Tapped In Sales and Strategy for Beer Distributors

Inside the BBD Beer Summit 2025 Welcome to another episode of Tapped In Sales ! Join Bud and Mikey as they take you inside the 2025 Beer Business Daily Beer Summit and Wine & Spirits Summit, held in sunny Palm Beach, Florida. This year’s summit was packed with insights, trends, and bold predictions shaping the future of the beer and beverage industry. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: 🍺 Shif...

Welcome back to Tapped In Sales , the podcast for beer distributors by beer distributors! In this episode, Bud and Mikey kick off the new year with some fresh insights, lighthearted stories, and hard-hitting truths. Bud shares a tale from his recent trip to Miami, where a mandatory 20% surcharge at restaurants sparked a bigger conversation about incentives, motivation, and unintended consequences—...

In this first episode of 2025, Bud and Mikey explore the themes shaping the beer distribution industry for the year ahead. With insights from VXP’s deep involvement in managing over 100 million cases annually, they discuss agility, resilience, and strategies to rebuild profitability in a challenging landscape. Link to VXP 2025 Annual Letter 🌍 Cultural Shifts and Market Trends: Dive into key chall...

🎉 Holiday Hangovers, Highlights, and Big Ideas for 2025 🎉Bud and Mikey are back with a festive wrap-up of 2024 and a sneak peek at what’s to come in 2025. Recorded between Christmas and New Year’s, this episode is filled with holiday vibes, hilarious anecdotes, and thoughtful reflections on the podcast’s journey so far. Here’s what we’re tapping into this week: 🕺 Holiday Shenanigans Bud and Mik...

🎙️ In this episode of Tapped In Sales, Bud and Mike sit down with the legendary Harry Schuhmacher from Beer Business Daily to talk all things beer—from wild distributor stories to big trends for 2025. 🦴 Hip Replacements Are a Game-Changer Harry’s fresh hip, his trusty cane (with bells for flair), and why recovery is best with a puppy and a sense of humor. 🍺 Boston Beer’s Next Move Jim Koch is al...

The holiday season is in full swing, and with it comes a flood of shoppers hunting for the perfect drinks to wow guests, gift loved ones, or stock up for celebrations. In this episode, Bud and Mikey share hilarious stories from the road, smart holiday sales strategies, and how to turn seasonal shoppers into loyal customers. Top Takeaways & Strategies: ❄️ Make High-GP Items the Star : Learn how...

Listen up, and welcome back to Tapped In Sales ! This week, Bud and Mikey are diving into the quirks and challenges of route disparities in beer distribution. Ever wonder why some routes crush it while others struggle? Let’s break it down together. We’re breaking down how knowing your routes can unlock big wins and boost your sales game. Whether you're hustling in the city or cruising through the...

Join Bud and Mikey on this episode of Tapped In Sales as they dive headfirst into the world of THC beverages with expert guest Ian Dominguez, founder of Delta Emerald Ventures. Ian brings his day-to-day expertise in the cannabis and THC drinks space to the conversation, unpacking the massive growth potential and strategic opportunities this emerging category offers beer distributors. Key Takeaways...

In this episode of Tapped In Sales , Bud and Mikey switch things up with a special guest from the world of wine. Chris Ireland, founder of Ireland Family Wine & Spirits, joins us to share some serious insights on what he calls “Supplier Math 101.” If you’ve ever wondered how wine suppliers approach goal-setting, profitability, and market strategy with a clearer plan, this is the episode for yo...

Welcome back to the Tapped In Sales Podcast! 🍻 This week, Bud and Mikey dive deep into the tricky world of quantity discounts (QDs) and how to make them work for you – not against your profit margins. 💰 Highlights: ➡️ Smart vs. Blind Discounts : Quantity discounts can drive volume, but only if you're strategic. Discover why blindly offering QDs without a clear ROI can hurt your bottom line. 💸 ➡...

In this episode of Tapped In Sales , Bud Dunn sits down with Albert Ciuksza Jr., author of Succeeding: Stepping Up Without Stepping in It: The ultimate playbook for successors . They explore the unexpected emotional layers of succession, with Albert sharing insights on why stepping away can be so challenging for leaders and what successors can do to manage the transition. This conversation goes be...

Episode Summary: In this week’s episode of Tapped In Sales , Bud and Mikey dive into the often-overwhelming world of supplier incentives and ask the question on every distributor’s mind: Are these deals really getting out of control? With incentives surging and becoming more complex, distributors are facing new challenges as they try to balance supplier demands with what actually works for their m...

In this episode of Tapped In Sales , Bud and Mike dive into breaking news as Keurig Dr. Pepper acquires Ghost Energy for over $1 billion. They also tackle a hot topic in beer distribution: Delta 9 and THC-infused drinks. Should beer distributors enter this space, and what are the implications if they don’t? Bud and Mike discuss the importance of being at the table during legislative discussions su...

In this episode of Tapped In Sales , Bud and Mikey dive into the critical topic of optimizing retail space and identifying sales gaps that could lead to untapped sales opportunities. Whether you're a seasoned sales rep or just starting out, this episode is packed with actionable insights to help you maximize your impact at retail. Key Takeaways: No Perfect Account : Even accounts that look perfect...

In this episode of Tapped In Sales , Bud and Mikey explore the risks of turning your Performance-Based Pay (PFP) into a predictable, guaranteed monthly bonus – and why that’s a trap you should avoid. Drawing from real-world experiences and their recent seminar at the NBWA convention, they discuss how sales teams can fall into the entitlement mentality when incentives become too reliable and easy t...

In this episode, Bud and Mike recap their recent trip to the 87th NBWA Annual Convention. Fresh off the red-eye and still buzzing from the energy of the event, they dive into key takeaways for beer distributors navigating the evolving landscape of on-premise sales in a post-COVID world. The duo breaks down the insights shared by industry heavyweights on a panel featuring Robbie Maletis (Maletis Be...

In this episode of the Tapped In Sales Podcast , Bud and Mikey dive deep into the critical role middle management plays in driving profitability within beer distributors. This conversation covers how middle managers, team leads, key account managers, and more, can align their incentives with company goals to create a high-performing culture that moves beyond traditional volume metrics. But first,...

Welcome to another episode of the Tapped In Sales Podcast with your hosts, Bud and Mikey! In today’s episode, we dive into the complex world of price increases and how to navigate them while keeping your profitability intact. With price increases on the horizon, it’s time to think strategically and avoid common pitfalls. We explore three key strategies that every sales team and wholesaler needs to...

Welcome to another exciting episode of the Tapped In Sales Podcast ! In this episode, we sit down with Kimberly McKinnish , COO of NBWA, to uncover the secrets behind the upcoming NextGen Conference 2024 – the ultimate event for emerging leaders and seasoned professionals in the beer distribution industry. Get a sneak peek into the conference that’s all about shaping the future of beer distributio...

Summary In this episode of the Tapped In Sales podcast, Bud and Mikey discuss the importance of goal setting and how to go about it. They emphasize the need for goals to be realistic and attainable and the importance of accuracy in goal setting. They also discuss the role of selling day adjustment in setting goals and the need for qualitative input in the goal-setting process. They highlight the i...

Summary In this episode of the Tapped In Sales podcast, Bud and Mikey are joined by Eric Kiser from fintech to discuss the high-level overview of what fintech is and what EFT payments mean to the beer industry. They talk about the benefits of EFT, such as increased safety, efficiency, and cost savings. They also discuss the legislative and regulatory considerations behind EFT, including the moveme...

Summary In this episode of the Tapped In Sales podcast, Bud and Mikey discuss the core components of annual business planning (ABP) with suppliers. They cover topics such as sales targets, distribution targets, financial projections, incentive planning, inventory management, training, and market visit planning. They emphasize the importance of setting realistic sales goals and understanding the pr...

Summary In this episode of the Tapped In Sales podcast, Bud and Mike interview Kary Shumway, a financial guru for beer distributors. Kary shares his journey in the beer business and how he became an expert in finance for the industry. He emphasizes the importance of financial literacy and training for all employees, from drivers to sales managers. Kary also discusses the challenges that distributo...

Summary In this episode, Bud and Mike discuss the best practices for setting up variable pay and incentives. They explore different timing intervals, such as monthly, quarterly, and annually, and the pros and cons of each. They emphasize the importance of short-term focus and instant gratification for sales reps, making monthly incentives the most effective. They also discuss the potential use of...

Summary In this episode of the Tapped In Sales podcast, Bud and Mikey interview Jennifer Hauke, the founder of Draftline Technologies. They discuss the importance of cleanliness in the beer industry and how Draftline helps beer distributors improve their line cleaning processes. Jennifer shares her journey in the industry and how she developed the mobile application that revolutionized line cleani...