One of the things I do is book guests for the Driven by DCKAP podcast and help share the insights from those conversations. With more than 20 years in distribution and the electrical industry, this episode with Paul Kennedy, President and CEO of DSG and board chair of NAED, hit close to home.
But the biggest takeaway from this conversation applies well beyond distribution.
Paul said it simply: distribution is a contact sport. You have to lean in. The companies getting the most value from their networks, their associations, and their relationships are the ones putting in the effort. The ones that aren’t, well, they’re missing out.
That got me thinking about a scene from the movie, Dude Where’s My Car. The main character is ordering at a Chinese drive-through, and every time he finishes his order, the woman at the window says, “And then?” He keeps adding to his order. She keeps saying, “And then?” until he finally snaps.
It’s a funny bit. But when it comes to delivering value, “And then?” is actually the right question to keep asking.
Did you attend the conference?
And then? Did you follow up with the people you met?
And then? Did you share what you learned with your team?
And then?
Value multiplies when you keep going one step further than you thought you needed to.
That applies whether you’re running a distribution company, building client relationships, or just trying to get more out of what you’re already investing your time in.
▶️ Full podcast episode: Paul Kennedy on the Driven Podcast
✏️ Check out my LinkedIn Post on the episode takeaways.
