Predictive Selling Machine learning is beginning to secure tomorrow’s sales. Be ready. By Tanaisha Dunbarger IF YOU’RE WALKING THE floor at The PPAI Expo in January, don’t be surprised if you hear a new phrase pop up in conversations: predictive selling. It may not be everywhere yet – we’re still early in the curve – but you’ll notice hints of it. A supplier demo that feels a little more intuitive than last year, a software platform promising to “anticipate client needs” or a conference day speaker talking about what’s around the corner. These are the first signals of something that could reshape the way distributors work with clients. What Predictive Selling Really Means Picture this: Before your client even thinks about restocking event giveaways, you’ve already shared three fresh ideas with pricing and decoration options. Not because you guessed or set a reminder on your Outlook calendar every six months, but because your system spotted the pattern and notified you at just the right time. That’s predictive selling. It’s about using data such as order histories, buying cycles and seasonal trends to forecast what your clients will want next. Other industries have been doing this for years. Amazon nudges us with products we didn’t know we needed. Netflix queues up the next show before the credits even roll. There’s no reason our industry can’t do more to harness that same power. How It Could Look In Promo Most of us today rely on our instincts and our relationships, and those will always matter. They’re not going anywhere. But predictive tools could make us sharper. There are tons of possibilities: • Smarter CRMs that don’t just track activity but suggest when to reach out with specific products. • Trend-driven dashboards that say, “Eco-friendly drinkware is trending in your client’s industry – here are three options.” • Automated timing alerts that keep you ahead of the reorder curve. • Cross-sell prompts that surface relevant add-ons, like suggesting branded apparel when a client orders uniforms. The point isn’t replacing the human touch. It’s about showing up ready, informed and on time as the kind of partner who seems to always know what’s next. 30 • NOVEMBER 2025 • PPAI Voices | Innovation JLStock / Shutterstock.com
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