In today’s episode, Bud, Mike, and Ross dive into one of the toughest balancing acts for beverage distributors today: managing your supplier and brand portfolio. Are you growing smarter — or just growing busier?

They break down the real challenges of supplier proliferation, SKU overload, and the "doom loop" of slowing sales without strategic pruning.

Learn how to expand into new categories without losing profitability — and how to recognize when it's time to cut dead weight.

🔥 Topics Covered:

🚛 Why adding more suppliers isn’t always the answer

🧹 The hidden costs of SKU creep (and what it’s really doing to your margins)

🥤 Smart ways to add new categories like RTDs, NA, and even non-beverage items

✂️ When to prune your portfolio (and how to do it without creating chaos)

🏆 How frontline sales behavior actually picks winners and losers

🧾 The dangers of delivery model pricing (and why distributors must stay vigilant)

📚 Lessons from real-world SKU audits, supplier negotiations, and brand pivots

💡 Key Takeaways:

🔄 Evolve your portfolio every year — or risk falling behind💰 Focus on profit per case, not just case counts👂 Stay ahead of trends by listening to your reps and retailers🗣️ Be honest with suppliers before things spiral🛡️ Know your strengths — and know when to say no

🎉 Plus:

🚗 Mike’s wild road trip through Utah (and a deep dive into some crazy liquor laws)🧴 Why lotion might be the next big product launch for distributors (…you had to be there 😂)

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

00:44 Mike's Trip and Utah's Unique Alcohol Laws

05:28 Listener Question: Growing vs. Reducing Suppliers

17:28 Navigating Market Trends and Product Choices

20:45 Supplier-Distributor Relationships and Market Intelligence

23:00 Portfolio Management and SKU Rationalization

27:19 Dynamic Strategies for Brand Building

32:21 Exploring Non-Beverage Opportunities

34:31 Profitability and Operational Efficiency

39:04 The Future of Supplier Relationships and Market Strategies

🎧 Listen now — and if you enjoy the episode, share it with a friend, subscribe, and leave us a quick review. It helps more beer distributors tap into smarter growth strategies!

📩 Got a listener question? Email us at info@vxptech.com

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Apple Podcasts: Listen on Apple Podcast Tapped In Sales

===============

Connect with Us:

Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest episodes, industry news, and insights from the beer distribution world.

About Tapped In Sales:

Tapped In Sales is a podcast dedicated to beer distributors and beverage industry professionals who are looking to elevate their sales strategies and drive profitability. Hosted by industry experts Bud Dunn and Mike Hall, we dive deep into real-world stories, actionable insights, and the latest trends to help sales teams and managers unlock their full potential. Each episode blends data, strategy, and motivation, making complex topics easy to understand and implement.

This podcast is powered by VXP Tech – the leading Sales Strategy Management system designed for beer distributors. VXP simplifies the complexities of goal setting, variable compensation, and sales team performance, helping you master your market and grow profits, case by case.

Stay tuned for expert advice, fresh perspectives, and tools to sharpen your sales approach!

If you enjoyed the episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend!

What happens when your steady salary isn’t so steady anymore? In this episode, Bud, Mike, and Ross unpack the emotional rollercoaster of shifting from base-heavy compensation to a more variable, performance-based pay structure.

Mike shares the raw story of losing part of his base salary after 18 years—and how it ended up transforming his leadership style, earnings, and motivation. Ross breaks down why team leads are slow to embrace change, what’s happening with middle management apathy, and how macroeconomic forces are reshaping expectations in the workplace.

Oh, and there's also a lotion crisis, itchy legs, and a misidentified beer rep named Bill.

If you’ve ever wondered why variable pay feels so risky—or how to get your team aligned on upside—this one’s for you.

💡 What You’ll Learn:🔓 Why most people fear variable pay—and how to flip that mindset

💸 What happens when you take base pay off the table (real-world story!)

📉 How inflation and margin compression are quietly breaking old comp models

🏆 Why giving team leads “skin in the game” changes everything

📊 How mix shift—not more volume—can unlock profit growth

📉 Why your reps don’t want that promotion (and how to fix it)

🧠 The psychology of loss aversion and why it holds leaders back

🔥 How variable pay can be a tool for motivation and transformation

Chapters:

00:00 Introduction

03:53 Mike's Travel Adventures and Bed Bug Fears

15:14 Transitioning to Variable Pay: Mike's Experience

23:35 Economic Trends Impacting Sales Motivation

27:51 Challenges in Profitability and Cost Management

29:35 Aligning Team Goals with Company Success

31:27 Strategies for Margin and Mix Shifts

33:56 Creating a Positive Work Culture

42:06 Sustainability and Future Growth in the Industry

===============

YouTube: Watch on YouTube: Tapped In Sales Spotify Podcast: Listen & Watch on Spotify Podcasts Tapped In Sales

Apple Podcasts: Listen on Apple Podcast Tapped In Sales

===============

Connect with Us:

Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest episodes, industry news, and insights from the beer distribution world.

About Tapped In Sales:

Tapped In Sales is a podcast dedicated to beer distributors and beverage industry professionals who are looking to elevate their sales strategies and drive profitability. Hosted by industry experts Bud Dunn and Mike Hall, we dive deep into real-world stories, actionable insights, and the latest trends to help sales teams and managers unlock their full potential. Each episode blends data, strategy, and motivation, making complex topics easy to understand and implement.

This podcast is powered by VXP Tech – the leading Sales Strategy Management system designed for beer distributors. VXP simplifies the complexities of goal setting, variable compensation, and sales team performance, helping you master your market and grow profits, case by case.

Stay tuned for expert advice, fresh perspectives, and tools to sharpen your sales approach!

If you enjoyed the episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend!

The Kool-Aid is flowing. The drying rack Peloton is back. And Ross Ackermann — the original architect of VXP — returns to the pod for our 1-year anniversary episode.

This week, Bud, Mikey, and Ross dig into the battle between top-down sales control and rep-driven autonomy — and why old-school incentives might be killing your results.

Whether you’re a beer wholesaler, supplier, or industry leader, this episode gets into the real talk around:

🍻 Why incentives often drive the wrong behavior

📉 What to do when reps stop selling until they’re paid to

📦 The ROI test suppliers should pass before asking for placements

🔄 How smart reps (and retailers) respond to poor program design

📊 And why we believe the frontline deserves better data, not more direction

We’ve all worked in this system. Now we’re fixing it.

🧠 Key Takeaways:

🧩 Reps are smart — they’re optimizing against the maze you built

🏢 The average distributor went from 5 suppliers to 50+ — top-down no longer works

💸 Bad incentives teach bad habits (just ask JCPenney)

📈 Every program should start with one question: what’s the ROI for everyone involved?

Chapters

00:00 Introduction

01:54 Celebrating One Year of the Podcast

04:32 Ross Ackermann's Background and VXP Introduction

06:47 Drinking the Kool-Aid

10:30 Economic Perspectives and Industry Trends

21:40 The Importance of Flexibility in Business

27:33 Navigating Incentives and Market Dynamics

32:28 ROI Conversations and Effective Strategies

38:09 Empowering Sales Reps for Better Decisions

===============

YouTube: Watch on YouTube: Tapped In Sales Spotify Podcast: Listen & Watch on Spotify Podcasts Tapped In Sales

Apple Podcasts: Listen on Apple Podcast Tapped In Sales

===============

Connect with Us:

Follow us on LinkedIn for the latest episodes, industry news, and insights from the beer distribution world.

About Tapped In Sales:

Tapped In Sales is a podcast dedicated to beer distributors and beverage industry professionals who are looking to elevate their sales strategies and drive profitability. Hosted by industry experts Bud Dunn and Mike Hall, we dive deep into real-world stories, actionable insights, and the latest trends to help sales teams and managers unlock their full potential. Each episode blends data, strategy, and motivation, making complex topics easy to understand and implement.

This podcast is powered by VXP Tech – the leading Sales Strategy Management system designed for beer distributors. VXP simplifies the complexities of goal setting, variable compensation, and sales team performance, helping you master your market and grow profits, case by case.

Stay tuned for expert advice, fresh perspectives, and tools to sharpen your sales approach!

If you enjoyed the episode, don’t forget to subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a friend!