Consultants seem to pepper their messages with scary stories that start with the sky is falling and end with some expensive plan for erecting an atomic umbrella. The whole changing-world-of-distribution thing is a bit overplayed; everybody is feeling the impact. Distributors respond to 1,000 changes every week. Instead of calling this a change, let’s call it a metamorphosis.
Like the metamorphosis of the monarch butterfly or spotted tree frog, metamorphosis is best viewed with time-delay photography. Applying some of the same principles of a science channel special, let’s revisit our inside sales groups over the last several decades. I will provide a personal snapshot of the group starting with my first experiences and move forward in time. As you follow along on the journey, I believe the shifts will become clear.