Ep. 18 - Retail Supplier Secrets: Building World-Class Teams

Navigating the shifting expectations of corporate giants requires a modern approach to team building. Staying relevant to major retail partners means moving beyond outdated playbooks and understanding exactly what a high-caliber vendor needs to look like in today's market. In this episode, industry veterans Denise Natishan, Managing Partner at Cameron Smith and Associates, and Todd Matherly, Executive Vice President of Market Performance Group, pull back the curtain on what it takes to build a modern, world-class supplier team capable of winning with Walmart and Sam’s Club.

We sit down to unpack the critical intersection of physical retail mastery and digital shelf strategy. Our conversation tackles the exact capabilities hiring managers are looking for today, including high emotional intelligence, instant data fluency, and the necessity of retail media management. Denise and Todd share their front-line perspectives on why the best supplier partners stop pitching their brands and start delivering comprehensive category solutions, illustrating how top teams turn raw metrics into actionable narratives.

Success in this arena demands facing hard choices about operational structures, especially since remote work environments can easily become a major barrier to quick decision-making. True organizational agility requires a strong leader who listens, maintains a sense of urgency, and builds a collaborative culture where team members feel heard. You will walk away with a clear blueprint of how to combine technical competence with the soft skills necessary to thrive at retail's highest level.

If you care about team retention, data-driven storytelling, and scaling your retail footprint, you’ll get a lot from this discussion. Please remember to Subscribe and Share this episode to help us bring you more boots-on-the-ground insights. What is the biggest organizational shift your team is making to keep up with the demands of the modern digital shelf? Let us know in the comments below.

Transcript

Why World Class Teams Are Changing

0:08

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Digital Front Door. I'm Scott Benedict, and I just had a great opportunity to participate in a live event here just down the street from our studios as part of the Doing Disses in Bentonville breakfast series. And the topic that we talked about was really what is the modern definition of a world-class supplier team here in this market calling on Walmart and Sam's Club. One of the things I noticed from my career as a buyer is that the caliber of the supplier teams that called on me when I was a buyer was certainly world-class, was certainly of a higher caliber here in this market than it had been in my experience as a buyer either prior or since uh working with Walmart and Sands Club. But it felt like there was so much change going on in our industry today that the definition of what a world-class supplier team was and is really kind of changing and very dynamic. So we had a panel discussion, and I was pleased to be uh joined on this panel with Denise. Uh Denise. Thank you. I got it wrong when we were live, and so I apologize for that. But Denise is the managing partner at Cameron Smith and Associates, which is a very well-known uh uh supplier, talent development, and recruiting team here in our market. And Denise, you brought a ton of great insights to the conversation. We're also joined by Todd Matherly. Todd is executive vice president of market performance group and is a former colleague of mine at Walmart and CM's Club in merchandising, and uh his contribution to the conversation was also incredibly vital. Guys, I remember as we talked through the the this topic, one of the things that we started out with is for all the skills and capabilities that supplier teams need to have now, there's still a lot of evergreen skill sets, things that don't change. And and Denise, you talked a little bit about some of the things that uh in the recruiting space haven't changed for all the things that have changed. Can you maybe touch on some of the things that you talked about uh during our our live session earlier?

Leadership And Culture That Retain Talent

2:39

Absolutely. I'd be happy to do that. I think one of the things you asked is what makes a good team great. Yeah. And I said, I think the one thing that it comes down to is leadership. Yeah. It really is about having a good leader who listens, who understands, who's motivating. Yeah. Um, and then from that leader, you he builds or she builds a great team and that creates a great culture. And that is what we said is always going to be in place because if you have a good leader and that person builds a good team and they feel heard or listened to, yeah, they will stay. They're not gonna leave. And I said a good leader will be the person that executes and makes things happen and brings in the tools necessary that are always changing and ever changing, but a person's going to leave a not going to leave the company, they're gonna leave the leader or they're gonna leave the culture. Yeah. And so um, that's what I see as critical at this point. Yeah. And you know, I saw both people come up to you after the event, and they sort of came up to me and said the same thing, that that was something that doesn't get talked about enough is the the the team, the successful team begins to the leader, and you really brought that that point home in the conversation. Todd, one of the things you and I talked about during the session was, you know, that there are attributes and capabilities of a top-notch team, both that we saw when we were in retailing and you get to see every day in the work uh at MPG. Can you kind of highlight some of those things that you saw that are rooted in skills that don't change, but maybe have a modern, a modern fist

Make The Merchant’s Job Easier

4:19

on them? Yeah, I think a lot of them are still relevant over the years. I think um I think the best supplier partners that I experienced didn't pitch me harder. They made my job easier. Yeah. And I think we talked about that uh during the panel. And and it's things like starting with the category, giving me, teaching me category things instead of just your brand or items is really important. That's when you knew they understood uh the way to approach it. They were um, you know, brought me solutions that make it easier. Yeah. They were very transparent, especially in bad times. Yes. Uh news, bad news should travel fast. Yes. Uh, and that helps build the relationship and trust, yes, right? To then unlock everything else that you're looking at. And then I think the other thing we talked about is uh the you know, the tactical things are very strategic at Walmart. They were years ago, they still are. They just changed somewhat, and we'll probably talk about that more as we go forward here. Well, uh, go ahead and and touch on that because it feels like you know, a lot of teams now have to have expertise in digital as well as physical merchandising. They have to have expertise in retail media management. Supply chain expertise is kind of gone to another level with the expectation of on time and full and and staying in stock. And there's a lot of areas uh from your perspective, how those additional things come in and kind of layered onto those evergreen skills that we talk about.

Digital Shelf Skills Without Jargon

5:46

Yeah, the digital shelf, the digital experience has certainly been layered on. But I think the good news is there's a lot of ways uh to get access and many tools we talked about that you can use to to show up well there, but really just understanding how digital and physical, they're two different things, but they're just as important. Yeah. But also think about it like a customer. Yeah. And I think that's still relevant today. I think you just have to put a digital lens in it. We all shop differently today. We research. Wow. So your your pictures and words we talked about, right? Yeah. And don't get caught up in the big terminology. I think, you know, I'm a big glossary of terms guy. And so I was always making sure we were speaking the same language with a supplier. Yeah. And don't be afraid to ask, wait a minute, what what's your definition of that? Because I don't think we agree here. Because some of the new terminology in the digital world maybe started at Amazon, cascaded its way to other retailers, and may not be as relevant or mean the same thing, even uh at Walmart. So, you know, speaking the language is really important. We talked about that. Uh, and then keeping it simple. Don't be afraid to keep it simple. Yeah. Yeah, that makes a lot of sense. And Denise, one of the things we talked about during the session was what are some of the new capabilities that the employers and the supplier teams that you're working with are looking for in candidates that they're considering uh bringing on to their teams.

Hiring For Curiosity AI And EQ

7:10

And it felt like you know, leadership you you touched on, but it was really a combination of uh physical retail skill sets, digital retail skill sets, and even the ability to make good relationships and build a rapport with the people that you work with at a retailer, right? Correct. And I think you also hit on it too, Scott, when we were talking about the intellectual curiosity. Yeah. So teams really want somebody that is nimble, that can work quickly, and especially given the data is instant these days. So, how do we deal with the instant data and respond to that? So somebody that is very proactive, that has that intellectual curiosity, like, well, where are we going to go with this and how can we move this quickly? Yeah. And so obviously having those strong technical skills and being willing to adapt to the ever-changing world of AI and what does that mean? And not being afraid of it, but embracing it and saying, this is going to make us better. It's going to make my job easier, it's going to improve on what I'm doing for my supplier or for my retailer. And so how you do that and how you work with that is critical. And having the skill sets that are not just technical, but also that strong EQ of being able to respond quickly and what does that mean? Yeah. And you know, it's one of the things, Todd, that I don't think we touched on, but I think a lot of teams in this market understand a sense of urgency and getting past people. And you've seen that uh no doubt as well. Do you do you in your travels think that that's uh inherent in some of the teams that uh operate in this market, or is that still something that has to be reminded and reinforced, either in the teams that are based here, but maybe maybe also some of the teams that they work with back at their main office uh that's not here. Yeah, I think I think it depends. Uh I I do think remote work can be a barrier to moving fast. Yeah. So I think you have to be careful when you're in a remote work environment where you can't all get in a room, talk about it, right on the I'm a big whiteboard guy. Yeah. Right. The the good things still happen when you do that. Yeah. So that's a watch out, I think, if you're remote on how fast you can move. Right. I think it it's one of the reasons why smaller brands are winning. Yeah. 100%. They can move. Yes. Pivot. Yeah. And they don't have to, you know, they don't make decision by committee. But I think as you think about your role leading in Walmart or Sam's Club team, is you've got to be the the orchestrator, yeah, uh, if you will, within your organization and not be afraid to bring, as we joked, they with you to a meeting. Yeah. I think that still has not changed. Maybe even more important today when when things have evolved, like retail media, where most salespeople are not an expert at that. Let's arrest. You don't have to be if you bring the right person with you, right? Uh who knows to speak the language. Yeah, right. And have really good conversations. Yeah. And that reminds me of something we talked about towards the end of the session, which was kind of looking forward into what are the skills and capabilities we thought great supplier teams were gonna need to continue to develop and that sort of thing. Denise, I'm curious the recurring themes that you see in your work in terms of the skills and capabilities that that hiring managers, leaders of teams are looking for and the candidates that you help connect them to in your work. And that's a great question, Scott. I think, you know, it goes back to that whole thing that we were talking about is there's going to be a need for truly the technical skills. You can't hire somebody unless they have the technical skills that you need. And it goes back to what does that mean? Because technical skills are changing all the time and adapting to be to that kind of an environment. And I think the other thing that companies are looking for are people that are relatable. We mentioned that, like I said, Steve Jobs always looked at, you know, does he go out for a beer with somebody or could he go out for a beer with somebody? Well, you want to. Do you want to? And it wasn't again about the alcohol, it was really about do I like working with this person? So you need to have a team that people feel good together, that they can trust each other. Because if you have a team that's not that's alienated or there's a distrust, then you're gonna be falling apart. So it's that interaction of having the soft skills and the technical skills and those advanced technical skills and a willingness to be very, very proactive in this day and age because what you were saying too, Todd, about uh, you know, it's speed. Like you have to have the speed and agility to work with what's going on. And I I think about how, you know, the old sundown rule. Like, I don't even think people know what the old sundown rule is. Like so, you know, just do you get your things out on time? And are you true to your word of what you're bringing to your supplier or to your retailer? Indeed. Todd, uh, you had some great comments on that subject as well, in terms of what you saw great teams looking forward. What were some of those capabilities? Can you share some thoughts? I think even in the word, you you start with the capabilities you're looking for, not titles. Yeah. I think we talked about that. I think that's a definitely a key place to make sure you're thinking about that the right way. Yeah. Uh the the people you need on your team who maybe complement your skills. Yeah. Uh a great leader does that. Yeah. They are smart enough to know they need people who can do those other capabilities maybe better than them. And then you have to be able to tell the story. Uh there's a digital story, there's an analytical story, there's your brand story, there's the customer story. Uh, and I think weaving all those together, it takes uh uh a bit of an art to do that. And I think we talked a little bit about the art and science of being a merchant. Uh, there are many tools that can help with the science part. Yeah. But those who really understand how to leverage that but still apply the art, that's probably your best merchant and supplier uh in today's world. Indeed. Indeed. One of the things that I I brought up during the session I feel passionately about is that uh I got asked one time when I was interviewing uh with a with a retailer, what I think was one of the most critical aspects uh of what made a great merchant, that was intellectual curiosity. And you you touched on that, Denise. But I I think that applies to supplier teams as well, particularly when we live in an age with a sheer amount of data that's available both to the retailer and to the brand partners. And what I like to tell people is that the retailer is not sharing that information with you so that you can win a game of trivial pursuit. There is an expectation of turning that the that data and those insights into action. And it feels like we live in a time where that's going to be one of the core capabilities that kind of evolves from the world that was into the world that is, because there's even more data, insights, and information that drive decisions, no matter what your role is in the ecosystem of retail, right? And it's driving it quickly. And so I'm glad you brought that up, both of you, as far as one of the asks that we get all the time from our clients is I want somebody that can take the data and turn it into a story. Yeah. Not just give me the data, but take that data and make it a story that's we and can we can then approach our client with or our retailer with. And so those are the things that I think that are really critical is that advanced understanding of how do you make that happen. Indeed. Todd, any closing thoughts on the I I just think the customer still should be the focus. Indeed. Start there, you you tend to end up in the right place. And I really think it's interesting how the world, we could say that it's more complicated, but in ways I think it's actually uh the world is more of an open book today. So how you're leveraging that is really key. And you know, I was just thinking about we used to do focus groups. We had to drive to Kansas City, sit behind a couple of guys. Well, now you have, you know, reviews, customer reviews. So you have our focus group every single day. So how are you using the tools to make uh you know, make decisions quicker and then act on them? I think is really uh a skill that some people might be missing because they're caught up in all the day-to-day, you know, meetings and discussions. But uh it's actually a really fun time, I think, to be at a retailer or calling on a retailer because of the wealth of uh information and data that's out there. I think the challenge is making it meaningful and telling a story with it. Indeed. Yeah, indeed. And I I'm so thankful we we got to share our perspectives with the group uh at that event today. And it just felt very timely and very relevant because we're really at an inflection point, it feels like in the history of retailing and it and it the industry is evolving. That's part of what always attracted me to our industry was that it will I was never bored, never had a boring day being involved in retain. I think our conversation this morning really reinforced that. So I thank you both for joining us

Key Takeaways And Upcoming Events

16:10

today. And to our audience, uh, this was not the last live in-person uh event that uh the team at Doing Business in Bentonville will hold. I recommend you visit the DBB website and sign up and attend the next event. There's a whole calendar of great events coming up, and I'm sure you'll want to uh to join us as an attendee as well as as a speaker. So thank you, both Denise and Todd, for joining us. And and thanks to everyone who attended today. We hope to see you at a future event. I'm Scott Venerdick for the Digital Front Door. Thanks for joining us.