The Focus Gap: The Hidden Threat to Growth in Distribution and Manufacturing

In all sectors of manufacturing, distribution, and wholesale, reps are overwhelmed, and sales leaders are concerned that they’re not prioritizing the right opportunities.

It’s a basic sales challenge: where should reps focus their time to get the best results? The answers are actually in your ERP, but they’re hidden. So instead, reps focus on what’s visible: the accounts that recently placed an order, the ones sending the most emails, or those that contribute the most top-line revenue.

This is the focus gap—the space between the accounts that get attention and the ones that actually deserve it. It’s how missed reorders, stalled deals, and shrinking market share happen right under your nose.

You have a focus gap if:

• 70% of rep activity is focused on the top 10 accounts

• 40% of accounts haven’t been contacted in 90+ days

• Only 1 in 5 reps can identify accounts at risk of churn

• “Gut feel” guides account prioritization more than data

Your ERP Isn’t Just a System of Record—It’s a Forecasting Engine

ERP systems quietly collect the richest behavioral data in your commercial ecosystem: invoices, product velocity, order frequency, and margin drift. Unfortunately, that intelligence is often siloed or buried in spreadsheets that only finance or IT can decode.

But imagine what sales teams could do if they had that level of insight in their daily workflow. What if a rep knew the moment a once-predictable buyer skipped a reorder? Or when an order cadence slipped from every 28 days to every 41?

This isn’t hypothetical. These signals are there. We’re just not listening.

The Patterns That Predict Revenue

Closing the focus gap means shifting your team’s attention from surface signals (last email, biggest invoice) to real buying behavior. These are the patterns hidden in your ERP that predict future revenue:

Missed reorder: An auto parts retailer that regularly ordered 200 oil filters and 150 spark plugs every month hasn’t placed any orders in the past 90 days.

Order cadence: An HVAC distributor used to order 120 units of copper tubing every 4 weeks, but has only placed one order in the past two months.

Basket gap: A packaging supplier regularly orders 80 rolls of shrink film every month, but hasn’t purchased heat sealers or tape dispensers.

Why Sales Leaders Are Turning to Operational Data for Strategy

Progressive sales leaders are reframing how they measure performance and allocate effort. They’re beginning to look past top-line activity metrics and instead focus on data that signals health, retention, and momentum.

The shift looks like this:

Bridging the Focus Gap Is a Culture Shift—Not Just a Tech One

Embedding ERP insights into the sales process isn’t just about tools. It’s about changing how teams think about value and risk. Sales managers must help reps shift from reactive to proactive, from anecdotal to analytical, from scattered effort to prioritized engagement.

This doesn’t mean ignoring instincts or relationships—but augmenting them with the kind of intelligence that makes every customer conversation more relevant.

The Bottom Line

If you're a sales leader, your ERP is probably sitting on months—if not years—of unacted opportunity. The challenge isn’t collecting more data. It’s activating what you already have.

By narrowing the focus gap, you turn your team’s attention away from what’s loudest toward what matters most. That’s not just better sales management—it’s strategic advantage.

Want more insights into how you can leverage technology in your business, find missed sales opportunities, and make the most of your ERP and customer data? Hit the link below to read on.