Leader Spotlight: Boosting reach and efficiency with digital commerce, with Jeff Mikos
Jeff Mikos is Head of Digital Commerce Strategy at McFadyen Digital, where he focuses on helping organizations unlock growth by aligning business strategy, technology, and people. With over 15 years of experience in ecommerce and retail, he has guided Fortune 500 companies and startups alike through digital transformation, marketplace development, and organizational change. His career spans leadership roles at Walgreens, Topco Associates, Peapod, and Bed Bath & Beyond.
In our conversation, Jeff shares his perspective on digital commerce as an ally to traditional sales channels, and how it can create new opportunities for growth without displacing what currently exists. He shares how enabling self-service can create resources for higher opportunity areas and discusses the importance of gaining alignment and focus from the top down.
Digital commerce as an extension of traditional sales
Could you walk us through your approach to introducing a new digital commerce platform in a way that strengthens rather than alienates existing channels, like distributors or sales reps?
At McFadyen Digital, we believe digital commerce should extend and strengthen traditional sales channels, not replace them. Success in B2B depends on respecting the relationship equity that sales reps and distributors have built over years.
The role of digital is to amplify that reach and improve efficiency. To achieve this, it is critical to align incentives, communicate objectives transparently, and share internal wins along the way. Done well, digital commerce becomes an ally to existing channels by creating new growth opportunities without eroding any of the trust that has been built between sales reps and their customers.
Sales reps and distributors spend a tremendous amount of time building that relational equity. It's only natural that a new process or channel could create fear and uncertainty. How do you manage that?
You have to be very proactive in the way you communicate with your stakeholders. Reassure them, highlight the benefits, and share success stories from your own organization or from across the industry. It is also important to stress empowerment. These tools allow sales reps, distributors, and traditional channels to focus more on higher-value selling. Address concerns directly, then open the conversation for feedback.
Just as importantly, make sure customers hear from the company as well. Don’t rely entirely on your sales force to deliver the message. The company should emphasize the convenience and consistency of the service customers have always received. Reassure them that their sales rep is not going away and will continue to be there as a trusted partner.
Alignment and timely communication
Communication plays such an important role in the success or failure of these initiatives. What are some key points to keep in mind to design successful messaging?
The cadence and timing of communication matter more than the message itself. Bring stakeholders into the process early when you are designing the solution. In many cases, the same groups that may resist change are also the ones driving the need for it. Engaging them early and often, including in business requirement sessions, is critical.
For distributors, who may not have a direct voice at the internal table, share your plans openly with them as well. Many hold significant influence over your business. Their feedback is essential, and the same focus on communicating benefits applies to them too.
What are some early signals that you look for to know whether the sales team is aligned with the initiative or if they're just tolerating it?
The signals vary by client and industry. Alignment often shows up in proactive behavior, while tolerance or resistance tends to be more subtle. For example, when reps, distributors, or other stakeholders are promoting the site, logging in regularly, and engaging with the experience, those are clear signs of alignment. They are not just using the platform, they are encouraging customers to use it too.
On the other hand, tolerance or resistance often shows up in the opposite behaviors. Reps may steer customers away from the site or voice concerns about how digital impacts their commissions or pay.
In cases where you see that the number of sales reps who are simply tolerating the digital program is outpacing the number who are adopting it, what would your intervention be?
The solution really starts with program design. Incentives must be structured so that everyone benefits financially and strategically from the digital channel. One of the biggest mistakes a manufacturer or distributor can make is changing how digital sales are attributed to a rep’s quota or commission. That sends the message that digital sales are less valuable, and naturally, reps will resist a channel where they earn less.
To build buy-in, companies need to invest in financial motivation. Create spiffs, contests, or other rewards to encourage sign-ups and drive a higher percentage of sales through the platform. The goal is to get customers comfortable using it, and the most effective way to achieve that is through reps who actively promote it. Shared team metrics can also help. When everyone benefits from collective success, it reinforces the mindset that all “boats rise together.”
The switch to self-service
In B2B sales, relationships often drive the purchase. You mentioned relational equity before and how important that is. How do you preserve that as more of the interaction shifts online?
This goes to the heart of digital and self-service. Customers and distributors have access to far more account-specific information today than they ever did before. While much of the conversation centers on transactions, the shift also impacts how the business is managed. Sales reps now have a wealth of insights at their fingertips. This enables them to shift from being strictly order takers to being true consultative partners.
This shift is especially powerful when organizations create a seamless digital experience with self-service portals. We advise clients to include sales rep presence throughout the digital journey. Even when a customer logs in and completes a purchase independently, there should be consistent reminders that their rep is still part of the experience. That presence reinforces trust and keeps the relationship central to the buying journey.
How do you help sales reps shift their role to become more like a trusted advisor as a business shifts to digital channels?
Training is critical. If the sales force is not confident using the tool, they will not reinforce it or recommend it to customers. We encourage clients to train their teams to the level of super users. Even if not everyone reaches that point, the goal is to build enough familiarity for reps to confidently guide customers on how to get the most from the platform.
It is equally important to share success stories across the organization. Highlighting positive examples reinforces that digital is an additional tool in the sales rep’s toolbox. Sales reps have always been strategic advisors and trusted partners. This channel simply gives them another way to serve customers effectively.
Maintaining focus from the top down
A big part of change management is alignment. What approach do you take to get the multiple stakeholders you work with — sales, IT, distributors, and other company leaders — on the same page?
Gaining alignment is difficult, but it is also essential. Our most successful implementations happen when there is strong buy-in across the executive team. Without it, the project faces an uphill battle. One way we address this is by establishing a steering committee that includes representatives from every major stakeholder group. These meetings are not optional, and we make sure participation is consistent. We also tailor communication and success measures to reflect each group’s priorities, so everyone understands how the initiative supports their objectives.
Executive sponsorship is especially important. Visible leadership and active engagement from the C-suite compel the rest of the organization to participate. Without that top-level commitment, it is much harder to drive lasting alignment and support.
Even digital initiatives that have very successful rollouts, risk losing steam after a bit. How do you maintain that interest and momentum to keep things going at that pace?
It is not a “build it and they will come” scenario. Long-term momentum depends on visible leadership focus and ongoing support. Consistent communication drives continuous improvement. When we help design and launch a phase one release, it rarely includes every feature we envision. That is why we build a roadmap with priorities and resources to keep advancing the platform.
The reality is that the finish line keeps moving. Customer expectations evolve, and so does the technology that enables them. Companies that assign clear responsibility and accountability for the digital channel are more successful than those that divide it across multiple groups.
Finally, it’s critical to stay nimble and customer-focused. Prioritize features and enhancements based on what you see in customer behavior. Use feedback mechanisms, monitor site and app activity, and listen closely to your sales reps, who remain a vital source of customer insight.
Transforming an organization’s digital strategy
What are some different ways that an organization can take advantage of a new digital platform?
A new digital platform opens several opportunities for growth. First, it expands product assortment. Companies can use models like drop-ship or marketplaces to offer a broader catalog without carrying physical inventory. This creates an “endless aisle” for customers, but it is important to curate assortments carefully so they remain relevant and aligned with customer needs.
Second, digital enables smarter customer segmentation. Manufacturers that typically sell through distributors may explore going direct in specific scenarios. Smaller customers, who are expensive to serve in the field, are often good candidates for self-service digital channels. Larger, strategic accounts may also transition online over time, but that should be done thoughtfully to protect existing dealer and distributor relationships.
Third, digital creates geographic expansion opportunities. A portal allows customers outside of a branch footprint to discover and engage with the business. This can open entirely new markets, though it requires careful planning for logistics, especially when shipping heavy or complex products.
Across all of these areas, success depends on using data to guide decisions. Tracking cart composition, category performance, and customer behavior provides insight into which products, segments, or geographies to prioritize as the digital channel evolves.
Can you share an example of a time you worked with a client to help them reach alignment and successfully push out a new distribution method for their business?
Sure. We worked with a large commercial restaurant equipment manufacturer that owns multiple brands, each with significant site traffic. Historically, their sites relied on content pages directing visitors to find a dealer or request a sales rep callback. Once customers left the site to search for a dealer, the company lost visibility into the interaction.
To address this, we helped design a transactional marketplace where dealers and distributors could represent the product catalogs they carry. Instead of leaving the site to find a dealer, customers could select a partner and complete a purchase directly.
Because the dealer network was not fully ready to transact online, we implemented a hybrid solution. The platform included product pages and a quoting system, generating qualified leads for the dealer network and moving the manufacturer much closer to transactional capability. This client deserves credit for recognizing that their original plan did not align with partner readiness. By pivoting to a phased approach, they maintained dealer support while still advancing their digital strategy.
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