I've been a national account manager for a manufacturer selling into the biggest merchant groups in the country. I've run the online trade channel for a national tool distributor. And I spent more than a decade as sales director of a family-owned manufacturer, turning a quiet, respected brand into one the trades asked for by name.
Along the way I opened a direct channel to the tradespeople who used our products, on a sliver of the range. I did it without a single merchant walking away. I rebuilt pricing and tightened terms so rebates were earned rather than given. I moved a sales team from dropping off catalogues to managing accounts.
The best ideas I've had came from the trade counter, not the boardroom. That's where I spend my time now: in your branch, in your numbers and in the cab with your reps, finding where the sales and profit are leaking and fixing it with your people.
I work with a small number of clients at a time and one merchant per trading area. That's deliberate. It means the work gets done properly and never turns up at your competitor.