Ian Heller

Ian Heller is co-founder and chief strategy officer for Distribution Strategy Group. He started his distribution career as a truck unloader at a Grainger branch and rose to vice president of marketing for the company. Ian later served in similar roles at GE Capital, Newark Electronics, Corporate Express and HD Supply. He writes, speaks and consults on technology-driven changes and disruption in the wholesale distribution industry. He can be reached at iheller@distributionstrategy.com.

Distribution Strategy

Soon, There Will Be No Foreign Languages

Real-time translation brings ‘Star Trek’ communications to your phone.

August 5, 2024

Ian Heller

I suggest you watch some demo videos highlighting the amazing new capabilities of ChatGPT 4o (that’s the letter “o” and not a zero, proving that even the smartest technology in the world can be victimized by dumb branding decisions).

Distribution Strategy

Customer Service and the Art of Handling Dumb Questions

Mocking customers is a dangerous game.

May 6, 2024

Ian Heller

It was 33 years ago on a blistering cold Friday night in Billings, Mont., when the Grainger emergency service operator notified me that I needed to call a customer immediately.

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Distribution Strategy

What Does AI Mean to Distributors?

It’s the most profound — and baffling — technological revolution in history.

October 2, 2023

Ian Heller

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the first technology that learns and improves on its own. Previous technologies relied on humans to get better at their tasks.