Remember when having the best product catalog meant something?
Culture Aqua spent 50 years building relationships with wineries across southern France. Their sales reps knew every client by name. Their catalog was thick, colorful, and delivered in person each autumn.
Then the Internet arrived.
Suddenly, their trusted client Jacques could compare every valve and pump online. Within minutes, he found identical products on eBay for a third of the price.
The relationship didn't matter anymore. The catalog didn't matter. Only the price tag did.
This isn't just Culture Aqua's story. It's the story of every distributor, retailer, and "middleman" who woke up one day to discover they'd become obsolete.
The uncomfortable question: If your customers can find what you sell with three clicks and a lower price, what exactly are they paying YOU for?
More on this tomorrow.