The Data Behind the Deal: B2B Distribution Through an FP&A Lens with Ryan Cosby

Ryan Cosby, FP&A Manager at Salon Service Group, joins Aaron Sheehan for a ground-level look at B2B beauty distribution. Ryan shares how SSG manages cost-to-serve across multiple channels, wrestles with pricing complexity and margin leakage, and navigates the messy realities of month-end close. He also breaks down what vendors need to bring to the table to earn a yes from finance.

Episode Highlights:

00:35 – Introduction: Meet Ryan Cosby & Salon Service Group

01:50 – How SSG's Distribution Model Works: Salons, Licenses & the Back Bar

03:25 – Cost-to-Serve: Is the Digital Channel Cheaper?

06:00 – Giving Reps Visibility Into eCommerce Behavior

07:34 – Commissioning Reps on eComm Sales and Why It Matters

08:50 – Pricing Complexity: Custom Agreements and Margin Leakage

12:40 – Sales Tax Complexity and Why SSG Uses Vertex

15:00 – The Tech Stack: System 2000, Qlik, and Excel

18:58 – Month-End Close: Reconciling Two Different Data Structures

22:07 – AI in FP&A: What SSG Is Piloting With Qlik

26:00 – What a Vendor Business Case Needs to Survive an FP&A Review

30:35 – Advice for Digital Champions Making the Case Up the Chain

34:45 – Payments Across Channels: Cards on File, Chargebacks & Debit Card Risk

39:16 – Ryan’s media recommendations

Resources Mentioned:

• Qlik — BI and analytics tool used by SSG
• Vertex — Sales tax automation platform
• Imbibe Magazine — Ryan's go-to for drinks culture, recommending it as a great example of a media brand quietly and successfully reinventing itself.