How To Future-Proof Wholesale Distribution: Fed Policy, Tariffs, and AI Transformation

Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution Podcast

What happens when AI-driven workflows, tariff pressures, and shifting B2B buyer expectations collide?

In this episode of Around the Horn in Wholesale Distribution, Kevin Brown and Tom Burton explore the trends redefining distribution: from AI co-pilots for sales and customer intelligence platforms to Fed rate cuts, tariff extensions, and the rise of Millennial and Gen Z buyers. You’ll learn why reframing CRM as a Customer Enablement Tool is critical, and how distributors can prepare for agentic AI, semantic clarity in marketing, and seismic shifts in buying behavior
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What You’ll Learn:

• Why LeadSmart Channel Cloud™ represents the next evolution of CRM for distributors
• How to prepare for agentic AI workflows by aligning data and processes
• The economic outlook from Jackson Hole: what interest rate cuts could mean for growth
• Why tariff extensions create a window to future-proof supply chains
• The new rules of B2B buying, 8.2 stakeholders, rep-free preferences, and the dominance of social proof

Episode Highlights:

04:10 – How LeadSmart Channel Cloud™ reframes CRM as a Customer Enablement Tool
13:45 – Breaking down Powell’s Jackson Hole speech and the debate over a 3% inflation target
24:05 – Tariffs hit the highest level since 1934—and what it means for supply chain resilience
33:28 – Why B2B lags behind B2C in adopting agentic AI workflows
44:12 – Build vs. buy: navigating low-code tools versus industry-specific platforms
55:40 – AI in the workplace: why 40% of employees admit to using banned tools
01:04:55 – How Millennials and Gen Z are reshaping B2B buying groups
01:20:25 – Closing reflections on resilience, innovation, and AI policy in distribution

Tools, Frameworks, or Strategies Mentioned

• LeadSmart Channel Cloud™ – AI-enabled CRM + customer intelligence platform
• AI Co-Pilot for Sales – positioning AI as a digital sales assistant
• Hidden Revenue Detection – surfacing opportunities in ERP and eCommerce data
• Future-Proofing Distribution – strategies for mitigating supply chain risk
• Agentic AI Workflows – autonomous decision-making models for B2B processes

Closing Insight

“You can’t automate what you haven’t defined—data and workflows are the foundation of AI readiness.” – Tom Burton

Here's a link to the report we discussed - you can watch it on YouTube: youtube.com/watch?v=t2ppETF4oUA&feature=youtu.be

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