strategic planning and operating efficiencies. The first 20 years of his career were spent working as a distribution executive. Today, he is a regular speaker at industry events and spends much of his time coaching individual distribution companies. For more information, call (503) 282-2333 or contact him by e-mail at Jason@Distributionteam.com. Also visit The Distribution Team’s website at www.thedistributionteam.com.

Inventory Management

Don’t Forget the Voice of the Customer

When plotting our course, are we asking customers what they want us to do going forward?

July 6, 2020

Jason Bader

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In the past few months, we have all had to make adjustments to our lives.

Inventory Management

Customer Service in the Age of Social Distancing

The rules have changed, and we must adapt at an unprecedented rate.

May 4, 2020

Jason Bader

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The wholesale distributor simply cannot function in the same manner it could a few weeks ago. The rules have changed, and we must adapt at an unprecedented rate.

Inventory Management

The Importance of Day One

The success of any new employee is enhanced when we take the time to show what the company is about.

March 31, 2020

Jason Bader

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The success of any new employee is enhanced when we take the time to show what the company is about, how it fits into the supply chain.

Inventory Management

Are You Planning to Fail or Simply Failing to Plan?

Joint marketing activities provide the opportunity to collaborate on a successful outcome and create long-term relationships.

March 2, 2020

Jason Bader

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Recently, I interviewed the CEO of a distribution-based co-operative group. This gentleman is a longtime veteran of the distribution industry and has spent the last 20-plus years working to improve the relationships between his member distributors and their preferred suppliers.

Inventory Management

Are We Excuse Makers or Problem Solvers?

If we want our people to perform at a high level, we must show others how to remove obstacles.

February 3, 2020

Jason Bader

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If we want our people to perform at a high level, we must show others how to remove obstacles. We must give our people the latitude to make operational decisions. We must make the goal, not the path, the most important principle in our success.

Inventory Management

Moving from Commodity to Custom

Is innovation causing you to reexamine the way you look at your distribution business?

January 6, 2020

Jason Bader

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How have changes in your products led to a reinvention of your distribution process?

Inventory Management

Managing the Gen X Employee

How the childhood experiences of this post-baby boomer generation influence its work behaviors.

November 29, 2019

Jason Bader

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So much has been written and said about how to work with the millennial worker that we seem to have glossed over the generation that preceded them — the proud men and women of Generation X.

Inventory Management

Cultivating the First Follower

The best leaders invite their followers to join them in the big picture.

September 4, 2019

Jason Bader

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Spoiler alert: In this column, I will be sharing my perceptions of the content and what I see as the greatest lessons for distribution leaders.

Inventory Management

Motivational Interviewing

People believe their own reasons for doing — or not doing — things more strongly than the motives of others.

August 8, 2019

Jason Bader

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If a person can articulate reasons for doing the desired behavior, you are steering him toward the desired outcome because people believe their own reasons more strongly than the motives of others.