In this episode, Benj talks with Ali Hasham, CEO and Founder of Revenue Optics, about what it takes to build high-performing inside sales teams in distribution. With nearly 25 years in the industry, Ali shares how he built inside sales organizations from scratch three separate times, scaling teams from a single person to as many as 90 reps.

Ali breaks down the playbook he's refined across electrical, automotive, and industrial distribution: from identifying the right talent and proving the model's value, to navigating the tricky handoffs between inside and outside sales teams. The conversation also explores how AI is transforming inside sales and why distributors who aren't leveraging these tools are "donating EBITDA to competitors."

Whether you're building a new inside sales team or looking to improve an existing one, Ali shares helpful tips for making a profitable inside sales engine that captures the revenue hiding in plain sight.

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In this episode of In the Mind of a Distributor, Benj sits down with Gary Corless, former CEO of PSS World Medical (now McKesson Medical-Surgical), to unpack how the company scaled from a $15M startup pulling orders in shopping carts to a $2B industry leader.

The key to that growth was a rich company-wide culture where everyone (not just sales) owned the number.

Gary walks through how PSS built a true growth culture that aligned teams from the warehouse to the C-suite, turning everyday roles into expansion engines. He also breaks down:

• Why hungry college grads often outperform seasoned industry vets
• How to push reps hard without burning them out
• Why most reps hate CRMs and how to build systems they want to use

This conversation is packed with practical insights for distribution leaders looking to scale sustainably. If you’re trying to reignite growth, build real accountability, or figure out what’s getting in your team’s way — this episode is for you.

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In this episode, Benj sits down with Brian Walker, Chief Product Officer at Grainger, to unpack how one of the largest distributors in the world approaches merchandising at scale.

With over 2 million SKUs in their core business and an endless assortment model through Zoro, Grainger’s merchandising strategy is anything but simple. Brian explains how they decide which products to carry, how they use customer context to guide those decisions, and what it takes to make the right products easy to find— both for customers and for sales reps. They also talk through the role of brand and how Grainger uses AI to stay ahead.

If you’re thinking about how to sharpen your merchandising strategy, make your product catalog easier to navigate, or turn product data into a real competitive advantage, this episode is for you.

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