The five most common operational challenges we see when working with manufacturing and distributor CEOs or their Managers are outlined in this article, along with practical ways to overcome them.
As CEOs and business owners, the responsibility for making everything work often falls squarely on your shoulders. You’re balancing growth, managing people, and trying to solve the daily challenges that crop up, all while keeping an eye on the bottom line.
If it feels like there’s never enough time in the day, you’re not alone. Many business leaders we work with, particularly those in distributorships and manufacturing, share the same frustrations. These challenges aren’t unique, and while they might seem overwhelming, they can be addressed.
Here are the five most common operational challenges we see, along with practical ways to overcome them.
1. Inefficient Processes That Waste Time and Money
Do your workflows feel more like roadblocks? We’ve seen this time and time again—manual approvals, disconnected spreadsheets, or processes that rely on someone remembering to do the next step. These inefficiencies eat up valuable time and add unnecessary frustration.
One of our clients once said,
“We’re working so hard, but it feels like we’re always behind.”
That’s the hallmark of inefficiency, being busy, but not productive.
The Fix:
Start by identifying where the bottlenecks are. Often, introducing tools like a CRM system or marketing automation can streamline repetitive tasks. But it’s not just about the tools; the real impact comes from aligning your processes to work smarter, not harder.
For example, foundational strategies provide a structured way to identify and solve operational inefficiencies.
2. Sales and Marketing Are Working in Silos
When sales and marketing don’t work together, the result is often frustration, missed opportunities, and wasted resources. We recently worked with a business where sales was generating leads, but marketing wasn’t providing the support to nurture them effectively. As a result, the leads weren’t converting.
The Fix:
Aligning sales and marketing starts with shared goals and communication. It can be as simple as establishing a clear handoff process between the two teams or using a CRM system to ensure everyone has access to the same data.
When sales and marketing operate as a unified team, the customer journey becomes seamless, leading to better results.
3. Lack of Visibility Into the Sales Pipeline
Flying blind when it comes to your sales pipeline is a common issue. Whether it’s due to outdated tools or a lack of processes, not knowing what’s happening in your pipeline makes it nearly impossible to forecast accurately or identify where leads are falling through the cracks.
The Fix:
A well-implemented CRM can transform your visibility. It’s not just a tool for storing contacts, (a glorified rolodex), it’s a system that provides actionable insights into where deals are in the process and what’s needed to close them.
But having a CRM is just the first step. The key is using it effectively, which means ensuring your team is trained and your workflows are optimized to take full advantage of its capabilities.
4. Poor Marketing (or None at All)
Marketing is often an afterthought for businesses focused on sales. It’s easy to assume sales can handle it all, but without a consistent marketing strategy, it’s hard to keep the pipeline full.
One distributorship we worked with relied solely on cold outreach to generate leads. While this approach had worked in the past, it was burning out their sales team and limiting growth. Another relied solely on web traffic, however they were doing nothing to drive buyers to their site.
The Fix:
Even a small, focused marketing effort can have a significant impact. Start by understanding your audience and writing messaging that speaks directly to their needs. Tools like email marketing platforms or automation systems can help you stay consistent without overwhelming your team.
5. Overburdened Sales Teams
When your sales team is bogged down with administrative tasks like lead qualification or manual follow-ups, they’re not selling. That’s a problem! What we also see is the sales team fulfilling orders, or handling the production process - this should be a separate team. Now we get that not all businesses are big enough for this, or have the sales volume to support the wages, but it is something to strive for.
The Fix:
Automating repetitive tasks is one of the easiest ways to free up your sales team’s time. Whether it’s email sequences, lead scoring, or data entry, automation tools can handle the busywork so your team can focus on closing deals.
This approach doesn’t just improve efficiency, it also boosts morale, as your team can spend more time doing what they do best.
The challenges you face as a CEO, Owner or Manager are not insurmountable. By addressing these operational roadblocks, you can create a more efficient, aligned, and scalable business.
Our experience has shown that a structured approach like the one outlined in our Foundational 6 Architecture can make all the difference. If you’re ready to take control of your business’s growth and efficiency, let’s talk.
We’d be happy to help you map out a strategy tailored to your needs. Book a free strategy session with one of our strategists (Debi our Steve), and let’s get started on creating a plan that works for you.
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